Morning Briefing – Tuesday, July 16

The Copenhagen Post’s daily digest of what the Danish press is reporting

Dane plunges to his death while mountain climbing in France

A Danish climber fell to his death yesterday while climbing on Europe's highest peak, Mont Blanc in France. French media reports that the climber died instantly after dropping 300 metres. He was not wearing a safety line.  French authorities are investigating the accident. The man’s identity has not been released, but the Foreign Ministry confirmed that a Danish citizen had died in connection with a climbing accident in France and that his relatives have been informed. The Dane was the third climber to die on Mont Blanc in two days.  – Ekstra Bladet

One in five adults on blood pressure medications

The number of blood pressure patients taking medication has nearly doubled in just ten years – from 510,000 to more than 877,000 – but only one third of those patients are showing a significant drop in blood pressure. Doctors behind a study of 37,000 patients say that while simply prescribing a pill may give both patients and doctors a “false sense of security”, many patients may need higher doses or a different treatment protocol to actually get their blood pressure down to a safe level. – Jyllands-Posten

State burying councils in new rules

Despite many years of broad political consensus to cut red tape, the flow of new regulations, circulars and procedures imposed by the state on local councils has grown explosively. A research project conducted by a student at Aarhus University looked at three specific areas – schools, at-risk youth and water regulations – and found that the amount of new rules being dictated by the government in those areas had grown by 51 percent. Peter Birch Sørensen, the head of a productivity commission appointed by the government, said the numbers suggested that many unnecessary rules are being imposed. – Politiken

Students need to look for housing outside of the cities, say Socialdemokraterne

There is a shortage of housing available for students in the larger cities. Jan Johansen, the housing spokesperson for Socialdemokraterne, said that students need to be willing to commute.  

“People who work have to commute between their jobs and their homes, and students should be willing to do the same,” said Johansen.

Jakob Ruggaard, the head of the Danish Student Union, countered that students often cannot afford to commute everyday and that they are more successful if they live closer to school. Ruggaard said that Johansen is covering up the fact that the government has failed to provide affordable housing for students. – DR News 





  • How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    Being part of a trade union is a long-established norm for Danes. But many internationals do not join unions – instead enduring workers’ rights violations. Find out how joining a union could benefit you, and how to go about it.

  • Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals are overrepresented in the lowest-paid fields of agriculture, transport, cleaning, hotels and restaurants, and construction – industries that classically lack collective agreements. A new analysis from the Workers’ Union’s Business Council suggests that internationals rarely join trade unions – but if they did, it would generate better industry standards.

  • Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    The numbers are especially striking amongst the 3,477 business and economics students polled, of whom 31 percent elected Novo Nordisk as their favorite, compared with 20 percent last year.