Morning Briefing – Thursday, October 31

The Copenhagen Post’s daily round-up of the front pages and other major Danish news stories

Oct 31, 2013

Next prize for ‘The Hunt’, an Oscar
After winning the coveted Nordic Prize for film yesterday, ‘The Hunt’ (Jagten) is well positioned to take home an Oscar, according to film critics. ‘The Hunt’, a film about a teacher falsely accused of molesting a child, is Denmark’s nominee in the Academy Awards’ foreign film category. In all, Danes took home three of the five Nordic Council Awards handed out in Oslo last night. Author Kim Leine won in the literature category, while the council’s award in the nature and environment category went to Selina Juul from Stop Spild af Mad (Stop Wasting Food), for her organisation’s efforts to stop food waste. – DR Nyheder

Number of children born with Down’s falls to lowest ever
At just 23, the number of children born with Down’s syndrome was at its lowest level last year. The number of children with Down’s syndrome has fallen consistently since 2006, when screening for the condition was introduced. Before testing was introduced about 60 children with Down’s syndrome were born each year. In only three of the 23 cases of Down's syndrome last year were the parents aware ahead of time that the child would be affected by the condition. Grete Fält Hansen, the head of Landsforeningen Downs Syndrom, a support group, said the development showed society had come to see people with Down’s as “mistakes”. “The women who chose to have a child with Down’s find out that it’s not so bad. There can be complications like heart problems, of course, but other children can have the same problems.” – Kristeligt Dagblad

Online grocer declares price war
Online grocer nemlig.com has announced it is lowering its prices to match those offered by Netto, a discount supermarket. The move marks the first time in Denmark that an on-line retailer has sought to compete on price with traditional merchants. Previously, online retailers have sought to focus on the convenience of their service as a way to justify their higher prices. With the announced lower prices, competing traditional chains can be expected to lower their prices, sparking a price war, said Bruno Christensen, of Detailhandels Promotion, a research firm. Christensen expected the move would lead to a high rate of growth for nemlig.com in the short term. – Berlingske Business

Odense hardest hit by recession
Odense, Denmark’s fourth largest city, has suffered more under the recession than other cities. Since 2008, the number of jobless in Odense has risen to 9 percent, double the unemployment rates in Copenhagen, Aarhus and Aalborg, according to Nykredit, a mortgage lender. Unlike other cities, Odense has been unable to create new service-sector jobs to replace lost manufacturing jobs. Odense has increased investment in infrastructure and taken other initiatives to improve its business climate, but changing the trend could take time, according to Høgni Kalsø Hansen, a geographer with the University of Copenhagen. He predicted that Funen, the island where Odense is located, would remain mired in recession for longer than the rest of the country. – Jyllands-Posten

Editorial Excerpt | Arctic absence
The financial challenges of ramping up Denmark’s capabilities in the Arctic are daunting. It must address issues that include not just foreign and security policy, but also safety issues related to the growing cruise ship activity and mining, as well as environmental concerns. Denmark has set aside money to purchase new helicopters and patrol ships, but sustaining Arctic policy will require continued investment. Instead of spending 20 to 30 billion kroner [to replace the Air Force’s F-16s] with jets that will not be able to contribute to Arctic initiatives, and which are fantastically expensive to operate, parliament should use the money to beef up Denmark’s role in the Arctic. – Politiken

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