Local News in Brief: Municipalities pledge to reduce employee flights to cut CO2

In related news, the likes of Copenhagen, Gladsaxe and Rødovre should not be excluding parents from outside their jurisdiction from obtaining a daycare place, argues MP

Ben Hamilton

Mar 1, 2019

As many as 11 municipalities in the capital region intend to adopt a new climate policy that will reduce the number of flights its employees take for work purposes, reports DR.

The policy will also compensate the environment every time a flight is taken – for example, by planting a tree or making a contribution to green projects.

Herlev isn’t so sure
While Fredensborg and Hørsholm are on board with the policy, Herlev has dismissed the idea, saying it would only enforce a limit on flights if a directive came from Parliament.

Its mayor, Thomas Gyldal Petersen, said the municipality would continue cutting emissions at its workplace, but that employee flights were often a “sensible” way of working.

MP speaks out at municipalities limited daycare availability to residents
Annie Mathiesen, a Venstre MP, has spoken out at the increasing tendency of municipalities to limit daycare places to residents living within their boundaries. Nine municipalities in the capital region – Copenhagen, Furesø, Gladsaxe, Rødovre, Glostrup, Brøndby, Vallensbæk, Høje-Taatrup, Tårnby – have introduced the measure, and Mathiesen argues it is problematic for parents as “it limits their freedom of choice”. Among those affected are parents who want daycare close to their workplace, divorced parents, parents who live on the border of a municipality, and parents who might want a younger sibling to go to the same daycare their other children went to.

Russian woman’s 13 charges include manslaughter and scalding with coffee
A 72-year-old Russian woman stands accused of a number of crimes at Copenhagen City Court, including the alleged manslaughter of her husband in their Amager home in February 2017. The 66-year-old man died of a collapsed lung, and it is alleged she stabbed him in the throat, chest and shoulder with a needle. She is also accused of earlier attempting to kill him with a drug overdose – but the dosage was too weak, apparently. Another charge relates to her allegedly throwing hot coffee at two nurses at Hvidovre Hospital in January 2017. And she is also accused of fraud in connection with her late husband’s death. As well as receiving a prison sentence, she also risks being expelled from Denmark should she be found guilty. In total there are 13 charges, and the trial date has been set for August 28.

Councillor accused of attempted murder finally named
An injunction banning the media from confirming the name of the Venstre councillor at Greve Municipality charged with attempted murder has been lifted. René Kauland, who denies the charge, as well as one of extreme violence, has been in custody for nine months. On 11 May 2018, Kauland is accused of breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s home in Greve and attacking the 43-year-old, who was in bed with her 10-year-old daughter. Both females sustained injuries – the woman’s were of a serious nature – but the police have not been able to locate the weapon. Kauland, an academic at the University of Copenhagen, won election in 2017 with 353 personal votes thanks to a campaign in which he promised to help children in Greve, a municipality just south of Copenhagen. A five-day trial is scheduled to start at Roskilde City Court on March 6.

Slagelse resident dies on Canadian ski slope
A 21-year-old man from Slagelse in west Zealand has died whilst skiing in Canada, it has been confirmed. He was found unconscious at the foot of a slope at the Revelstoke Mountain Resort in southwestern Canada. Efforts to resuscitate him failed. Born and educated in Slagelse, the man had previously worked as a ski instructor.

Bangkok-bound passengers hit by Indian-Pakistan spat
Air passengers travelling between Copenhagen Airport and popular locations such as Bangkok have had their flights cancelled due to the escalating conflict between India and Pakistan. Airlines such as Emirates, Qatar Airways and Thai Airways have cancelled services – either to the region or through the airspace. Pakistan has closed off its airspace after shooting down two Indian planes which it claimed violated its airspace over the disputed area of Kashmir.

Full weekend of capital region train disruption ahead
Copenhageners have a full weekend of train delays and bus replacement services to look forward to. With DSB testing a new signaling system, the epicentre of the disruption will be Hellerup Station. Services to Gentofte, Lyngby, Virum, Holte, Birkerød, Allerød and Hillerød will mostly be conducted by bus – parents with buggies are advised to not take prams, as some buses won’t be able to carry them.

Has Gladys Knight just pipped Bob Dylan as the gig of the summer?
Soul legend Gladys Knight is headlining the Copenhagen Jazz Festival this year. She will be performing at DR Koncerthuset on July 12. Ticket sales commenced yesterday via billet.drkoncerthuset.dk. In related news, Danish band Alphabeat have confirmed they will be performing at KB Hallen on November 30. Tickets cost 365 kroner and go on sale at 10:00 on March 6 at livenation.dk.