Archaeologists uncover more than 1,000 graves in Copenhagen park

·

Archaeologists have excavated more than 1,000 graves containing human remains beneath Hans Tavsens Park in Copenhagen’s Nørrebro district.

The park, located next to Assistens Cemetery, was previously used as a burial ground for Copenhagen’s poorest residents. Victims of the city’s 1853 cholera epidemic are among those buried there.

“We can use it to gain insight into the poor population from this period and Copenhagen’s history,” Museum of Copenhagen archaeologist Olivia Persson told Danish public broadcaster DR.

The excavation is taking place before Hans Tavsens Park and the neighboring Hans Tavsens Gade are redeveloped into a connected green space.

The project will also allow the park to collect water during cloudbursts, helping prevent flooding of nearby roads and basements as Denmark experiences wetter weather.

Construction began in autumn 2025 as part of the City of Copenhagen’s plan for managing extreme rainfall. The redevelopment is expected to be completed in spring 2028.

Most of the remains will be transferred to the University of Copenhagen’s Anthropological Laboratory for storage and examination. Some will undergo additional analysis, while the remainder will be reburied in the park.

Researchers will examine the health of selected individuals. They will also study how the graves were arranged to better understand religious and cultural attitudes toward death among Copenhagen’s poorer population at the time.

  • Archaeologists uncover more than 1,000 graves in Copenhagen park

    ·

    Archaeologists have excavated more than 1,000 graves containing human remains beneath Hans Tavsens Park in Copenhagen’s Nørrebro district.

    The park, located next to Assistens Cemetery, was previously used as a burial ground for Copenhagen’s poorest residents. Victims of the city’s 1853 cholera epidemic are among those buried there.

    “We can use it to gain insight into the poor population from this period and Copenhagen’s history,” Museum of Copenhagen archaeologist Olivia Persson told Danish public broadcaster DR.

    The excavation is taking place before Hans Tavsens Park and the neighboring Hans Tavsens Gade are redeveloped into a connected green space.

    The project will also allow the park to collect water during cloudbursts, helping prevent flooding of nearby roads and basements as Denmark experiences wetter weather.

    Construction began in autumn 2025 as part of the City of Copenhagen’s plan for managing extreme rainfall. The redevelopment is expected to be completed in spring 2028.

    Most of the remains will be transferred to the University of Copenhagen’s Anthropological Laboratory for storage and examination. Some will undergo additional analysis, while the remainder will be reburied in the park.

    Researchers will examine the health of selected individuals. They will also study how the graves were arranged to better understand religious and cultural attitudes toward death among Copenhagen’s poorer population at the time.

  • Greenland parliament backs temporary ban on deep-sea mining

    ·

    Greenland’s parliament unanimously adopted a resolution Thursday directing the government to draft legislation temporarily banning deep-sea mining.

    The proposed ban would remain in effect through December 31, 2029, with the possibility of two-year extensions.

    Naalakkersuisut, Greenland’s government, supported the considerations behind the resolution. It said it would introduce a bill for the temporary ban during parliament’s spring 2027 session.

    The ban must therefore pass as legislation before taking effect.
    WWF Greenland, the local branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature, called the decision “an important step in the right direction,” according to AFP.

    “With this decision, Greenland has the opportunity to send a strong signal that the protection of the ocean, nature and the Greenlanders’ livelihood must be taken seriously when we face new forms of exploitation of marine resources,” the organization said.

    WWF Greenland says deep-sea mining can damage marine ecosystems and biodiversity.

    Fishing is the main driver of Greenland’s economy, while hunting remains important to local communities.

    The vote came one day after US President Donald Trump said oil, gas and mineral exploration was beginning in Greenland. Greenland’s government subsequently denied the claim. Trump did not mention deep-sea mining.

    Greenland suspended new oil and gas exploration permits in 2021. Industrial oil drilling and gas extraction have never been conducted there, according to AFP.

  • Denmark considers lower temperature rule to allow electric cremation ovens

    ·

    Denmark’s 20 crematoria could replace oil- and gas-powered ovens with electric models if authorities approve a lower minimum temperature requirement.

    The Danish Environmental Protection Agency has proposed reducing the required temperature in cremation ovens’ post-combustion chambers from 800 to 750 degrees Celsius, engineering publication Ingeniøren reported.

    The proposed change has been submitted for public consultation.
    Electric ovens are expected to reduce both environmental effects and the financial cost of cremations.

    Michael Smidemann, chair of the Danish Crematoria Association, said crematoria were interested in replacing their existing ovens.

    “The background is a desire to sharpen the green profile, even though it is somewhat mixed how green the electricity we receive actually is,” he told Ingeniøren.

    Electric cremation ovens can reach 750 degrees. Requiring them to reach 800 degrees would demand additional heating elements, increasing electricity use and causing heavy wear on the ovens’ brickwork, according to Ingeniøren.

    Denmark recorded 58,185 deaths in 2025, according to the Danish Crematoria Association.

    Of those who died, 51,252 were cremated, corresponding to 88.1 percent of all deaths.

    A cremation typically takes about 90 minutes, according to information from the City of Copenhagen and other sources.

  • Specialized services received 61 percent of growth in municipal spending

    ·

    Denmark’s specialized social and education services received 61 percent of the inflation-adjusted growth in municipal service spending from 2018 through 2025.

    The finding comes from an analysis by Arbejderbevægelsens Erhvervsråd, or AE, an economic policy institute linked to the Danish labor movement, according to Dagbladet Information.

    Specialized services include support for children, young people and adults with particular needs, along with special classes and special education.

    Municipalities spent approximately 80 billion DKK on these areas in 2018. By 2025, spending had risen to 93 billion DKK.

    Residential facilities accounted for 40 percent of the increase. Municipal spending on those facilities now totals about 27 billion DKK, according to AE.

    “When expenditures in the specialized areas grow, there is less money for the general areas, which also need investments,” AE director Lars Andersen said.

    However, the analysis does not establish that the increased specialized spending directly caused cuts elsewhere.

    Municipal service funding also covers daycare centers, public schools and elderly care.

    The government and Local Government Denmark, the association representing Denmark’s municipalities, have increased the overall spending limit annually since 2018. Their latest agreement raises it by 3.3 billion DKK for 2027.

    Finance Minister Peter Hummelgaard of the Social Democrats has previously acknowledged that rapidly rising specialized social service costs continue to create financial difficulties for some municipalities.

  • Too Good To Go to sell surplus household and personal care products

    ·

    The Danish-founded app is introducing five new product categories, allowing customers to buy discounted goods ranging from pet accessories to flowers and dietary supplements.

    Too Good To Go announced Thursday that its platform will now offer surplus personal care products, pet accessories, flowers and plants, nutrition and dietary supplements, and household goods.

    The expansion marks a shift for the company, which has focused on reducing food waste since its launch in 2016.

    “Too Good To Go started with food because we saw how absurd it was that something so valuable could end up as waste. Ten years later, it is clear that the same principle applies outside the world of food,” CEO Mette Lykke said.

    According to the company, more than 8,500 stores will offer products across the new categories.

    Approximately one-third of those retailers already work with Too Good To Go to sell surplus food.

    The app currently operates in 20 countries, with 150 million registered users and 200,000 active business partners.

    Through its existing model, retailers sell unsold food in discounted surprise bags, with Too Good To Go receiving a percentage of each transaction.

    The company says its expansion will help businesses recover value from unsold merchandise while giving customers access to a wider selection of discounted products.

    “Our partners are increasingly approaching us with challenges regarding surplus goods that extend beyond food and asking if we can help. Surplus exists in all parts of the store,” Lykke said.

    Surplus stock can include seasonal products, discontinued items, outdated packaging and gift sets that are no longer in demand.

  • Frederiksen warns Western alliance is weakening amid U.S.-Ukraine tensions

    ·

    Denmark’s prime minister has expressed serious concern about Washington’s recent actions toward Ukraine, including a diesel agreement with Russia and reported disruptions to military support.

    Speaking Thursday as she arrived at a European Union summit in Brussels, Mette Frederiksen said the developments had put further strain on relations between Western allies.

    “I believe that the Western alliance is in a worse place now than we were a couple of days ago,” Frederiksen said.

    Her comments followed reports of an energy ceasefire, gaps in U.S. intelligence sharing with Ukraine and restrictions affecting access to Starlink, the satellite internet network used by Ukrainian forces.

    Washington has also reached an agreement to purchase Russian diesel, raising concerns about its approach to Moscow while Russia’s war against Ukraine continues.

    Frederiksen, who leads Socialdemokratiet, the Social Democrats, described the overall situation as very serious.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also expressed frustration Thursday, urging the United States not to side with Russia.

    His remarks came after Ukraine was reportedly caught off guard by changes affecting American intelligence support and Starlink access.

    “We need HONESTY from our partners about this war: It is important that everyone in America does not take the aggressor’s side, but supports our efforts to protect life, end this war and guarantee security,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.

    The statements from Frederiksen and Zelenskyy reflect concerns about Washington’s recent decisions and their implications for cooperation with Ukraine.

    Both leaders raised the issue as questions continued over American support for Ukraine and its relationship with Russia.

  • Crown Prince Christian receives Denmark’s highest Dannebrog honor

    ·

    King Frederik has marked his eldest son’s 21st birthday with a royal decoration and the release of new official portraits, while celebrations remain private.

    Crown Prince Christian was awarded the Grand Commander Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog on Thursday, according to a statement from the Danish Royal House.

    The decoration is the highest rank within the Order of the Dannebrog and is reserved for members of royalty who already hold the Order of the Elephant.

    Christian received the Order of the Elephant on his 18th birthday, making him eligible for the distinction.

    With his appointment, Denmark now has seven Grand Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog.

    The cross currently bears the monogram of King Frederik IX, who last awarded it. It will be updated with King Frederik’s monogram during restoration.

    The Royal House also released portraits showing Christian wearing the Royal Life Guards’ red ceremonial uniform.

    The photographs were taken several weeks earlier at Christian VII’s Palace at Amalienborg.

    Christian currently serves as a second lieutenant and platoon commander with the Royal Life Guards at Høvelte Barracks.

    He completed his compulsory military service in August 2025 before beginning officer training and is expected to remain in service until summer 2027.

    The crown prince receives neither a military training salary nor a royal allowance.

    His father also trained as a lieutenant, later qualifying as a naval frogman and serving four months with Greenland’s Sirius Patrol in 2000.

    In a recent interview with Politiken, Christian said he would consider deployment after completing his lieutenant training.

  • Nordea shares plunge 7.3 percent after earnings

    ·

    The Nordic region’s largest bank reported third-quarter earnings broadly in line with analysts’ expectations, but uncertainty surrounding regulatory assessments weighed on investor confidence Thursday.

    Nordea shares fell 7.3 percent by 12:50 p.m., making the bank the worst performer in Denmark’s C25 stock index.

    The decline followed the publication of Nordea’s quarterly financial results, which showed a profit of 1,181 billion euros and total income of 2,968 billion euros.

    Both figures were broadly consistent with analysts’ forecasts.

    However, the bank announced it would suspend a planned share buyback program while awaiting clarification from the European Central Bank (ECB) regarding its risk assessments.

    The regulatory process is not expected to conclude until 2027.

    Share buybacks allow companies to return money to shareholders by purchasing their own shares, often reducing the number available and potentially increasing the value of those remaining.

    According to Danish financial newspaper Børsen, Nordea had planned to repurchase approximately 500 million euros worth of shares.

    Martin Munk, senior equity adviser at Jyske Bank, said the market reaction reflected regulatory uncertainty rather than disappointing financial performance.

    “It is not the financial statements that are creating noise. Rather, it is the uncertainty about where they land with the ECB,” Munk told MarketWire.

    Nordea CEO Frank Vang-Jensen acknowledged that the regulatory review was taking longer than anticipated.

    “It has proven to be a long process,” he told Børsen.

    Vang-Jensen said the bank considered pausing repurchases appropriate while uncertainty remained over its future risk-weighted assets, a measure used to determine how much capital banks must hold against potential losses.

  • Tiny parasitic wasp discovered in Denmark for the first time

    ·

    A nature enthusiast searching beneath ferns in a North Zealand forest has identified an insect species never previously recorded in the country.

    The discovery was made in mid-September at Gribskov National Nature Park during a bioblitz, a 24-hour event in which participants search for and document wildlife.

    Around 70 people took part in the event, organized in collaboration with the Vores Vilde Natur project and biodiversity platform Arter.dk.

    Nature educator Lars Holm Hansen discovered the wasp, measuring just a few millimeters, while shaking bracken ferns to examine the insects hiding underneath.

    He collected several specimens using an insect aspirator but could not immediately identify them.

    After posting a photograph on Arter.dk, he received help from experts who identified the species as Hemiptarsenus ornatus.

    “It shows that if you put in a little effort out in the field, you can get lucky, and it is simply worth the effort,” Hansen said.

    The Natural History Museum of Denmark confirmed the finding in a press release.

    Museum insect curator Lars Vilhelmsen explained that the species has previously been recorded in Germany, Sweden and Norway.

    “It has probably been here all along. It is already known from several countries around us, but it is so small that you do not just easily spot it,” Vilhelmsen said.

    He added that relatively few people in Denmark study parasitic wasps, meaning many species may remain undocumented.

    Hansen, who had participated in six bioblitz events this year, also suggested the insect’s Danish name: smykket dværgsnyltehveps.

    He believes Danish names make unfamiliar species easier to discuss and remember.

  • Red-Green Alliance demands guaranteed transport for students in rural areas

    ·

    Free public transport for young people will have limited value without reliable bus and train connections, according to Enhedslisten, the Red-Green Alliance.

    The left-wing party is calling for a transport guarantee ensuring that young people across Denmark can reach upper secondary schools and vocational education programs using public transport.

    The proposal is among its demands in negotiations over the government’s next national budget.

    “Unfortunately, there are places in Denmark where no buses run, and then you cannot use free public transport for very much,” party leader Pelle Dragsted said.

    Enhedslisten has already secured a commitment in the government’s policy platform to provide free public transport for people younger than 22.

    However, Dragsted argues that years of declining bus services in rural areas have discouraged passengers, contributing to further reductions in services.

    The party wants additional funding to reverse that trend, although it has not specified the proposal’s total cost.

    It suggests raising 1 billion DKK by taxing property companies’ profits from real estate transactions.

    Dragsted acknowledged that budget negotiations alone might not resolve the broader problems facing public transport.

    “But we hope that we can take a step. And we think that the idea of ensuring that young people have a right to transport should be a minimum.”

    He compared the proposal with existing municipal obligations to provide transport for schoolchildren living sufficiently far from their schools.

    Enhedslisten is also demanding the removal of public school fees, expanded free dental care and restrictions on profits from welfare services.

    Dragsted argued that these measures would help balance the government’s planned tax cuts and benefit ordinary residents.

  • Auto group charged with exploiting 18 foreign mechanics in Denmark

    ·

    A criminal case involving workers from India, Sri Lanka and other countries will be heard at the Court in Hillerød, following allegations of unpaid overtime, threats and restrictions on trade union membership.

    According to TV 2 Kosmopol, prosecutors have brought charges against two men and two companies connected to a car group in North Zealand.

    North Zealand Police allege that 18 foreign mechanics were subjected to human exploitation over a four-year period.

    The indictment states that the workers were required to work overtime and weekends without additional pay.

    They were also allegedly prohibited from joining a trade union, limiting their ability to seek collective representation over their employment conditions.

    Prosecutors further allege that the mechanics were threatened with dismissal and deportation to their home countries if they complained about their working or living conditions.

    TV 2 Kosmopol reported that although the mechanics’ stated monthly salaries were 38,000 DKK, they received only 7,517 DKK after tax.

    The case will now be considered by the Court in Hillerød, which must determine whether the defendants are guilty of the charges.

    The court will also decide whether approximately 4.1 million DKK should be confiscated from the defendants in connection with the alleged exploitation.

    Denmark introduced a specific provision on human exploitation into its criminal code in June 2022.

    The provision was designed to address serious cases of labor exploitation that do not meet the legal definition of human trafficking.

    The charges in the North Zealand case have been brought under that provision, with the defendants’ criminal responsibility yet to be established.

  • Denmark faces 12.7 billion DKK increase in EU contributions under new budget proposal

    ·

    The Danish government is preparing for difficult negotiations in Brussels over the European Union’s next budget, with disagreements emerging over spending priorities and national contributions.

    According to estimates from Denmark’s Finance Ministry, a proposal presented by Ireland’s EU presidency could increase Denmark’s annual contribution by approximately 12.7 billion DKK compared with the current budget period.

    The estimate remains uncertain but represents a reduction from the European Commission’s original proposal, which was initially expected to increase Denmark’s contribution by 16.6 billion DKK annually.

    Updated calculations have since lowered that estimate to 15.7 billion DKK, based on 2027 prices.

    The proposed increase could affect the Danish government’s spending priorities.

    For comparison, its plan to eliminate VAT on fruit and vegetables and halve VAT on other food products would cost approximately 17.4 billion DKK annually.

    Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, of Socialdemokratiet, the Social Democrats, is attending Thursday’s EU summit in Brussels, where budget negotiations are beginning.

    Denmark has joined Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and Austria in calling for tighter EU spending.

    The six countries want greater emphasis on defense and economic competitiveness rather than agricultural subsidies and regional development funding.

    France has also expressed opposition to higher national contributions, citing financial pressures.

    However, several other EU members want to preserve existing agricultural and regional support programs.

    Despite disagreements, no member state has rejected Ireland’s proposal as the basis for negotiations.

    European Council President António Costa will oversee the discussions, with a possible agreement expected at December’s EU summit.

  • Border checks between Denmark and Germany extended for another six months

    ·

    Travelers entering the country may continue to face inspections until May 17, 2027, as authorities maintain that security threats remain serious.

    Justice Minister Nicolai Wammen, a member of Socialdemokratiet, the Social Democrats, informed the European Commission of the decision Wednesday, according to a statement from the Justice Ministry.

    The temporary controls were previously scheduled to expire November 11, following a four-month extension announced in June.

    Denmark’s decision comes despite the general principle of open borders under the Schengen Agreement, which allows people to travel between participating European countries without routine border checks.

    However, regulations introduced in 2024 allow countries to extend existing border controls when the security threats that originally justified them remain in place.

    Wammen said Denmark continues to face threats involving terrorism and sabotage.

    “The security situation at home is serious, and we continue to see a terror and sabotage threat directed at Denmark,” he said in the ministry’s statement.

    He also referred to recent developments in Ceuta, a Spanish territory in North Africa, as an example of how quickly movements of people across borders can change.

    “The overall picture emphasizes how important it is for the security and safety of Danes to have control over the checks at the border,” Wammen said.

    Under the extended measures, people crossing from Germany into Denmark may be stopped by authorities and asked to provide documentation confirming their right to enter or remain in the country.

  • Reports of AI-generated child abuse material rise sharply in Denmark

    ·

    Save the Children received 4,069 reports of suspected artificial intelligence-generated sexual abuse material involving children and young people during the first six months of 2026, according to figures obtained by Kristeligt Dagblad.

    The international children’s rights organization recorded 6,558 reports throughout 2025, compared with 2,770 in 2024, an increase of approximately 140 percent.

    The figures reflect reports submitted by people who believe they have encountered such material online, rather than confirmed cases.

    Lea Wermelin, justice spokesperson for Socialdemokratiet, the Social Democrats, expressed concern about the growing numbers.

    “The technology makes it much easier to make, but we must never get used to it just being something encountered online,” she told Kristeligt Dagblad.

    Pernille Spitz, Save the Children’s head of protection against abuse, warned that greater exposure to such content could make it appear more acceptable.

    “The more of it there is, and the easier it is to come across, the more legitimate it may seem,” Spitz said.

    Save the Children’s reporting service, AnmeldDet, reviews submissions from the public and assesses whether they should be forwarded to authorities.

    During 2026, the service has referred 377 reports to police.

    Denmark’s National Special Crime Unit, known as NSK, told Kristeligt Dagblad that it could not determine what proportion of child sexual abuse material involved artificial intelligence.

    However, the agency said it believed AI was increasingly being used to produce such content.

    Denmark amended its criminal code in 2025 to make realistic AI-generated child sexual abuse material punishable by law.

  • Denmark restricts land registry searches after 17 million queries in days

    ·

    An unusually high volume of requests for publicly available property information has prompted authorities to introduce new safeguards following disruptions to a government database.

    The Danish Court Administration said 17.2 million searches were recorded in the Digital Land Registration System over several days, compared with fewer than two million in a typical week.

    The activity was discovered after the system experienced repeated disruptions during week 41.

    Rikke Holler, president of the Land Registration Court, emphasized that the searches were legal and involved only information available without logging in through MitID, Denmark’s digital identification system.

    “It is the number of lookups that gives cause for attention,” Holler said.

    The system provides limited public information about properties, cooperative housing and vehicles.

    Authorities have not identified what caused the surge in activity.

    Justice Minister Nicolai Wammen, a member of Socialdemokratiet, the Social Democrats, said he had informed the Danish Parliament about the incident.

    Although the searches were permitted, Wammen said their unusual volume warranted serious attention.

    The Danish Court Administration warned that publicly available information could potentially be used to make fraud attempts appear more convincing.

    It also referred to a recent leak involving 8.8 million CPR numbers, Denmark’s personal identification numbers.

    Wammen urged people never to share passwords or confidential information through phone calls or emails, even when someone contacting them knows details they consider private.

    The Land Registration Court has introduced additional limits on searches to maintain system stability.

    Officials did not specify the measures but reported that the number of queries had decreased following their introduction.

  • Danish agriculture group threatens legal action over temporary pig farm permit freeze

    ·

    A proposed one-year suspension of permits for new conventional pig farms and expansions of existing facilities has raised questions about the government’s legal authority and potential compensation claims.

    Landbrug & Fødevarer, the Danish Agriculture and Food Council, warned in a consultation response that the measure could lead to lawsuits over financial losses.

    “If the amendment to the executive order is implemented, a number of lawsuits regarding liability for compensation for economic losses as a result of the regulation must be expected,” the organization stated.

    Christian Fink Hansen, the council’s pig sector director, called for an assessment of the proposal’s economic impact on businesses.

    He warned that the industry could otherwise be forced to pursue compensation claims in court.

    The suspension is scheduled to take effect October 26, but applications submitted since September 23 must already be assessed under the proposed rules.

    Several legal experts have questioned whether Nature and Animal Welfare Minister Christian Rabjerg Madsen, of Socialdemokratiet, the Social Democrats, has authority to impose the restrictions.

    Two experts cited by Dagbladet Information disputed the legal basis for an immediate suspension, while another supported the minister’s position.

    Rabjerg Madsen has rejected those concerns, citing assessments by lawyers from his ministry and the Justice Ministry.

    “I am completely at ease. I do not make an amendment to an executive order without an assessment of the legal basis having been carried out,” he said in September.

    Although the government’s June platform proposed introducing the measure through legislation, Rabjerg Madsen instead used an executive order, which does not require parliamentary approval.

    The government says the suspension will remain in place while it clarifies future production rules through negotiations involving the pig industry, which began September 30.

  • Full train service between Fredericia and Odense to resume Monday

    ·

    Full train service between Fredericia and Odense will resume on Monday, Banedanmark announced on Wednesday.

    Banedanmark, which operates, maintains and develops Denmark’s state-owned railway network, announced the resumption in a post on the social media platform X.

    Earlier on Wednesday, railway operator DSB said in a preliminary announcement that fewer trains would run on the route through Sunday, October 18.

    All regional trains on the section have been replaced by buses since Friday, when a fire broke out in a railway relay hut near Aarup, a town on western Funen.

    International trains, InterCityLyn express services and InterCity trains have continued to run as normal, but at reduced speeds on parts of the route between Odense and Middelfart or Fredericia.

  • Signal fault disrupts trains between Copenhagen and Næstved until evening

    ·

    A signal fault near Kildebrønde in eastern Zealand is disrupting train services between Copenhagen Central Station and Næstved via Køge.

    On Wednesday morning, DSB said passengers should expect longer travel times until 1 p.m. But about an hour before that deadline, the railway operator announced that disruptions would continue until 7 p.m., according to its website.

    Banedanmark, which operates and maintains Denmark’s state-owned railway network, told DSB that repair work would not take place until Wednesday night, leading into Thursday.

    However, a solution has been found that will allow trains to run normally on the affected section after 7 p.m., even though the fault will not yet have been repaired.

    Some trains that usually run via Køge Nord are being diverted through Roskilde instead. These services will not stop between Copenhagen Central Station and Ringsted.

    Additional replacement buses were introduced between Køge and Næstved on Wednesday morning to ease pressure on train services. The buses stopped running at noon, and DSB is advising passengers to take the S-train from Copenhagen toward Køge. Trains between Køge and Næstved are running once an hour.

    Banedanmark told the Danish news agency Ritzau that a severed cable caused the signal fault. DSB advises passengers to check Rejseplanen, Denmark’s public transport journey planner, before setting off.

    Meanwhile, fewer trains are running between Odense and Fredericia through Sunday, October 18, according to DSB. The date is provisional, and services could return to normal earlier or later than expected.

    All regional trains on the route have been replaced by buses since Friday, following a fire in a railway relay hut near Aarup in western Funen.

    International trains, as well as InterCityLyn and InterCity services, are running as normal, but at reduced speeds on some sections of the route.

    On Tuesday afternoon, all train traffic between Odense and Fredericia was also halted for a couple of hours after a cable fell onto the tracks and caused a short circuit in the overhead power system.

  • Three Danish films shortlisted for Europe’s Oscars

    ·

    Three Danish films have been shortlisted for the European Film Awards, often described as Europe’s equivalent of the Oscars.

    The films are the dramas Kvinde ukendt by May el-Toukhy and Gæsten by Mads Mengel, and Sine Plambech’s documentary Rescue, the Danish Film Institute announced on Instagram.

    A total of 45 films have been shortlisted in the fiction category.

    May el-Toukhy’s Kvinde ukendt has already received international recognition. The drama was selected for the Venice Film Festival in September, where it won the main prize, the Golden Lion. Its lead actress, Mathilde Arcel, was named best actress.

    The film has also been selected as Denmark’s entry for the Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category.

    Set during the liberation of Denmark in May 1945, the drama follows a woman who has worked as a maid in the home of an elderly, respected widower she is now preparing to marry. She struggles to hide the fact that she has had a relationship with a German soldier.

    Mads Mengel’s Gæsten has also attracted international attention. In July, the film received two awards at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic.

    It won the Special Jury Prize in the festival’s main competition, known as the Crystal Globe Competition, while Mengel was named best director.

    The film follows Karl and Emilie, a couple preparing to host a naming ceremony for their son. Their plans are disrupted when an uninvited guest arrives: Karl’s mother, played by Trine Dyrholm, with whom he has not spoken for years.

    The third Danish film on the shortlist is Rescue, a documentary by anthropologist Sine Plambech. It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

    The documentary follows people fleeing across the Mediterranean and examines how the European Union’s border policies affect the lives and conditions of refugees.

    Rescue is one of 15 films shortlisted in the documentary category.

    Producers, distributors and other rights holders can submit films for consideration by the European Film Academy. The academy’s board and invited European experts then select films for the shortlist.

    Members of the academy, which includes professionals from across the European film industry, watch the shortlisted films and vote to determine the final nominations. They vote again to select the winners once the nominations have been announced.

    The final nominations will be announced on November 14. The awards ceremony will take place in Athens, the Greek capital, on January 16.

  • Danish citizen among three killed in Swiss Alps plane crash

    ·

    A Danish citizen was among three people killed when a small plane crashed in the Swiss Alps on September 15, according to a report from Denmark’s Accident Investigation Board published on Wednesday.

    The other two victims were British citizens, the BBC and other media have previously reported.

    The Danish board does not know the age or gender of the Danish citizen, nor whether the person was a passenger or a pilot. It has also not been informed of a possible cause of the crash.

    Swiss authorities are responsible for investigating the circumstances of the accident.

    The Danish Accident Investigation Board must be notified when a report on the crash is ready. The board said on Wednesday that the authorities have one year to prepare such a report.

    The aircraft was a small private plane of the type Cirrus SR22T, according to previous reports by the BBC and Reuters.

    Swiss police said in September that the plane had taken off from Lugano and stopped at Sion Airport before crashing near the town of Leukerbad at around 2 p.m. on September 15.

    Rescue workers rushed to the scene, Reuters reported. When they arrived, all three people on board had died.

  • Signal failure disrupts Copenhagen-Næstved trains

    ·

    Travelers going between Copenhagen Central Station and Næstved by way of Køge face longer travel times until 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

    DSB, the Danish national rail operator, announced the problem on its website.

    A few trains that usually run on the line through Køge Nord are taking a detour through Roskilde instead. These trains will not make any stops between Copenhagen Central Station and Ringsted.

    To help travelers get to their destinations, buses are running between Køge and Næstved to replace the missing train service.

    The delay is due to a signal problem at Kildebronde in East Zealand. Banedanmark, the state agency in charge of railway infrastructure, told Ritzau, the Danish news agency, that a severed cable caused the signal failure.

    DSB told passengers to check Rejseplanen, the national travel planning service, before leaving home.

    Fewer trains were already running between Odense and Fredericia before this latest problem, and that reduction will last through Sunday, October 18.

    DSB stated that this date is an estimate, and the issues could end earlier or later than expected.

    All regional trains on this route have been replaced by buses since Friday, when a fire started in an equipment hut near the town of Aarup on western Funen.

    International trains, along with InterCity and InterCityLyn express trains, are running on their normal schedules, but they must move at lower speeds on parts of the route.

    All train traffic between Odense and Fredericia stopped for about two hours on Tuesday afternoon after a cable fell onto the tracks and short-circuited an overhead power line.

  • Liberal Alliance wants mindset interview for citizenship applicant

    ·

    A debate in Denmark over a proposed law granting citizenship to 2,055 people has centered on whether the applicants have been checked well enough for anti-democratic opinions.

    Liberal Alliance, a political party in Denmark, carried out its own check of the people listed in the citizenship bill. During this review, the party found a woman who had repeatedly praised Hamas and former Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh.

    Following the discovery, Liberal Alliance wants the woman called in for an interview with Indfødsretsudvalget, the Naturalization Committee of the Danish parliament.

    Alex Vanopslagh, the leader of Liberal Alliance, spoke about the matter to the Danish newspaper Politiken.

    “As we see it, it just emphasizes the need to wait to grant more citizenships until a proper screening model is in place, so that we can specifically catch some types who, based on what we can see so far, appear strongly anti-democratic,” he told the newspaper.

    Every six months, a new bill is introduced in Folketinget, the Danish parliament, to give people Danish citizenship. This happens after an application process that is often long and detailed. This process was also followed under the previous coalition government in Denmark.

    The most recent round of citizenships was scheduled at the same time a parliamentary election was called in the spring. Because of the election, the bill that included citizenship for the 2,055 people was delayed.

    The delay gave momentum to demands from opposition parties. They argued that officials must carry out a more thorough review of the people on the list to find out if any of them hold anti-democratic views. Socialdemokratiet, the Danish Social Democratic Party, supported this demand as well.

    However, the new government decided to present the citizenship bill before a new screening system was ready. This choice led to a larger debate during the opening of the Danish parliament.

    During that debate, Rasmus Stoklund, the political spokesperson for Socialdemokratiet, said that if opposition parties found a person on the bill who had anti-democratic views, they could inform the Naturalization Committee. Liberal Alliance has now acted on that suggestion.

    Politiken also spoke with the woman identified by the party. She denied that she supports Hamas or any killings.

    “I do not support anyone who kills anyone. Because I do not like anyone killing anyone, regardless of whether they are Israeli, Russian or anything else,” the woman told the newspaper.

    She stated that she is ready to attend an interview with the committee to explain her position.

    Other political parties have reacted differently to the proposal. Dansk Folkeparti, the Danish People’s Party, supports calling the woman in for an interview.

    However, Enhedslisten, the Danish left-wing Red-Green Alliance party, strongly opposes the idea.

    “It is deeply concerning that Liberal Alliance now to such an extent wants to begin exercising thought control,” Peder Hvelplund, the citizenship spokesperson for Enhedslisten, told Politiken.

  • Minister to discuss cyberattack measures with parties

    ·

    Denmark’s minister for homeland security and emergency preparedness, Lisbeth Bech-Nielsen, says there is a clear need to talk with members of the Danish parliament about how to protect the country against cyberattacks.

    Bech-Nielsen belongs to SF (Socialistisk Folkeparti), the Socialist People’s Party, which is a left-wing and green political party in Denmark. She spoke about the situation to the Danish broadcaster TV 2.

    “The serious threat assessment and recent events are the reason why I have summoned the parties to a discussion of what initiatives can be set in motion,” she said.

    The minister called the political parties in the Danish parliament, to discuss what specific steps Denmark should take to make its digital systems safer. The statement did not say when this meeting will take place.

    Her comments came right after Sund & Bælt, the state-owned company in charge of major Danish bridge and tunnel links, announced on Tuesday afternoon that its construction site at Rødbyhavn was hit by what it called a cyber incident.

    “Our contractor, FLC, has informed us that they have been subjected to a cyber incident,” said Jens Villemoes, the head of press at Sund & Bælt, in a statement published on the company’s website. FLC stands for Femern Link Contractors, the consortium hired to build the tunnel.

    The local newspaper Lolland-Falsters Folketidende described the event as a hacker attack. According to the newspaper, the problems meant that workers were ordered not to connect to Wi-Fi, turn on their computers, or open emails from the contractor.

    Large parts of the computer network were shut down. The security guards could not use their digital access systems, and employees were unable to log their working hours in the normal way.

    The problems also spread to work on the water. Several ships had to stop moving because they lost access to their digital tools and data. According to the newspaper, these issues first began during the night leading up to Monday.

    Bech-Nielsen had actually called for the political meeting before the problems hit the Femern project. That decision came after a recent leak of Danish CPR numbers, which are the personal identification numbers assigned to all citizens in Denmark.

    The minister said it is still too early to draw final conclusions about the latest incident, but noted that “the authorities are investigating” it.

  • Vietnamese president to visit Denmark for three days of engagements

    ·

    King Frederik and Queen Mary will welcome Vietnamese President To Lam and his wife, Ngo Phuong Ly, for a three-day state visit from October 19 to 21.

    The Danish Royal House has published the official program, which includes cultural visits, political meetings and events in Copenhagen.

    The presidential couple will arrive at Copenhagen Airport on Monday before joining the Danish royals for a wreath-laying ceremony at Kastellet and a carriage ride to Amalienborg Palace.

    Their first day includes visits to Folketing, Denmark’s parliament, a public library, the Court Theatre and the Niels Bohr Institute. A gala banquet at Christiansborg Palace will follow.

    On Tuesday, Frederik and To Lam will attend a business conference hosted by Dansk Industri, the Confederation of Danish Industry, Denmark’s main business and employers’ association.

    Meanwhile, Ngo Phuong Ly will visit Copenhagen Contemporary to see an exhibition featuring eight artists connected to Greenland.

    Queen Mary will later join her for lunch at Gro Spiseri, a rooftop greenhouse restaurant in Østerbro.

    To Lam will also meet Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of the Social Democrats, while the presidential couple will meet Vietnamese residents in Denmark.

    Tuesday concludes with a concert event at the Glyptoteket museum.

    On Wednesday, Frederik and To Lam will take a boat tour of Copenhagen Harbour, including views of the Lynetteholm peninsula.

    The visit concludes at Amalienborg at 11 a.m.

    Denmark and Vietnam mark 55 years of diplomatic relations this year.

    Frederik and Mary last visited Vietnam officially in 2022, when they were crown prince and crown princess.

    To Lam serves as both Vietnam’s president and general secretary of its ruling Communist Party.

  • Kirsten Schwalbe becomes Denmark’s oldest person ever at 112

    ·

    A woman from Struer has set a national longevity record, reaching 112 years and 218 days on Wednesday and surpassing the previous record held by Karla Lindholm Jensen.

    Schwalbe also joins the list of Europe’s 10 oldest living people. The world’s oldest living person is Britain’s Ethel Caterham, who is 117.

    The previous Danish record holder, Karla Lindholm Jensen from Herning, died in 2020.

    Ahead of the milestone, Jyllands-Posten attempted to interview Schwalbe, but she needed a day of rest. Instead, the newspaper spoke with two of her three daughters.

    Her daughter Hanne Jensen, 86, described how her mother sometimes struggles to understand that her children are now elderly themselves.

    “She knows well enough that we are getting older, but she forgets that we can no longer withstand everything,” Jensen told the newspaper.

    Schwalbe was born in Salling in 1914, just months before World War I began, and grew up alongside nine siblings.

    She married her first husband in 1938, and the couple had three children.

    Despite her age, Schwalbe continues to live in her own home in Struer.

    Her life has previously been documented by regional broadcaster TV Midtvest in the television series “Kirstens vilde år,” which airs on TV 2.

    Schwalbe has attributed her longevity partly to genetics. Four of her nine siblings also lived beyond 100, she told Berlingske in 2024.

    She has also emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive outlook, previously telling TV Midtvest that a person’s mood plays an important role in living a long life.

  • Government party proposes mandatory helmets for e-bike riders

    ·

    Rising numbers of serious traffic injuries have prompted Moderaterne, the Moderates, to call for stricter safety rules for people using electric bicycles.

    Sten Larsen, the party’s health spokesperson, told regional broadcaster TV2 Østjylland that helmets should become a legal requirement for e-bike riders.

    “E-bikes are both heavier and faster than regular bicycles,” Larsen said.

    He pointed to an increase in serious injuries and deaths involving electric bicycles as justification for the proposal.

    Currently, Denmark does not require helmets for ordinary bicycles or standard e-bikes, whose motors provide assistance at speeds of up to 25 kilometers per hour.

    However, helmets are already mandatory for speed pedelecs, which can provide motor assistance up to 45 kilometers per hour.

    According to the Danish Road Directorate, 200 e-bike riders were injured in traffic accidents in 2025, including 133 who suffered serious injuries. Another 11 riders died.

    The number of seriously injured e-bike riders was the highest recorded in six years.

    Larsen wants to discuss the proposed legislation with Transport Minister Signe Munk of Socialistisk Folkeparti, the Socialist People’s Party.

    Ritzau sought a comment from Munk, but her ministry said she was unavailable.

    Cyklistforbundet, the Danish Cyclists’ Federation, opposes making helmets compulsory, arguing that such a measure could discourage cycling.

    “Our purpose is to get more people to cycle. So every measure that pulls in the opposite direction, we will oppose. But we warmly recommend that people use a bicycle helmet,” federation chair Jens Peter Hansen told TV2 Østjylland.

    The proposal would introduce a helmet requirement for standard e-bikes, bringing their rules closer to those already applying to faster electric bicycles.

  • Venstre suggests shifting Danish development aid toward North Africa to address migration

    ·

    Denmark should maintain its current foreign aid budget but change where the money goes, according to Jacob Jensen, foreign affairs spokesperson for Venstre, Denmark’s Liberal Party.

    Jensen told Ritzau that his party wants to continue spending 0.7 percent of gross national income on development aid annually.

    However, he wants more funding directed toward four or five North African countries facing migration pressures toward Europe.

    The money would come from aid currently allocated to regions including the Caribbean, South America and Southeast Asia.

    Jensen argued that providing education and employment opportunities could discourage young people from attempting dangerous Mediterranean crossings.

    “If we can give the typically young men, who alternatively throw themselves into a rubber dinghy across the Mediterranean, a perspective, a job, an education in that area, we can solve many things at once,” he said.

    Jensen estimated that between 3 billion and 3.5 billion DKK could be redirected.

    However, the regions he identified were already outside Denmark’s ten largest aid recipients in 2025, when the country distributed 22.9 billion DKK in development aid.

    Jensen wants to discuss revising Denmark’s development strategy with Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen of the Moderates party.

    The government’s proposed aid priorities for 2027 through 2030 already include measures to reduce irregular migration.

    Before the general election, Venstre proposed cutting development aid to 0.5 percent of national income to free approximately 6.5 billion DKK for welfare.

    That proposal was dropped during government negotiations.

    Jensen said the proposed reduction was intended to finance other priorities, not reduce development aid as an objective.

  • Greenland moves closer to restoring former time zone and ending daylight saving time

    ·

    Greenland’s three governing parties have agreed to support a proposal that would move the territory back to UTC-3 in 2028, reversing a decision made just a few years ago.

    The parties, which hold a majority in Inatsisartut, Greenland’s parliament, announced their position during a debate Tuesday, according to Sermitsiaq.

    The proposal would also abolish daylight saving time starting next year.

    “We have decided that we should return to UTC-3 on the basis of the many people who have submitted a consultation response,” the governing parties said.

    In 2022, Greenland’s parliament approved a move from UTC-3 to UTC-2 to balance the time difference with Europe and the United States. The change took effect in March 2023.

    However, the decision has remained controversial, with 4,142 residents signing a petition calling for the previous time zone to return.

    Opposition parties Naleraq and Siumut proposed reversing the change in May. The government initially opposed the move but supported ending daylight saving time.

    Despite the government’s changed position, Greenlandic leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen of Demokraatit, the Democrats party, warned about potential consequences.

    He said the change would increase the time difference with Europe by one hour in winter and two hours in summer.

    Nielsen argued that reduced overlap with Danish medical specialists could lead to longer patient waiting times.

    He also warned of higher costs for businesses, weaker flight connections with Europe and financial expenses associated with changing the time zone.

    The proposal is scheduled for a final parliamentary vote October 21.

  • All trains between Odense and Fredericia replaced by buses after cable fault

    ·

    All train services between Odense and Fredericia were suspended Tuesday afternoon after a high-voltage cable fell onto the railway’s overhead power lines.

    DSB, Denmark’s national rail operator, said trains between Odense and Holmstrup had come to a complete stop.

    Rail replacement buses were being arranged between Odense and Fredericia, with the first expected to begin operating at 3 p.m.

    Regional trains on the route had already been replaced by buses since Friday following a fire in a signal hut near Aarup in western Funen.

    The latest incident also halted InterCity and InterCityLyn services, which had continued operating at reduced speeds following the fire.

    DSB said the high-voltage cable fell during work carried out by an outside party.

    “Banedanmark has technicians on the way to remove the cable from the overhead wires,” DSB said.

    Banedanmark is the state agency responsible for maintaining Denmark’s railway infrastructure.

    Even before Tuesday’s disruption, passengers had been warned to expect longer journey times between Odense and Fredericia through Sunday, October 18, because of damage caused by the signal hut fire.

  • Greenland cancels 39.8 million DKK in benefit repayment claims

    ·

    Greenland’s government has cancelled repayment claims totaling 39.8 million DKK against more than 19,000 residents who received excessive employment benefits because of government IT errors.

    Naalakkersuisut, Greenland’s government, announced Saturday that recipients would not have to return the overpayments from the Suila-tapit program.

    Suila-tapit is an employment tax allowance of up to 1,313 DKK a month for workers earning between 70,000 and 500,000 DKK annually.

    The program was introduced on January 1, 2025, to encourage employment and reduce economic inequality.

    Errors in the Greenlandic Self-Government’s IT systems caused some residents to receive excessive payments during 2025. The government initially demanded that the money be repaid.

    “Some citizens were paid too much without having done anything wrong themselves, and that responsibility does not lie with the individual citizen,” Finance Minister Aqqaluaq B. Egede of Inuit Ataqatigiit said.

    Residents who have already repaid the money will receive refunds.
    “We cannot turn back time, but we can take responsibility and ensure that citizens do not have to pay for the mistakes made in the system,” Egede said.

    The repayment demands had faced public opposition. A large demonstration was planned in Nuuk on Saturday but was cancelled shortly after the government announced it would withdraw the claims.

  • Danish vehicle register remains offline after authorities detect irregularities

    ·

    Denmark’s Motor Register has been unavailable for almost 24 hours after authorities detected irregularities following a weekend update.

    The Danish Motor Agency, which operates the register, temporarily suspended access after identifying the problem.

    “At the present time, we cannot say more about the actual error in the Motor Register,” Deputy Director Claus Holm said in a written statement.

    According to the register’s operational status, it has been offline since 2:53 p.m. Monday. The agency has not said when access will be restored but said it is working to resolve the issue.

    The ownership transfer app Ejerskifte and the temporary permit app Dagsbevis are also unavailable because they rely on the register.

    The Motor Register contains information about all vehicles registered in Denmark. It is used for tasks including registering new vehicles and transferring ownership when cars are bought or sold.

    Car dealers normally handle registration when customers purchase new vehicles, but they cannot currently complete the process.

    Private buyers and sellers are also unable to transfer vehicle ownership through the system.

    New owners normally have four business days to complete the required change of registration.

  • Cyber incident hits contractor building Fehmarn Belt tunnel

    ·

    A contractor working on the Fehmarn Belt tunnel project at Rødbyhavn has been affected by a cyber incident.

    Femern Link Contractors, known as FLC, informed Sund & Bælt, the Danish state-owned company overseeing major transport infrastructure, about the incident.

    “We are in dialogue with FLC about the situation, and at the present time we do not have further information,” Sund & Bælt press director Jens Villemoes said in a statement published on the project’s official website.

    According to information obtained by Danish newspaper Lolland-Falsters Folketidende, the incident disabled central systems and significantly affected work on the multibillion-kroner construction project.

    Sund & Bælt did not provide details about the systems affected, the extent of the disruption or who may have been responsible.
    The Fehmarn Belt tunnel will connect Rødbyhavn in Denmark with Puttgarden in Germany.

    Once completed, the journey between the two countries is expected to take seven minutes by train and 10 minutes by car.

    Construction began on the Danish side in 2020 and on the German side in 2021.

  • Copenhagen has far more municipal savings per resident than poorer municipalities

    ·

    Danish municipalities differ significantly in how much readily available money they hold, according to an analysis by CEPOS, a Danish liberal think tank.

    Copenhagen Municipality has the largest liquid holdings per resident, with savings equivalent to 31,685 DKK for each person.

    At the other end of the ranking are Hjørring, Sorø, Thisted, Lolland and Aalborg municipalities. Their liquid holdings range from 3,127 DKK to 4,354 DKK per resident.

    Liquid holdings can be viewed as municipal savings that have not been allocated to a specific purpose. Municipalities typically use the money to manage ongoing incoming and outgoing payments.

    CEPOS said municipalities must always maintain a certain level of liquidity to cover their regular financial obligations.

    Local authorities may also build up savings to finance future projects.

  • More than 500 marine mammals stranded along Danish coasts in 2025

    ·

    A total of 538 marine mammals were recorded as stranded along Denmark’s coasts in 2025, according to a report from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency’s emergency service for stranded marine mammals.

    The animals included 363 harbor seals, 38 grey seals and 137 harbor porpoises.

    Most were found dead. Of the harbor seals, 310 were dead when discovered, while 136 of the 137 harbor porpoises were found dead.
    The report identified disease, parasites, injuries and weakness as possible reasons for the strandings.

    One animal from each of the three groups was recorded as having stranded after becoming caught unintentionally in fishing nets.

    More unusual marine mammals were also found along the Danish coastline during 2025. These included a humpback whale and a striped dolphin.

  • Ambulances get deer whistles to avoid hitting animals

    ·

    Ambulances and emergency medical vehicles in the North Denmark Region will be equipped with wildlife whistles to reduce the risk of collisions with animals.

    The small plastic whistles are mounted outside vehicles and produce a high-frequency sound when air passes through them. The sound is intended to frighten animals away from the road.

    “Unfortunately, we have a number of collisions with animals when we drive with emergency signals in forests and natural areas,” the region’s Prehospital Services wrote on Facebook.

    “It is dangerous for the people in the car, it delays the driving, and is dangerous for the animals.”

    The decision comes as Denmark faces a possible record year for deer collisions.

    Dyrenes Beskyttelse, Denmark’s largest animal welfare organization, recorded 8,739 deer collisions during the first nine months of 2026. That compares with 7,994 during the same period in 2025.

    The previous annual record was 11,870 collisions in 2025.

    The risk of encountering deer is particularly high during autumn and around sunrise and sunset.

    However, it remains unclear whether wildlife whistles effectively keep animals away from roads.

    Two insurance companies previously gave the devices to motorists as part of separate trials. According to FDM, Denmark’s main car owners’ association, the companies could not reach a clear conclusion about whether the whistles reduced collisions.

  • Red-Green Alliance seeks 100 million DKK to reduce school costs for families

    ·

    Denmark’s Red-Green Alliance wants 100 million DKK allocated annually to reduce expenses faced by families with children attending public schools.

    Although public education is free, families may still pay for activities and services such as school camps and lunches. The party wants to eliminate those charges, beginning with the most economically vulnerable families.

    “When we say we have free education, we actually have it, too,” finance spokesperson Victoria Velasquez said.

    The Red-Green Alliance will raise the proposal during negotiations on the government’s 2027 national budget.

    The initiative is included in the government platform, but the party wants it implemented in the government’s first budget.

    The proposed funding would come from a 900 million DKK reserve set aside for measures negotiated with parties supporting the budget agreement.

    The party has not decided whether the money should be paid directly to families or distributed through schools.

    One option would be to prioritize the 100 schools where pupils have the lowest academic performance.

    The Red-Green Alliance has described the proposal as one of its main demands but has not made it an absolute condition for supporting the budget.

    Its other demands include free public transport for young people, free dental care for selected groups and a ban on profits from privately operated welfare services.

  • DSB warns of longer travel times between Odense and Fredericia

    ·

    Passengers traveling with Denmark’s national rail operator DSB should expect longer journeys between Odense and Fredericia through Sunday, October 18.

    All regional trains on the route have been replaced by rail replacement buses, DSB said Monday.

    International trains and DSB’s InterCity and InterCityLyn services are operating but must travel at reduced speeds along parts of the route.
    The disruption follows a fire Friday in a relay hut near Aarup in western Funen.

    A relay hut is a small trackside building containing electronic equipment used by the railway signaling system. The fire caused signal failures between Middelfart and Odense, creating major disruptions on Funen and affecting train services across Denmark.

    Train traffic between Odense and Fredericia was also completely suspended in both directions early Monday after a tree fell onto an overhead power line in western Funen, according to Funen Police.

    InterCity and InterCityLyn services resumed at about 6 a.m. Monday.
    Regional trains in western Funen remain replaced by buses because of the damage caused by Friday’s fire. Passengers should allow additional time for their journeys until normal operations resume.

  • Copenhagen apartment prices fall as Aarhus reaches new highs

    ·

    Apartment prices in Copenhagen fell for the second consecutive month in September, while prices in Aarhus rose sharply.

    The average sales price for owner-occupied apartments in Copenhagen Municipality declined by 1.0 percent from August to September, according to housing platform Boligsiden. Prices fell by 0.5 percent the previous month.

    Boligsiden housing economist Birgit Daetz said it was the largest monthly decline since March 2024.

    “Supply has grown significantly in 2026, and now we see a price drop partly as a consequence of more options and lower demand among buyers,” she said.

    Despite the recent decreases, Copenhagen apartment prices remain 15.7 percent higher than one year ago. The average price is now 75,414 DKK per square meter.

    In Aarhus Municipality, apartment prices rose by 3.7 percent in September, the third-largest monthly increase since records began in 2011.

    The average price reached 50,649 DKK per square meter. This means a 100-square-meter apartment in Aarhus costs more than 5 million DKK on average for the first time.

    Prices in Aarhus have increased by 23.3 percent over the past year. Nordea housing economist Lise Nytoft Bergmann called the development “extraordinary” but warned that prices would eventually reach a limit.

    Nationwide apartment prices were unchanged in September. Prices for houses and holiday homes increased by 0.3 percent overall.

  • Suspected hacker says AI created program used in Danish CPR breach

    ·

    The suspected hacker behind the theft of nearly 8.75 million Danish CPR numbers says artificial intelligence created the computer program used in the attack.

    “Any AI model launched within the past year or so would be able to do it,” the anonymous person told Danish newspaper Politiken.

    Two experts reviewed the program, which contains more than 40,000 characters, and concluded that its code was generated by artificial intelligence, Politiken reported.

    Danish authorities disclosed last week that unauthorized people accessed names, addresses and CPR numbers during approximately 10 days in September. CPR numbers are Denmark’s personal identification numbers.

    The suspected hacker said the program accessed the national CPR register through a website operated by Odense-based company Pays ApS. Login details were allegedly obtained from a former employee’s leaked password.

    Politiken reported that at least three Pays accounts used “123456” as their password, including the administrator account. Pays confirmed to Danish broadcaster TV 2 that it was the compromised company.

    The suspected hacker denied having advanced technical skills. An error in the AI-generated code reportedly caused the program to search for people born in 1877 instead of 1977. Consequently, data for people born in 1977 was absent from material shared with Politiken.

    The person said they did not intend to sell or publish the information. Pays’ director did not respond to Politiken’s inquiries about the company’s security.

  • Greenland opposition seeks referendum on new US defence agreement

    ·

    Greenland’s opposition party Naleraq has called for a referendum on the new security and defence agreement between Greenland, Denmark and the United States.

    The agreement received its first reading Monday in Inatsisartut, Greenland’s parliament.

    Naleraq chair Pele Broberg said the agreement converts Greenland’s strategic importance into rights for the United States without providing comparable economic benefits for Greenlanders.

    “That is the imbalance we see in the agreement. And that is what our criticism concerns,” Broberg said.

    He called for a referendum after the public receives detailed information about the agreement.

    Greenlandic broadcaster KNR reported that Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen of Demokraatit said the United States had made no financial offers during negotiations.

    The debate lasted more than four hours before the proposal advanced to a second reading. No date has been set. A final vote will take place after the third reading.

    The governing coalition of Demokraatit, Inuit Ataqatigiit and Atassut holds 19 of Inatsisartut’s 31 seats, giving it enough support to approve the agreement.

    The three governments signed the agreement in New York on September 22. It updates a 1951 agreement and allows the United States to establish two additional military bases in Greenland.

    The agreement also reaffirms the Kingdom of Denmark’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and recognizes Greenlanders’ right to self-determination. Denmark’s parliament is expected to begin considering it later in October.

  • Museums and animal parks are Danes’ top autumn holiday activities

    ·

    Museums and animal parks are the most popular attractions among Danes planning activities during the autumn holiday.

    One in five people spending the holiday in Denmark plans to visit a museum or animal park, according to a Norstat survey conducted for Dansk Erhverv, the Danish Chamber of Commerce and a major business association.

    Historical attractions, amusement parks and water parks follow on the list of preferred activities.

    “For many, the autumn holiday is synonymous with family time, but it is also experience time,” Dansk Erhverv culture director Michael Folmer Wessman said. “And it is truly gratifying that Danes prioritize spending the autumn holiday on good cultural experiences.”

    However, 35 percent of respondents said they had no plans to visit attractions or take part in cultural activities during the break.

    Overall, 58 percent of Danes are taking an autumn holiday in week 42. Among them, 45 percent will spend the holiday at home, while 16 percent plan to travel abroad.

    Of those going overseas, 44 percent have chosen destinations in Southern Europe, while 18 percent expect to visit another Nordic country.

    Norstat conducted the survey in September 2026 among a representative sample of 1,012 Danish residents age 18 and older.

  • Number of disability pensioners under 40 falls for first time since 2020

    ·

    The number of people under age 40 receiving disability pensions in Denmark has fallen for the first time in more than six years, according to figures from the Jobindsats.dk employment database.

    In September, 43,229 people in the age group received disability pensions, 98 fewer than in August. It was the first monthly decline since early 2020.

    Jesper Brask Fischer, head of welfare at pension company PFA, said it was too early to celebrate.

    “The number of young people on disability pension is far higher than just a few years ago, and the development underlines the need for a strong effort toward prevention and early assistance,” he said.

    The number of disability pension recipients under 40 has increased from 29,000 to more than 43,000 over the past decade. PFA has previously identified a possible connection between poor mental health and the increase.

    Across all age groups, the number of disability pension recipients has declined for two consecutive months for the first time since late summer 2021.

    Denmark had 261,418 disability pension recipients in September, down 487 from August.

    Fischer said further consecutive declines could indicate that fewer people are entering the disability pension system. For now, however, he described the figures as only a cautious positive sign after years of significant growth.

  • Renovating all public concrete shelters could cost up to 3 billion DKK

    ·

    Renovating Denmark’s 1,694 public concrete trench shelters and preparing them for use could cost between 2 billion and 3 billion DKK.

    Public Security and Emergency Preparedness Minister Lisbeth Bech-Nielsen of the Socialist People’s Party provided the estimate in a response to the Folketing, Denmark’s parliament, according to construction trade publication Licitationen.

    The estimate remains highly uncertain and requires further assessment.
    Renovating only the 831 shelters that already meet basic requirements and could be opened during an immediate emergency would cost between 500 million and 1 billion DKK.

    Most of the shelters require treatment for mold and pests because they have not been used for many years, the parliamentary response said.

    The Ministry of Public Security and Emergency Preparedness began inspecting Denmark’s shelter capacity and condition in May 2025. The review of concrete trench shelters is complete, while inspections of reinforced shelters are expected to continue until 2027.

    Concrete trench shelters are public facilities intended for people away from home, including road users and residents of buildings without shelters.

    Most Danish shelter spaces are in reinforced rooms inside residential and other buildings. Denmark also has supplementary shelters that offer some protection but do not meet full shelter requirements.

    A 2024 inventory found about 3.4 million shelter spaces nationwide. Concrete trench shelters accounted for 113,018 of them.

  • Danish Air Force marked squadron’s centenary with nationwide anniversary flight

    ·

    Two Danish Armed Forces aircraft flew over several parts of Denmark Monday to mark the 100th anniversary of Air Force Squadron 721.

    A Hercules B-537 transport aircraft and a Challenger C-215 passenger aircraft participated in the flight, which also served as a training exercise for their crews.

    Squadron 721 was established in 1926 and is Denmark’s oldest operational air force squadron. According to the Air Transport Wing, the Danish Armed Forces unit responsible for military air transport, it is also among the world’s oldest squadrons still in operation.

    The aircraft departed Aalborg Air Base, the squadron’s home base, at about 8:40 a.m.

    Their route included flyovers near air bases in Billund, Assens, Nyborg, Korsør, Køge and Brøndby Harbor. The flight ended at Skalstrup Air Base near Roskilde shortly before noon.

    The Challenger is used for passenger transport and has carried members of Denmark’s royal family and government.

    The Hercules can transport up to 20 tons of cargo. For Monday’s flight, it was decorated with a winged dolphin, the symbol used on the squadron’s crest.

    Squadron 721 regularly participates in international operations. One of its aircraft is stationed in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, for about 10 days each month.

  • District heating prices set to rise for thousands of Danish customers

    ·

    Thousands of district heating customers in Denmark face higher bills in 2027, with 10 companies so far announcing price increases, TV 2 reported.

    Most of the announced increases range from six to 10 percent.
    Tue Patursson, a building specialist at the homeowner knowledge center Bolius, said the increases reflect higher energy prices.

    “Since district heating plants depend on biofuel, gas, oil and electricity, one must expect that the price will also rise for district heating across the board,” he told TV 2.

    Customers in Præstø in South Zealand face a 40 percent increase next year. The local district heating company had lowered its prices during the previous two years.

    Præstø Fjernvarme is converting its production to electricity but has been affected by insufficient capacity in the power grid.

    Board chair Morten Møller Kristensen said the company had been “forced to go back to gas due to a lack of power” this year. He said the situation had disrupted its production conditions and left it dependent on fossil fuel.

    Several other district heating companies converting to electricity face similar challenges.

    A broad majority in the Folketing, Denmark’s parliament, approved an emergency plan for the electricity grid on October 1. The plan allows authorities to prioritize access to limited grid capacity.

    The nationwide extent of the price increases remains unclear because many companies have not published their 2027 rates.

  • Czech man jailed and deported after drunk-driving crash into Samsø home

    ·

    A 49-year-old Czech man was sentenced Monday to six months in prison and deportation from Denmark after crashing into a house on the island of Samsø while driving drunk.

    The Court in Aarhus convicted him of drunk driving and endangering another person’s life, TV2 Østjylland reported.

    The man drove into the house at high speed in July, causing one of its gable walls to collapse onto a 56-year-old man who was sleeping in his bedroom.

    In addition to the prison sentence and deportation, the court revoked the Czech man’s driving licence for seven years and ordered the confiscation of his car.

    The defendant accepted the verdict.

  • Danish inflation rises to 2.2 percent as fuel prices increase

    ·

    Denmark’s annual inflation rate rose to 2.2 percent in September, up 0.2 percentage points from August, Statistics Denmark reported Monday.

    Higher fuel costs were the main reason for the increase, with transportation prices contributing significantly to inflation between August and September.

    Mette Hørdum Larsen, chief economist at Lederne, an organization representing managers and executives, said similar developments were visible in neighboring countries.

    “But in fact, the rising energy prices do not become quite as visible in Danish inflation because the electricity tax has largely been removed this year and next year,” she wrote in a commentary.

    Lower prices for holiday home rentals, package holidays and food helped offset the increase.

    Larsen said there was no reason for serious concern because inflation remained close to the two percent level generally associated with stable prices. She added that there were no signs that higher energy costs were spreading throughout the economy.

    Søren Kristensen, chief economist at Danish bank AL Sydbank, reached a similar conclusion.

    However, he said the reduced electricity tax was concealing a significant rise in underlying inflation during recent months.

    “In fact, in recent quarters there has been a decline in purchasing power for the Danes because precisely during that period prices have run faster than wages,” Kristensen wrote.

  • Danish cyber team aims for gold at European hacking championship in Germany

    ·

    Ten young Danes will compete against more than 400 participants at the European Cybersecurity Championship in Bochum, Germany, from Monday to Friday.

    Denmark won silver last year, but national coach Jens Myrup Pedersen, a cybersecurity professor at Aarhus University, believes the team can win gold this year.

    “Technically speaking, the team this year is completely at the top. They are exceptionally good at collaborating, and they have the will to fight for and with each other,” he said.

    The competition is open to hackers between ages 14 and 25. Denmark’s participants were selected after competing in the national cybersecurity championship in May.

    During the first day of competition, teams must identify information in vulnerable applications, websites and network traffic. On the second day, they must protect their own server while attempting to exploit weaknesses in other teams’ servers.

    Denmark’s team has finished among Europe’s five best for the past five years and won gold in 2022.

    The Danish Defence Intelligence Service, known as FE, established the team in 2017 to develop talent capable of addressing Denmark’s growing cyberthreats.

    The team is also supported by universities, European organizations and Industriens Fond, a foundation supporting the competitiveness of Danish industry.

    Aarhus will host the European Cybersecurity Championship next year.

  • Denmark’s autumn holiday to bring sunshine, rain and overnight frost

    ·

    Denmark’s autumn holiday will bring a mixture of sunny, dry periods and rainy weather, with temperatures falling to around freezing early in the week.

    “It is an autumn holiday that looks really nice for most people,” Danish Meteorological Institute meteorologist Kasper Bonde Niebe said.

    “There will be periods where it is a bit wetter, but there are also periods with some really nice days with sun and dry weather for much of the country.”

    Light frost was recorded in central Jutland overnight into Monday. Monday morning temperatures will range from zero to five degrees in Jutland, while eastern Denmark will be slightly warmer because of cloud cover.

    Showers and clouds will remain in eastern Denmark during the morning before giving way to sunshine and dry weather in the afternoon.

    Temperatures could fall slightly below freezing in central Zealand overnight into Tuesday. No further overnight frost is expected during the rest of the week.

    Tuesday will begin sunny before a rain front moves across Denmark from the west. Temperatures will reach between 11 and 15 degrees.

    Wednesday is expected to be dry and stable, with temperatures up to 15 degrees. Thursday will remain dry but become cloudier, with temperatures reaching 17 degrees.

    Another weather front will arrive overnight into Friday, bringing widespread rain during the day.

  • Danish foreign minister warns US-Russia diesel deal could help finance war

    ·

    Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen of the Moderates has warned that a new diesel agreement between the United States and Russia could provide additional funding for Russia’s war in Ukraine.

    “It is regrettable if this secures additional revenue for Russia,” Rasmussen told Danish public broadcaster DR on Saturday.

    “In the EU, we have put a lot of work into tough sanctions and into reducing dependence on Russian energy, and that work must not be undermined,” he said.

    “We must continue to pressure Russia’s economy and stand together in support of Ukraine.”

    US President Donald Trump said Friday that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had reached an agreement under which Russia would immediately supply 300,000 tons of diesel to US and global markets.

    The US Treasury Department has issued a temporary authorization easing sanctions to allow Russia to sell diesel internationally. The authorization is valid until April 7, 2027, Reuters reported.

    A British government spokesperson said the United Kingdom would maintain pressure on Russia through what it called the strictest sanctions regime the country has implemented.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said the deal would provide Russia with more money to wage war.

    The agreement comes after gasoline and diesel prices rose sharply across the United States, increasing costs for consumers and businesses and contributing to higher inflation.