More than half of surveyed Danish teachers feel stressed every week

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More than half of teachers in a new union survey said they experience stress daily or weekly, with most attributing it to their working conditions.

The survey by Danmarks Lærerforening, the Danish Union of Teachers, included responses from 1,901 public school teachers and kindergarten class leaders.

Sixteen percent said they felt stressed at work every day, while 36 percent experienced stress weekly and 23 percent monthly.

Nine in 10 of those experiencing stress said workplace conditions were responsible.

“We are facing a working environment problem in the public schools, while at the same time many teachers choose to leave,” union chair Gordon Ørskov Madsen said.

More than one in three respondents said they had taken sick leave from teaching because of stress.

Teachers identified classroom disruption, insufficient preparation time, heavy workloads and difficulty obtaining help for pupils with special needs as major pressures.

Some also reported that parents expected them to resolve conflicts between pupils that occurred outside school.

Nana Vaaben, an associate professor at University College Copenhagen, said teachers can experience moral stress when they know pupils need help but lack the authority to provide it.

Respondents identified fewer teaching hours, more preparation time and better support for pupils with special needs as the measures most likely to reduce stress.

The union plans to raise those proposals in upcoming negotiations with the government and other labor market parties.

  • Denmark could see season’s first snow and sleet showers Thursday and Friday

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    Parts of Denmark could see the season’s first snow and sleet showers Thursday and Friday as cold polar air moves over the country, according to the Danish Meteorological Institute, DMI.

    But temperatures remain well above freezing, making widespread snow cover unlikely, DMI duty meteorologist Lars Henriksen told Danish news agency Ritzau.

    “Whether it is regular snow, or whether it will be sleet or wet snow, is still hard to say. But there is nothing to suggest that one should bring out the sled or the skis,” Henriksen said.

    He outlined the forecast in a commentary on DMI’s website Tuesday. The chance of snow is greatest in North Jutland, East Jutland and northern Zealand.

    The colder air is expected to move in particularly late Thursday and overnight into Friday. Some showers could also bring hail and thunder.

    “In reality, there might be more hail in the showers that arrive Thursday – and perhaps with a clap of thunder as well. And that’s that. But it does show, however, that we are quietly entering winter,” Henriksen said.

    Any wintry weather is expected to be brief, with milder air arriving over the weekend, according to DMI.

    Henriksen said the forecast fits a pattern seen before in November.

    “We have seen many times that the first wintry precipitation falls in November,” he said.

    The sea around Denmark keeps temperatures relatively high in the lowest part of the atmosphere, even when the air above is colder, Henriksen explained. Those above-freezing temperatures mean snow melts quickly.

    Showers can, however, cool the air below them, giving snow falling from higher in the atmosphere a better chance of reaching the ground.

  • Danish People’s Party leader objects to Zelenskyy speaking in parliament’s main chamber

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    The leader of the right-wing populist party Danish People’s Party Morten Messerschmidt has objected to the decision to let Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speak in parliament’s main chamber, arguing that it could set a precedent for other world leaders.

    Zelenskyy, who arrived in Denmark on Tuesday, is scheduled to speak at 11:35 a.m. Wednesday. He will become the first international head of state to address an audience in the Folketing Chamber.

    Messerschmidt, whose party is on the right of Danish politics, said the decision was not unanimous within the Presidium, parliament’s five-member leadership body. He is one of its four deputy speakers.

    “I think they should have used the Landsting Chamber like last time,” Messerschmidt told Danish broadcaster DR.

    Zelenskyy spoke in the Landsting Chamber, the chamber of Denmark’s former upper house, during his first visit to parliament in August 2023.

    “Neither Churchill, Montgomery, nor other great personalities have had the opportunity to speak from the Folketing’s podium,” Messerschmidt said.

    He was referring to former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and British Gen. Bernard Montgomery, both prominent figures during World War II.

    Messerschmidt said he feared the presidents of the United States and China could subsequently argue that they should also be allowed to speak from the parliamentary podium.

    Speaker says decision applies to this visit

    Parliamentary Speaker Henrik Frandsen, who chairs the Presidium, acknowledged that the arrangement was new.

    “It is something completely new. It is the first time we are doing it. It is an extension of us having opened up more in recent years,” he told TV 2 News on Tuesday.

    He said a “decision has only been made regarding this single visit.”

    Frandsen also emphasized that Zelenskyy’s address would take place separately from a formal sitting of the Folketing, Denmark’s parliament.

    An ordinary parliamentary sitting is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday.

  • New Russia-friendly political party taking shape in Denmark challenges government’s line on Ukraine

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    A new political party taking shape in Denmark around calls for a more “war-neutral” foreign policy is challenging the government’s approach to Russia, as independent congressman Jacob Harris meets Moscow’s ambassador and argues for a change of direction.

    Harris met Russian Ambassador Vladimir Barbin at the Russian Embassy in Copenhagen on Tuesday, the same day Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Danish capital.

    The political concern is that engagement presented as diplomacy could end up serving Moscow’s interests. Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen warned Harris of precisely that risk when plans for the meeting drew criticism in the Folketing, Denmark’s parliament.

    “But one must realize that if you take a meeting with the Russian ambassador, there is a huge risk that you make yourself a useful idiot,” Rasmussen told Danish broadcaster DR.

    He said he “cannot issue a ban against it.”

    Harris described the meeting with Barbin as respectful and left open the possibility of further contact with Russia.

    “It went well. It was a respectful meeting,” he told DR.

    He said he and Cecilie Liv Hansen (who is also involved in the party) wanted Denmark to change its approach.

    “Cecilie and I are in favour of Denmark moving in a more war-neutral direction.”

    Harris also said Russia could now see that “not everyone is running Mette Frederiksen’s hardcore war rhetoric.”

    That statement gives the initiative a significance beyond a single diplomatic meeting: Harris is presenting Moscow with evidence of political opposition inside Denmark to the prime minister’s position.

    For a party developing around that approach, the central question is what neutrality would mean in practice. Harris’s comments establish his opposition to Frederiksen’s rhetoric, but the reported remarks do not explain which Danish policies he and Hansen would change.

    The meeting with Barbin was arranged before Zelenskyy’s visit to Denmark was publicly announced.

    Harris also met Ukraine’s ambassador last Wednesday. At the end of October, he announced that a meeting with the Russian ambassador had been scheduled and that he was seeking one with the Ukrainian ambassador.

    Harris was elected to parliament for the populist Borgernes Parti (The Citizens’ Party) and now sits as an independent.

    In his October announcement, he argued that speaking to Russia could carry a political cost.

    “And I am completely aware that in today’s Folketing it can almost be lethal to one’s political career to do such a thing,” he wrote on Facebook.

    “Because there is apparently only one right way to view the world. One right way to think. And one right side you are allowed to speak with. But that is not how I believe diplomacy works.”

    Neither the Russian Embassy nor Barbin has commented on Tuesday’s meeting.

  • Elephant born at Copenhagen Zoo a month before keepers expected

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    Keepers at Copenhagen Zoo arrived at work Tuesday morning to find a new elephant calf, born about a month before they had expected.

    Surin, a 28-year-old female, gave birth to the male calf late Monday evening after a 22-month pregnancy, the zoo said in a press release.

    Zoological Director Mads Berthelsen described the birth as “quite a surprise.”

    “Fortunately, the calf, which is a male, appears to be doing well, and it is fantastic to experience how the entire elephant herd gathers around the newborn. It is a very important part of the elephants’ natural behavior,” he said.

    The calf’s weight is estimated at just under 100 kilograms. The zoo described him as a “quite large newborn elephant.” By comparison, Rawi, another calf born at the zoo in March, weighed around 50 kilograms.

    Keepers were not present when Surin gave birth. The zoo said staff generally stay away during elephant births so the animals can manage without human interference.

    In the wild, other females surround the mother, helping her and keeping older calves at a distance.

    “Elephants are very social animals, and the herd plays a crucial role when a new calf comes into the world. The experienced females instinctively know what needs to happen and how to help. That is also why we give them space to handle the birth themselves, exactly as they would do in nature,” Berthelsen said.

    Keepers are now reviewing surveillance footage to understand how the birth unfolded.

    Surin arrived in Denmark in 2001 as a gift from the Thai people to Denmark’s royal couple. In addition to Surin and her newborn calf, the zoo’s elephant herd includes four other elephants.

  • GTA VI downloads push Danish internet traffic up 50%, GlobalConnect says

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    Internet traffic in Denmark was 50% higher than on an average night during the early hours of Tuesday as players began downloading Grand Theft Auto VI, according to digital infrastructure provider GlobalConnect.

    The game became available to download at midnight ahead of its November 19 release, allowing players to install it before access opens.

    “We monitor capacity and normal operations throughout the Nordic region around the clock, and GTA 6 clearly shows in the figures when we look at traffic patterns throughout the night,” GlobalConnect Chief Operating Officer Jakob Dirksen said in a press release.

    The company says it carries more than half of all data traffic entering and leaving the Nordic region.

    The increase reflects both demand for the game and the size of its download, which GlobalConnect puts at 210 gigabytes.

    “Each individual download corresponds to approximately 50-100 hours of normal streaming,” Dirksen said.

    He said the increase had not caused problems for GlobalConnect’s network or disrupted other functions in society.

    The new game arrives 13 years after GTA V. Forbes reported last week that advance sales had reached $750 million, equivalent to just under 5 billion kroner.

    Electronics retailer Power also attributes a rise in console sales to the game’s popularity.

    The chain sold more than three times as many PlayStation 5 consoles in October as it did in the same month last year.

    GTA VI is set in Vice City, a fictional city resembling Miami. Players control criminal protagonists, exploring the city and completing missions involving activities such as robberies and car chases.

    The series, which began in 1997, has attracted millions of players worldwide and prompted debate over its violent and sexual content. Its recommended minimum age in Denmark and many other countries is 18.

  • Sanjay Shah seeks acquittal as appeal against Danish tax fraud conviction begins

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    Sanjay Shah’s appeal against his conviction for 9 billion kroner in dividend tax fraud began Tuesday at Denmark’s Eastern High Court, with the British citizen seeking acquittal or a shorter prison sentence.

    The Court of Glostrup sentenced Shah to 12 years in prison in December 2024. He appealed immediately, and prosecutors are now seeking to have the judgment largely upheld.

    The appeal is scheduled to run for 23 court sessions, ending March 1.

    Shah appeared in court wearing a suit and white shirt, sitting between two interpreters who translated the proceedings into English. He has been held in custody since his extradition from Dubai to Denmark in December 2023.

    Special prosecutor Marie Tullin told the court Tuesday morning that the case contains more than 350,000 pages of documents.

    Among them are 3,399 applications for dividend tax refunds used to obtain payments of more than 9 billion kroner from the Danish tax authorities.

    The criminal case concerns claims made between 2012 and 2015. Shah was convicted of falsely claiming enormous holdings of Danish shares and entitlement to refunds of Danish tax paid on dividends.

    During the district court proceedings, he argued that he had exploited a loophole in Danish tax law.

    The court concluded, however, that his companies had not owned the Danish shares and therefore had not paid the dividend tax for which refunds were requested.

    The appeal proceedings will be shorter than the district court trial, although they will largely examine the same evidentiary issues.

    At the opening of the appeal, defense lawyer Kåre Pihlmann highlighted a judgment in England as a significant development since Shah’s Danish conviction.

    In October last year, the Danish tax authority lost a major compensation lawsuit in London against Shah and other defendants.

    That High Court case concerned claims against 21 individuals and 34 companies. Danish authorities sought compensation for losses they alleged the defendants had caused by unlawfully claiming dividend tax refunds.

    Denmark has appealed the London judgment, with that appeal due to be heard in the spring.

  • Bullying and school pressure linked to later depressive symptoms, Danish study finds

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    Bullying, school pressure and a lack of support from teachers and classmates are linked to patterns of depressive symptoms that can extend into adulthood, according to a Danish study reported by Folkeskolen, a professional publication for teachers.

    Researchers followed 3,000 young people from age 15 to 32 and identified five school-related risk factors: low support from teachers, low support from classmates, bullying, school pressure and a low sense of social status within the class.

    The findings suggest schools could play a role in prevention, although the researchers cannot establish that addressing these factors would prevent later symptoms.

    The research team is based at the Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Regional Hospital Gødstrup. Lead author Christine Leonhard Birk Sørensen is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Southern Denmark.

    The participants, all born in 1989, were followed from age 15 and received questionnaires at ages 18, 21, 28 and 32. Researchers also used registry data.

    The team identified four patterns of depressive symptoms and examined which factors in adolescence predicted the most vulnerable patterns.

    To assess their perceived position within the class, students placed themselves on a ladder with 10 rungs. The top represented classmates who were popular, admired and academically successful. The bottom represented those whom others did not look up to or want to spend time with, and those who performed worst academically.

    The measure therefore combined students’ perceptions of their social and academic standing.

    Those who placed themselves lower on the ladder at 15 had a significantly greater risk of following a pattern with more depressive symptoms through age 32.

    “We cannot say with certainty that everyone will be fine if the five risk factors are ‘fixed’. Nor do I have pedagogical competencies to say how schools can prevent young people from developing depressive symptoms later in life,” Sørensen told Folkeskolen.

    “What is interesting from a public health perspective is that school is the place outside the home where young people encounter the most adult contact, and this raises the question of whether the public school is actually a central place for prevention, because teachers have the opportunity to help the young people.”

    Sørensen urged politicians to listen to teachers when developing school reforms and focusing on PISA, the international assessment of students’ academic performance.

    “It is good to be reminded that the public school should not only strengthen students academically, but also develop them socially,” she said.

  • Danish electricity prices reach highest level in nearly four years as energy company warns of costly winter

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    Electricity prices in Denmark have reached their highest average level in almost four years, prompting warnings that households could face energy bills twice as high as last winter.

    On Monday, the final electricity price for Danish consumers is expected to reach approximately 7.5 kroner per kilowatt-hour between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.

    The increase follows months of high electricity prices, which have remained elevated throughout much of 2026.

    Marlene Holmgaard Fris, CEO of Andel Energi, Denmark’s largest electricity company, warned that the situation could worsen as temperatures fall and households use more electricity during winter.

    “Since March, prices have been at a very, very high level. Everything indicates that this will continue over the winter,” she said.

    According to Holmgaard Fris, Denmark could be heading into what she described as a “crisis winter” for electricity consumers.

    “There is a real risk that energy prices will be approximately twice as high as last winter,” she warned.

    Electricity prices in October were already roughly double those recorded during the same month last year, and current forecasts suggest that high prices could continue in the coming months.

    Several factors are contributing to the increases, including geopolitical tensions, unfavorable weather conditions and higher energy demand during the heating season.

    “We are starting the heating season at a very high price level. We are already at double what it was when the season started last year,” Holmgaard Fris said.

    “Energy prices are always difficult to predict, but our forecasts point towards them remaining at a very high level.”

    Although prices have not reached the record levels seen during the energy crisis in 2022, the CEO warned that the financial impact could still be significant for Danish households.

    “It will still be critical for a great many Danes to receive a bill that is twice as high. We can already hear concern among our customers who call in and ask about their bill,” she said.

    Electricity prices are also expected to fluctuate considerably throughout the day during the winter months.

    On Monday alone, the difference between the highest and lowest prices is approximately five kroner per kilowatt-hour.

  • Apartment prices in Aarhus reach record high while Copenhagen sees third consecutive monthly decline

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    Apartment prices in Aarhus reached a new record high in October, rising more than 23 percent compared with the same month last year, while prices in Copenhagen continued to fall.

    New figures from Boligsiden, a Danish housing platform that collects property listings from real estate agents, show that prices for owner-occupied apartments in Aarhus Municipality increased by 1.5 percent between September and October.

    Compared with October 2025, prices in Aarhus were 23.3 percent higher.

    The increase follows an even stronger rise in September, when apartment prices climbed by 3.7 percent.

    According to Birgit Daetz, communications director and housing economist at Boligsiden, the price increases are mainly driven by strong demand and a limited number of apartments available for sale.

    “This is expressed, among other things, by the fact that approximately one in four flat transactions in Aarhus takes place at a price above the asking price, and that naturally contributes to pushing prices up,” she said in a press release.

    In Copenhagen, however, apartment prices are moving in the opposite direction.

    Prices fell by 1.1 percent between September and October, marking the third consecutive month of declines in the capital.

    Daetz noted that the decrease comes during a period when apartment prices have often increased in previous years.

    “At the same time, this is happening at a time of year when we have several times previously seen rising prices, and this, combined with supply increasing sharply, confirms the picture that the market is adjusting in Copenhagen,” she said.

    Svend Greniman Andersen, senior economist at Danish mortgage lender Nykredit, expects the price decreases in Copenhagen to remain moderate.

    “There is high and persistent housing demand in Copenhagen, and there is no prospect of any construction boom in the near future,” he said in a written comment.

    “Instead, the stagnating prices reflect that flat prices have reached such high levels that buyers cannot or will not pay a higher price, as borrowing options with both the bank and family are exhausted.”

    Across Denmark, prices for owner-occupied apartments fell slightly by 0.1 percent in October.

    House prices, meanwhile, remained unchanged nationwide compared with September.

    Regional differences were significant. House prices fell by 0.3 percent in the Capital Region and 2.1 percent in North Jutland.

    In Central Jutland, house prices rose by 1.2 percent, while Southern Denmark recorded an increase of 0.3 percent.

    In the rest of Zealand, house prices remained unchanged between September and October.

  • One in three visitors to Danish sexual health clinics reports sexual assault or violations, prompting new LGBT+ counseling service

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    Around one in three people visiting Aids-Fondet’s sexual health clinics in Denmark reports having experienced sexual assault or a violation of their sexual boundaries, according to figures collected by the organization.

    Starting in 2027, Aids-Fondet, a Danish organization working with sexual health and HIV prevention, will receive public funding to establish specialized counseling for LGBT+ people who have experienced sexual violations or assault.

    The initiative follows growing demand for support among visitors to the organization’s Checkpoint clinics.

    “We have around 12,000 people through our clinics a year. In a self-registration form, around 33 percent answer yes to having been subjected to a sexual violation or an assault,” said Thomas Hübertz, head of prevention and counseling at Aids-Fondet.

    According to Hübertz, some of these experiences may be connected to dating environments where personal boundaries can be challenged or crossed.

    Aids-Fondet operates Checkpoint clinics in several Danish cities, offering HIV and sexually transmitted infection testing to young people and LGBT+ individuals.

    However, visitors also use the clinics to discuss personal experiences, including sexual assault and violations of consent.

    These conversations have revealed a need for counseling that the organization has not previously had the resources to provide.

    Although Denmark already has services for people who have experienced sexual assault, figures from the Center for Sexual Assault at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen’s major university hospital, show that sexual minorities make relatively limited use of them.

    Hübertz believes specialized counseling could help address barriers that prevent LGBT+ people from seeking support.

    “There is a need for specialized services for minority persons, where you are met in a different way,” he said.

    “The new counseling is an important initiative to ensure that LGBT+ persons get help, but that we at the same time build a bridge to the established services.”

    The new counseling service will be available in person in Copenhagen and online for people living elsewhere in Denmark.

    It will be funded through the SSA agreement, a Danish political agreement allocating more than 450 million kroner to social initiatives supporting groups including vulnerable children and people experiencing homelessness.

    Under the agreement, Aids-Fondet will receive 900,000 kroner annually from 2027 to 2030 to establish and test the specialized counseling service.

  • Denmark buys two mobile emergency hospitals for 100 million kroner to prepare for war and major crises

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    Denmark’s five regions have purchased two mobile emergency hospitals for 100 million kroner to strengthen the country’s ability to treat injured civilians and soldiers during military conflicts and other major emergencies.

    The hospitals were purchased by the Capital Region (Region Hovedstaden) and Central Denmark Region (Region Midtjylland) on behalf of all five regions, according to a press release from the Capital Region.

    The facilities will be financed through a healthcare emergency preparedness package for 2026 and are expected to be delivered in late 2026 and early 2027.

    Health Minister Ida Auken, from the Social Democrats (Socialdemokratiet, S), said the mobile hospitals will be able to “receive, treat and distribute soldiers and civilians who have been injured during a military crisis or conflict in our immediate area.”

    “These are some of the tasks that our allies will expect Denmark to undertake in the event of a military crisis. And it is an important link in the cooperation with our Nordic neighbours,” Auken said.

    “It is a good example that our authorities can and will lift together, so that we strengthen our resilience in step with the security policy situation.”

    The two hospitals consist of connected containers that can be transported by truck and unfolded to create medical reception centres.

    According to the Capital Region, the structures can be set up within 20 minutes, while the entire reception centre can be ready for operation within 12 hours.

    The facilities are designed to provide additional medical capacity when existing hospitals face an unusually large number of patients.

    Lars Gaardhøj, the Social Democratic chairman of the Capital Region’s regional council, said the hospitals could be used to fulfil Denmark’s NATO commitments or respond to major civilian emergencies.

    “The reception centres can, for example, be used if we suddenly have to receive a large group of injured citizens or soldiers as part of our NATO obligations, or, for example, as a result of a major environmental incident,” he said.

    Gaardhøj added that he hoped the facilities would never be needed.

    “But it is important that we have the necessary framework if it should become necessary to act quickly.”

    Rasmus Dahlberg, a researcher in emergency preparedness and security at Roskilde University (RUC), welcomed the purchase, noting that neighbouring Norway and Sweden already have similar facilities.

    “Even though we are not among the first, it is unconditionally good that we are now getting emergency hospitals and preparing ourselves for war and crises,” he told Danish broadcaster DR.

    “In that way, it is a kind of return to the time during the Cold War, where civil resilience matters, and where the military is not the only thing that can defend a country.

  • Drone flights banned over large parts of Copenhagen until Thursday

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    Drone flights will be temporarily banned over large parts of Copenhagen and all of Amager from Monday evening until Thursday morning, Copenhagen Police announced in a press release.

    The restrictions will take effect at 7 p.m. Monday, November 9, and remain in place until 7 a.m. Thursday, November 12.

    During this period, drone operators will not be permitted to fly within the restricted airspace without written authorization from Copenhagen Police.

    Smaller aircraft will also face restrictions and may only enter the area with permission from the control tower at Copenhagen Airport.

    “Smaller aircraft may only fly in the area if they have obtained permission from the control tower at Copenhagen Airport. Violations of the ban will be prosecuted,” police said.

    Copenhagen Police did not provide a reason for introducing the temporary restrictions.

    Similar measures have previously been implemented in connection with major public events and occasions requiring heightened security.

    In June, authorities introduced a temporary drone ban over Allinge on the island of Bornholm during Folkemødet, Denmark’s annual democracy festival, which attracts politicians, organizations and visitors from across the country.

    A similar restriction was imposed over central Copenhagen in January 2024 during the succession to the Danish throne.

    Police are urging drone operators to check the latest restrictions and flight regulations using the official drone zone map provided by the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority (Trafikstyrelsen).

    The restrictions will remain in effect until Thursday morning unless otherwise announced by authorities.

  • Nordea fined 155 million kroner in Danish money laundering case

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    Nordea has been fined 155 million Danish kroner by the Copenhagen District Court for violating anti-money laundering legislation, although the bank was acquitted of most charges in a case where prosecutors had sought a record 6.6 billion kroner fine.

    The ruling, announced Monday, concerns violations dating from 2012 to 2015 and concludes one of Denmark’s largest money laundering cases, which involved 60 court hearings since May 2025.

    According to the court, Nordea was acquitted on five of the seven counts against it, including the most financially significant allegations involving suspicious transactions worth more than 24 billion kroner.

    However, the court found that the bank had acted with gross negligence in its dealings with companies engaged in currency exchange and money transfers.

    One of the charges concerned six companies operating money transfer and currency exchange businesses that had purchased 200- and 500-euro banknotes worth a combined 85 million euros from Nordea.

    The court concluded that the bank had failed to exercise the heightened scrutiny required for transactions involving such customers and had neglected its obligations to investigate potentially suspicious activity.

    Nordea was found guilty of gross negligence regarding five of the six companies. It was acquitted in relation to the sixth because that company was not a Nordea customer.

    The bank was also found partially guilty of failing to monitor electronic transactions adequately.

    According to the judgment, more than 200,000 transaction alerts had been archived, preventing suspicious transactions from being reported promptly to Denmark’s Anti-Money Laundering Secretariat, the authority responsible for receiving and analyzing reports of suspected money laundering.

    However, the court found that prosecutors had not demonstrated that Nordea’s monitoring system had been programmed with insufficient alert scenarios.

    In the largest charge by monetary value, prosecutors accused Nordea of failing to investigate transactions involving 25 customers between 2012 and 2015 and failing to report suspicious activity totaling more than 24 billion kroner.

    The court acquitted the bank, finding that prosecutors had not sufficiently demonstrated violations of the anti-money laundering legislation applicable at the time.

    Other parts of the indictment were dismissed because the descriptions of Nordea’s alleged criminal conduct were insufficiently specific.

    In determining the 155 million kroner fine, the judges considered the nature, severity and scale of the violations, as well as the potential savings Nordea had obtained by failing to conduct the required checks.

    The court also took account of the unusually long proceedings.

    “In addition, the sentencing took into account that the processing time, particularly by the police and the prosecution, had been long, and that there had been no further explanation for periods in which the investigation of the case had been without progress,” the court stated.

    The decision was reached unanimously by two professional judges and three lay judges.

    Nordea had previously set aside 700 million kroner to cover a potential fine and said it was satisfied with the outcome.

    “I note with great satisfaction that Nordea was acquitted on five out of seven counts. These are the most significant counts where we have been acquitted,” Anders Holkmann Olsen, Nordea’s general counsel, said in a press release.

    “We take a fine very seriously, but I also note that the size of the fine is very far from the claim we were faced with by the prosecution.”

    The case originated in 2016, when the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finanstilsynet) reported Nordea to the police following a supervisory inspection.

    Denmark’s National Special Crime Unit (NSK), which investigates serious and complex financial crimes, formally charged the bank in July 2024.

    The trial began in May 2025 and was heard over 60 sessions at the Copenhagen District Court, with five prosecutors working on the case.

    The judgment marks a significant reduction from the 6.6 billion kroner fine sought by prosecutors, although the court confirmed that Nordea had failed to comply with important anti-money laundering obligations.

  • Worn-out military equipment undermines Denmark’s NATO commitments, audit finds

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    Worn-out equipment, frequent breakdowns and inadequate oversight have undermined the Danish Armed Forces’ ability to carry out essential defense tasks, including commitments to NATO, according to a new report published Monday by Denmark’s National Audit Office (Rigsrevisionen).

    The report found that problems were reported in 2025 with 14 of the 27 types of military equipment identified by the Ministry of Defence as particularly essential to the Armed Forces’ operations.

    “The National Audit Office can conclude that there are problems with a large part of the equipment, and that this has affected central defense tasks,” the report states.

    The audit office described the Ministry of Defence’s handling of the situation as “very unsatisfactory,” while the Public Accounts Committee (Statsrevisorerne), the parliamentary body responsible for examining public spending, called the situation “severely criticizable.”

    That assessment represents the second-highest level of criticism on the committee’s scale.

    According to the report, equipment shortages and technical problems have repeatedly forced the Armed Forces to modify their operations.

    In several cases, military units have been required to carry out assignments with less equipment than planned, substitute equipment or systems that lacked some of the necessary functions.

    These problems have also increased the military’s vulnerability to further breakdowns. In some cases, deficiencies have remained unresolved for more than a year.

    Several specific findings have been withheld from publication at the request of the Ministry of Defence, which argued that disclosing the information could threaten Denmark’s national security. The National Audit Office accepted the request.

    The findings follow previous incidents involving critical Danish military equipment.

    In 2024, Denmark was forced to change its contribution to NATO’s standing naval forces after technical problems with the air defense systems aboard the frigates Iver Huitfeldt and Niels Juel prevented their planned deployment.

    The problems came to light during Iver Huitfeldt’s mission in the Red Sea, where the frigate engaged hostile drones in March 2024.

    Other equipment has also faced persistent difficulties. The Armed Forces’ Challenger aircraft, used for surveillance missions including operations in the Arctic, are aging, expensive to maintain and frequently affected by operational disruptions.

    Danish inspection ships have also experienced problems conducting patrols in the North Atlantic, an area of growing strategic importance for Denmark.

  • Danish police warn fake IDs could damage young people’s future prospects

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    Young people using fake identification to enter bars and nightclubs risk getting a criminal record, potentially affecting their future opportunities, Funen Police has warned.

    The police district has recently seen an increase in young people attempting to enter establishments despite being below the legal age limit, often using fake identification apps on their phones.

    According to Funen Police, some of these apps are designed to closely resemble official identification documents, including Denmark’s digital driver’s license app.

    However, using fake identification constitutes document forgery under the Danish Penal Code and can result in a criminal record.

    “This results in a mark on one’s criminal record, which can have major consequences for future dreams,” Vice Police Inspector Anders Therkelsen said in a press release.

    Police explained that many fake identification apps include a verification button intended to confirm their authenticity. Unlike the official apps, however, the verification function does not work, making it easier for staff to detect fraudulent identification.

    Funen Police is calling for greater awareness of the issue and urging parents to discuss the potential legal consequences with their children.

    The police warned that what young people might consider a harmless way to gain entry to a nightclub could have lasting consequences for their education and career prospects.

  • Cloudy, rainy start to week before sunshine returns Thursday

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    November’s familiar mix of gray skies, scattered showers and chilly temperatures will dominate the weather across Denmark over the next few days, with brighter conditions expected toward the end of the week.

    According to Anne Borris, a meteorologist at the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), the forecast is typical of the season.

    “The weather in the coming week is very reminiscent of classic November weather, which is characterized by many clouds, but also windier periods with room for the sun,” she said Monday morning.

    Monday begins with patches of mist and fog, particularly in western Denmark, followed by mostly cloudy skies and occasional rain or showers.

    Daytime temperatures will range from 5 to 9 degrees Celsius, with light to moderate winds from the southeast and south. Coastal areas could experience stronger winds.

    Overnight temperatures are expected to fall to between 0 and 5 degrees.

    Tuesday and Wednesday will bring similar conditions, with possible morning fog, widespread cloud cover and occasional light rain.

    A change is expected Thursday as a low-pressure system over Norway and Sweden brings cooler air into Denmark.

    Clouds will begin to break, allowing more sunshine between scattered showers.

    Winds will also strengthen, shifting to the west and northwest, with particularly blustery conditions along the coasts.

    Friday is expected to follow a similar pattern, with daytime temperatures between 4 and 8 degrees Celsius and overnight lows ranging from freezing to 5 degrees.

    “We will experience a slight change in the weather and slightly cooler air breaking through,” Borris said.

  • Report at climate summit: The world’s oceans are warmer than ever

    ·

    Ocean surface temperatures were the highest or second highest recorded in June, July and August, while sea levels reached a record high, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

    The world has entered a new era of climate extremes, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned as the COP31 climate summit opened in Antalya, Turkey.

    “We have entered a new era of climate extremes. An amplified El Niño is colliding with a planet already overheated by human-induced climate change,” Guterres said in a statement.

    “Climate records continue to be broken. The human costs are rising. And those who are least responsible for it are the ones who suffer first and worst.”

    The World Meteorological Organization, the UN’s weather and climate agency, released a report to coincide with the summit’s opening. It found that average ocean surface temperatures in June, July and August were the highest or second highest ever measured. Sea levels were also at a record high.

    The findings come as El Niño develops this fall. The climate phenomenon is associated with unusually warm surface waters in the Pacific Ocean near the equator.

    Those warmer waters typically contribute to higher air temperatures and changes in rainfall, bringing more rain to some regions and less to others.

    El Niño usually lasts nine to 12 months and occurs every two to seven years.

  • Police arrest 22 people in Denmark during European operation against cross-border crime

    ·

    Eight people were remanded in custody after the three-day operation, which included checks on nearly 7,500 people in Denmark.

    Police arrested 22 people in Denmark last week during a coordinated European operation targeting organized theft, smuggling and other serious organized crime.

    Eighteen of the arrests took place in South and Southern Jutland, the local police district said in a press release Monday.

    Officers checked 7,474 people across Denmark during the three-day operation, which also resulted in 30 separate fines.

    The arrests were linked to investigations into drug smuggling, procuring, burglary and violations of entry bans. Police also arrested a man who was internationally wanted for extradition to Poland.

    Eight of those arrested were subsequently remanded in custody.

    The operation was carried out under EMPACT, a European framework for cooperation against serious and organized crime.

    South and Southern Jutland Police carried out entry checks and a large-scale inspection at the Kruså, Padborg and Frøslev border crossings on Wednesday.

    Danish immigration control officers also worked from an operations center in Lithuania, sharing information and coordinating searches, requests for legal assistance and other investigative steps.

    “The operation shows that cross-border crime is extensive, and that criminal actors move between multiple countries to carry out their criminal activities,” said Jan Rasmussen, a deputy police inspector in Immigration Control Department West.

    “We can use the information currently during the effort, but also in our investigative and analytical work after the operation. Through information exchange and operational cooperation, we also learn a lot from each other, so we can become even more effective in the future.”

    Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Norway, Iceland and Romania also took part in the operation.

  • Mariah Carey to perform in Denmark for the first time in eight years

    ·

    Danish fans will have a chance to hear Mariah Carey beyond the Christmas season when the American singer returns for her first concert in the country in eight years.

    She will perform at Mølleparken in Sønderborg on June 24, 2027. It will be her only Danish concert that year, according to organizer Kultur i Syd, which announced the show in a press release. Carey also shared her upcoming tour on X.

    “We are talking about a name normally associated with the world’s biggest stages. We are incredibly proud that Mølleparken will be the setting for her only concert in Denmark in 2027,” said Jes Johansen, director of Kultur i Syd, the concert organizer.

    Mølleparken has space for 5,500 guests. By comparison, Copenhagen’s Royal Arena can hold up to 17,000. A ticket to the Sønderborg concert costs just under 1,000 Danish kroner.

    Carey released her debut single, “Vision of Love,” and her self-titled debut album in 1990. Both reached the top of the charts, launching a career that has included worldwide sales of more than 200 million albums.

    Her 1994 Christmas song, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” reached No. 1 on the U.S. chart for the first time in December 2019 and has returned to the top every Christmas since.

    Whether she will sing it at the summer concert in Sønderborg is unknown.

  • Electricity prices reach highest weekly level in nearly four years

    ·

    A prolonged spell of cloudy, windless weather has reduced renewable energy production across Europe, forcing greater reliance on gas-fired power plants and pushing up electricity costs in Denmark.

    According to energy company Norlys, average wholesale electricity prices reached 1.80 DKK per kilowatt-hour in western Denmark and 2 DKK in eastern Denmark this week.

    These are the highest weekly averages since December 2022, when prices reached 2.90 DKK per kilowatt-hour in both regions.

    The increase is partly attributed to dunkelflaute, a weather phenomenon characterized by low wind and solar energy production.

    “This week has shown how great an impact the weather has gradually come to have on our electricity prices,” Ellen Trolle, director of Norlys’ energy business, said in a press release.

    “When both the wind and the sun fail in large parts of Europe at the same time, cheap renewable energy becomes a scarce commodity,” she added.

    With less electricity generated by wind turbines and solar panels, gas-fired power plants must increase production to meet demand.

    Higher gas prices, partly driven by the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, have added to electricity costs.

    However, prices remain below the peak recorded in 2022, when the weekly average reached 4.35 DKK per kilowatt-hour.

    Norlys encouraged households to shift electricity-intensive activities to cheaper hours to reduce their bills.

    Trolle suggested delaying dishwasher use or electric vehicle charging when possible.

    On Sunday, wholesale prices were expected to peak at 7 p.m., reaching 2.40 DKK in western Denmark and 2.60 DKK in eastern Denmark per kilowatt-hour.

    These prices exclude grid tariffs, subscriptions and additional charges.

  • Former lawmaker launches new center-right party focused on climate and animal welfare

    ·

    Christian H. Hansen is launching a new political party called Grønne Borgerlige, or Green Conservatives, with a focus on environmental protection, animal welfare and social responsibility.

    The former Danish parliament member believes Denmark lacks a center-right party that prioritizes the green transition over tax cuts.

    The party, founded by Hansen and four others, was officially established Saturday and has already begun collecting the voter declarations needed to contest parliamentary elections.

    “It is a party for people who believe in freedom, a strong business community, and who at the same time want to take responsibility for nature, the animals, and the people who need the community that Denmark is to hold together,” Hansen said.

    Hansen represented the Danish People’s Party, a right-wing political party, in the Folketing, Denmark’s parliament, from 1998 to 2010.

    He served as the party’s animal welfare spokesperson before becoming an independent lawmaker following disagreements over its approach to climate policy.

    In 2010, he founded Miljøpartiet Fokus, an environmental party focused on climate and animal welfare. It collected more than 10,000 voter declarations but failed to qualify for the 2015 parliamentary election and was subsequently dissolved.

    Hansen said Grønne Borgerlige has a more developed political platform than his previous party.

    Although the Conservative People’s Party also promotes green policies, Hansen argues that his party offers a different approach.

    He said tax cuts would not automatically take priority over environmental protection and support for vulnerable people.

    Grønne Borgerlige has collected 11 voter declarations so far. It needs 20,387 to qualify for parliamentary elections.

  • Prisons introduce video calls to help inmates stay connected with children

    ·

    Children with a parent in prison can now communicate with them through weekly video calls, allowing families to maintain contact without traveling to correctional facilities.

    Danmarks Fængsler, the Danish Prison and Probation Service, announced the initiative as a supplement to existing in-person visits.

    The service hopes the arrangement will strengthen family relationships and support children’s well-being.

    “Video calls will help even more children maintain the relationship with their father or mother in prison on the child’s terms,” director Ina Eliasen said in a press release.

    Eliasen added that maintaining family ties could also help reduce the likelihood of reoffending.

    The system was initially tested at Enner Mark Prison in Horsens last year.

    A nationwide rollout began this fall, with video calls expected to become available in all Danish prisons within weeks.

    Under the arrangement, inmates can speak with their children by video once a week, in addition to their existing entitlement to at least one weekly in-person visit.

    The calls allow children to communicate from familiar surroundings, potentially making contact easier for those who find lengthy prison visits uncomfortable.

    They also offer a practical alternative for families living far from correctional facilities.

    For children under 15, a support person must be present during the call to ensure their well-being.

    Eliasen said feedback from inmates, families and prison employees has been positive.

    She also expressed openness to increasing the frequency of calls in the future.

    Similar arrangements have been widely available in Norwegian and Swedish prisons since 2020.

    The Danish Prison and Probation Service plans to extend the system to remand prisons over the coming years.

  • Citizens’ initiative calls for mandatory licensing of funeral directors in Denmark

    ·

    Funeral directors in Denmark could face stricter requirements for training and public oversight under a new citizens’ initiative backed by consumer advocates and industry representatives.

    The proposal seeks to introduce state authorization for funeral businesses, allowing authorities to revoke licenses from operators that fail to meet professional standards, Berlingske reports.

    The initiative, launched by a group of private individuals, has received support from Præsteforeningen, the Danish clergy association, and consumer organization Forbrugerrådet Tænk.

    By Saturday morning, it had attracted approximately 3,500 supporters.

    Pernille Vigsø Bagge, chair of Præsteforeningen, said priests have encountered troubling practices within the funeral industry.

    “It is a profession based on trust, but the funeral industry has shown that trust alone cannot do it. We need to create some sort of authorization,” she told Berlingske.

    Previous complaints involving funeral businesses have included delayed urns and coffins, financial fraud affecting grieving families and flowers delivered to incorrect gravesites.

    Tomas Legarth, industry director of Danske Bedemænd, Denmark’s funeral directors’ association, also supports stronger regulation.

    The association previously sought mandatory state authorization through a parliamentary proposal in 2019, but the measure was not adopted.

    Danske Bedemænd currently operates its own voluntary authorization system, requiring participating businesses to employ trained staff, follow ethical guidelines and maintain financial guarantees.

    However, association members handle only around half of Denmark’s funerals and cremations, according to the initiative.

    Its organizers argue that families using other providers cannot necessarily be confident that their funeral director has received professional training.

    Under the proposed system, authorization would apply across the industry, with mandatory education and ongoing public supervision.

  • Protesters fight Danish data centers on Saturday

    ·

    Demonstrators will gather outside Microsoft’s facility near Køge on Saturday as part of a Europe-wide protest against the environmental impact of data centres.

    Protesters will gather outside a Microsoft data centre in Lille Skensved, south of Copenhagen, on Saturday as opposition to large data centres continues to grow in Denmark and across Europe.

    The demonstration is part of a coordinated campaign organised by Stop Dirty Data Centres, with similar protests taking place in Austria, Italy, the Netherlands and Finland.

    The protesters are concerned about the environmental impact of data centres, particularly their consumption of electricity and water, as well as noise and pollution affecting nearby communities.

    “We must join together in Denmark and Europe to demand that we get all these large data centre projects stopped,” said Lukas Grundtvig, a member of the Green Youth Movement and co-organiser of the Danish demonstration.

    “We need to have a societal conversation about how we as a society want to use our energy and our resources.”

    Local opposition has stopped projects

    Resistance to data centres has already led to the cancellation of several projects in Denmark.

    In October, plans for a data centre in Bjæverskov, near Køge, were abandoned following strong opposition from local residents. The same month, Greve Municipality dropped another major project after local protests.

    Residents have raised concerns about noise, pollution and the considerable amounts of electricity and water required to operate large data centres.

    According to the United Nations University, data centres worldwide consumed an estimated 4.5 trillion litres of water in 2025.

    Grundtvig argues that the consequences for neighbouring communities can be severe.

    “A data centre is literally the neighbour from hell. Light issues, noise pollution, and air pollution from gas generators can occur. You can end up in a situation where you cannot sell your house,” he said.

    Industry admits it needs to listen

    The Danish data centre industry acknowledges that it has not done enough to address local concerns.

    Henrik Hansen, director of Datacenter Industrien, the organisation representing Denmark’s data centre industry, said developers need to improve communication with residents.

    “We have not been good enough at listening to the local population. We need to become better at entering into dialogues and providing more information about why the data centres are being built,” he said.

    The growing opposition comes as the Danish government prepares a national strategy for data centres.

    The strategy is expected to address how many data centres Denmark needs and where they should be located, taking into account access to renewable energy and the capacity of the electricity grid.

    Minister for Business and Competitiveness Martin Lidegaard has announced that the government is working on the strategy.

    Hansen hopes it will provide municipalities with clearer guidelines for handling future projects.

    “We hope that the government gives municipalities, mayors, and city councils some tools to drive these processes, so they are not left alone with the responsibility,” he said.

    Part of a European movement

    Saturday’s demonstration highlights how opposition to data centres is becoming a European issue, with local communities questioning the environmental costs of expanding digital infrastructure.

    The protest outside Microsoft’s data centre in Lille Skensved will take place from 14:00 to 16:00 and will include speeches and music.

    Source: Ritzau

  • Danish utilities hit by wave of suspected AI-generated information requests

    ·

    Water and district heating companies have received unusually large numbers of information requests, raising concerns about attempts to gather sensitive information about Denmark’s critical infrastructure.

    Danish water and district heating companies have been flooded with information requests believed to have been generated by artificial intelligence, raising concerns about possible attempts to map the country’s critical infrastructure.

    Three industry organisations — Dansk Fjernvarme, DANVA and Danske Vandværker — have confirmed the unusual activity to Danish public broadcaster DR.

    The requests seek information about matters including legal cases involving utility companies. Some also refer to individuals who do not appear in the companies’ customer databases.

    Concerns about critical infrastructure

    Kim Mortensen, director of Dansk Fjernvarme, the organisation representing Denmark’s district heating companies, said several members had received requests from the same email address.

    According to DR, the sender has not been identified as a person in Denmark.

    Mortensen expressed concern that the requests could be part of a broader effort to collect information about Denmark’s emergency preparedness.

    “In the current geopolitical situation, we know we are under attack from Russia in several areas,” he told DR.

    “We are concerned about whether this is to be used to gather information about the utility companies so that it can be used in a larger context to gain more clarity on how our emergency preparedness is structured.”

    There is no confirmed evidence linking the requests to Russia.

    DANVA, which represents Danish drinking water and wastewater companies, has also raised concerns.

    Senior consultant Jens Plesner pointed to both the volume of requests and recent warnings from Danish authorities.

    Schools have received similar requests

    The reports follow a similar wave of suspicious information requests targeting Denmark’s education sector.

    Last Friday, the Ministry of Education announced that at least 50 educational institutions had received large numbers of identical freedom of information requests from the same sender.

    The requests concerned court rulings, filing procedures and the institutions’ case management systems.

    The ministry said there were indications that the requests had been generated by an AI bot but did not identify who might be behind them.

    The incidents have been reported to the police.

    The identity of the sender and the purpose of the requests remain unknown.

    Source: Ritzau/DR

  • Secret Danish Hack Case: Russian Freed After 146 Days

    ·

    In an international police operation last summer, a Russian businessman was arrested in Spain, suspected of hacker attacks against Danish companies.
    Two months later, the Russian was extradited to Denmark, and in a closed-door court hearing, he was remanded in custody. The custody was extended twice before the police released the Russian and dropped the suspicion.
    Now Pavel Prozorov himself puts into words having been arrested in the hacking case, which has not previously been described in the media.
    – I have never done anything wrong – neither in Spain nor Denmark. It was traumatizing. It was a pure nightmare. I am extremely happy that it is over.
    – No one should go through such an experience, he says in an interview in fluent English via a video link from Spain.
    The 43-year-old Russian describes himself as an entrepreneur in financial technology. He is married and has three children in Spain, whom he had to do without while he spent 146 days behind bars in Spain and Denmark.
    – I only got one call a week with my family (in the Danish prison, ed.), he says.
    For the unjustified imprisonment, the State Prosecutor has awarded him compensation amounting to 153,000 kroner plus interest.
    He has donated the amount to the independent think tank Justitia, which aims to strengthen the focus on fundamental rule of law principles and civil liberties in the public domain.
    – This should not happen to anyone. I have had all the support (I needed, ed.), but some people are less fortunate, says Pavel Prozorov.
    Every year, more than 3,000 remands in custody are carried out in Denmark. When individuals are remanded in custody during an investigation, they are under suspicion, but neither charged nor convicted.
    Last year, 141 remands in custody ended in cases where the charge was dropped – just like in the case against Pavel Prozorov.
    The hacking case has been surrounded by secrecy. But several documents shed some light on the case.
    It was initiated in June 2023, when the police received a notification from a company about a hacker attack.
    The investigation in Denmark was directed at Pavel Prozorov in Spain, and Danish police had a European arrest warrant issued.
    On 18 June 2025 at 10:15, he was arrested in the operation in Spain, in which Danish police participated along with American, Canadian, German, and Spanish police as well as representatives from Europol.
    For a little over two months, Pavel Prozorov was held in a Spanish prison before he was flown to Denmark on 28 August, where he was arrested at 17:48.
    The following day, he was brought before a preliminary statutory hearing at the Court of Aarhus. It took place behind double-closed doors, which is why it is not disclosed which companies were affected.
    According to the Russian’s defense attorney, Thomas Brædder, it does not take much for remand in custody to occur.
    – Fortunately, we were able to make it evident to the police that they had the wrong person. And the prosecution and the police should also be praised for responding to what we presented and releasing, and later completely dropping the charges against, my client.
    – Because one must remember that it is also their task to ensure that the prosecution of innocent people does not take place, the attorney says.
    East Jutland Police states that it is no longer investigating the hacking case.
    While the case against Pavel Prozorov was dropped in Denmark, India has him in its sights in a completely different case, about which Ritzau has also questioned him.
    It concerns the trading platform OctaFX, to which Pavel Prozorov is linked. In this regard, India has had an investigation ongoing for several years, and in press releases it has named Pavel Prozorov.
    The Indian authorities suspect that Indian investors in OctaFX were defrauded of more than one billion Danish kroner from July 2022 to April 2023, and that OctaFX made a profit of more than 500 billion kroner.
    – The case in India has no connection to the Danish case and concerns alleged fraud committed by third parties via a platform operated by a company that I founded.
    – With assistance from my lawyers in India, I strongly dispute any suggestion that I was involved in anything illegal. Beyond that, I cannot comment further on the case, as it is still pending, he says.

    RITZAU

  • Danish C25 Index Falls After US Turmoil

    ·

    The Danish C25 index closed on Friday ahead of the weekend with a fall of 0.62 percent during a time of turmoil in the global markets, which has particularly hit tech stocks.
    The price stood at 2008.97 at the close for the benchmark Danish stock index.
    The index is composed of the 25 most traded stocks on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange measured by turnover.
    At the top after Friday’s trading is Vestas with an increase of 2.3 percent, along with NKT, which experienced an increase of 2.1 percent.
    Ørsted closed with an increase of 1.2 percent.
    At the bottom, Novonesis fell by 4.2 percent, Coloplast by 3.3 percent, and Genmab by 3.0 percent.
    The latter otherwise delivered solid growth in its financial report for the third quarter, which landed on Thursday.
    The results from the Danish biotech company came on top of new positive trial results published last week, which caused the stock to rise by 29 percent. That was the stock’s largest price jump in 15 years.
    Genmab had published the results of a phase 3 trial investigating the effect of the cancer drug petosemtamab.
    The drug is to be used for the treatment of head and neck cancer.
    The C25 index also recently reached a notable milestone when the elite index on Wednesday hit the highest closing price since September 2024.
    The index rose overall by 1.82 percent during Wednesday’s trading, and thus the Danish elite index closed at a price of 2026.62.
    The previous record level from two years ago stood at 2039.66.
    However, on Friday ahead of the weekend, the market has turned to red in line with the downturn that hit American stocks on Thursday.
    – It has been some wild markets over the midterm election. The day after, the mood was positive because it was interpreted that it could perhaps provide a solution in the Middle East, so the price of oil and interest rates fell. Since then, it has taken a turn because people have become afraid that the election could mean getting burned on the development of AI and data centers, says Martin Munk, senior equity advisor at Jyske Bank, to MarketWire.
    RITZAU

  • Bomb threats target flights across Europe for third time this week

    ·

    Flights across Europe faced another wave of bomb threats on Friday, November 6, marking the third time this week that airlines and airports have been targeted by security alerts.

    The threats affected flights in at least seven European countries, including Denmark, Italy, France and the Czech Republic.

    Several aircraft were subjected to security inspections, while others were diverted or escorted by fighter jets. However, all affected flights landed safely, and no explosives were found.

    Czech Republic

    Nine flights arriving at or departing from Prague were affected by bomb threats. Authorities conducted security checks but found no explosives.

    Hungary

    Three aircraft flying through Hungarian airspace were escorted by fighter jets after receiving bomb threats.

    France

    Four bomb threats were made against flights traveling over French territory. All aircraft landed safely and were subsequently examined by bomb disposal specialists.

    Italy

    A Wizz Air flight traveling from Prague to Rome was diverted to Venice following a bomb threat. The aircraft landed safely.

    Portugal

    A Ryanair flight from Rome to Lisbon was targeted by a bomb threat. Police later confirmed that the threat was false.

    Romania

    A Tarom flight from Prague to Bucharest underwent a security investigation after receiving a threat. The aircraft landed safely, and the threat was not substantiated.

    Denmark

    Copenhagen Police responded to Copenhagen Airport on Friday morning following new threats against air traffic.

    Authorities did not disclose details about the threats but announced shortly after midday that their investigations had been completed.

    Police emphasized that their presence was precautionary and that passengers and others at the airport had not been in danger.

    The incident followed similar threats at Copenhagen Airport on Thursday, when two aircraft were inspected by police and the Danish Armed Forces’ Explosive Ordnance Disposal service. Nothing suspicious was found.

    The repeated alerts come amid an unusually extensive series of bomb threats against European aviation this week. According to Reuters, nearly 30 aircraft were affected by threats on Thursday alone.

  • Copenhagen Airport faces new threats against flights for second consecutive day

    ·

    Copenhagen Police responded to new threats against air traffic at Copenhagen Airport on Friday, November 6, marking the second consecutive day of security alerts at Denmark’s largest airport.

    Police officers were dispatched to the airport on Friday morning and completed their investigations shortly after midday. Authorities emphasized that their presence was purely precautionary and that passengers were never considered to be at risk.

    “It is therefore our assessment that there is not or has not been danger to passengers or others who are at the airport,” Copenhagen Police said in a statement published on Politi Update.

    “We are investigating the new threats, in line with the threats that were received yesterday, and therefore have nothing further,” police added.

    Copenhagen Airport confirmed the police presence in a written statement to the Danish news agency Ritzau, stressing that operations were continuing normally.

    “The police’s immediate assessment is that there has not been danger to passengers or others, and the airport is operating normally,” the airport said.

    Police have not disclosed the nature of Friday’s threats or confirmed whether any aircraft were searched.

    The latest incident follows a series of threats against flights across Europe on Thursday, including two aircraft at Copenhagen Airport.

    Those threats prompted Copenhagen Police and the Danish Armed Forces’ Explosive Ordnance Disposal service to respond to the airport on Thursday morning.

    According to Danish newspaper B.T., the airport received an email containing threats against specific flights. Both aircraft were subsequently inspected, but nothing suspicious was found.

    The threats were part of a broader wave of security alerts affecting European aviation.

    According to Reuters, nearly 30 aircraft across Europe were affected by bomb threats on Thursday, in what the news agency described as an unusually extensive series of incidents. No explosives were reported to have been discovered.

    The threats continued on Friday beyond Denmark, including at Prague Airport in the Czech Republic.

    An airport spokesperson in Prague told Reuters that aircraft were departing following security checks and that no explosives had been found.

    Copenhagen Police said investigations into the latest threats remain ongoing.

  • Denmark raises bird flu threat level to high as infections increase

    ·

    The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration has raised the bird flu threat level from medium to high following an increase in infections among wild birds and several outbreaks at poultry farms across Denmark.

    The decision, announced Friday, November 6, comes after three outbreaks at Danish poultry farms this autumn, including two that resulted in the culling of approximately 67,000 turkeys.

    The higher threat level refers specifically to the risk of bird flu spreading from wild birds to domestic poultry.

    New restrictions from November 9

    The administration has introduced stricter rules for bird owners, which will take effect Monday, November 9.

    Under the new measures, domestic birds must be kept indoors, in aviaries or in covered enclosures to prevent contact with potentially infected wild birds.

    Bird owners are also prohibited from providing rainwater to their animals because it could contain the virus. Feed and drinking water must be kept indoors or under cover.

    The administration recommends changing and disinfecting footwear before entering areas where birds are kept to reduce the risk of introducing the virus.

    Owners who suspect their birds are infected are urged to contact a veterinarian.

    Members of the public who discover dead wild birds suspected of having died from bird flu can report their findings through the administration’s “Fugleinfluenza-Tip” app.

    Three outbreaks in October

    Denmark has recorded three outbreaks of bird flu among domestic poultry in recent weeks.

    On October 23, authorities confirmed an outbreak at a turkey farm in Slagelse, followed by another on October 25 on the island of Lolland.

    Together, the outbreaks resulted in approximately 67,000 turkeys being culled to prevent the disease from spreading.

    A third outbreak was confirmed October 27 in a smaller flock in Guldborgsund municipality.

    According to the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, bird flu causes severe illness in poultry and has a high mortality rate among infected birds.

    Although the virus can occasionally spread to humans through close contact with infected animals, the Danish Veterinary Consortium considers the risk of human infection to be low.

  • Danish court acquits four people accused of endorsing Hamas attack on social media

    ·

    Denmark’s Eastern High Court on Friday upheld the acquittals of four people accused of publicly endorsing terrorism through Facebook comments following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

    The court reviewed five cases involving social media posts published in the aftermath of the attack. Four defendants were fully acquitted, while a fifth was convicted over one comment but acquitted over another.

    The rulings upheld earlier district court decisions, despite prosecutors having sought prison sentences for the defendants.

    According to the High Court, the acquittals were based on the absence of criminal intent to endorse terrorism. The court found that the defendants had not intended to celebrate the terrorist attack, although their comments had initially been interpreted that way by prosecutors.

    Under Danish law, publicly endorsing terrorism is a criminal offense.

    Among those acquitted was Nadine, a 30-year-old mother of young children from Funen who had faced prosecution over a Facebook comment written in December 2023.

    Her comment appeared beneath a Politiken article about children killed during the war in Gaza.

    “There has been war for 73 years, but only NOW Hamas is seriously striking back. With good reason,” she wrote in part.

    Nadine had maintained that she did not intend to celebrate the October 7 attack, and the High Court upheld her acquittal.

    The criminal proceedings had remained unresolved for more than two years and coincided with separate legal difficulties concerning her Danish citizenship.

    On May 9, 2025, the authorities revoked her citizenship, which she had acquired at age nine through stepparent adoption. Authorities subsequently determined that the adoption had not entitled her to Danish citizenship.

    Politiken has reported extensively on her case, identifying her by her first name.

    According to the newspaper, the Director of Public Prosecutions announced on October 28 that authorities were considering pursuing her expulsion from Denmark if she were convicted.

    Friday’s acquittal removes that possibility in connection with this criminal case.

    The other cases concerned comments posted under Ekstra Bladet’s live coverage of the Hamas attack, published under the headline “Israel attacked with missiles.”

    One defendant, a 44-year-old woman, wrote:

    “No words can describe how beautiful it was to wake up to that news.”

    Her comment included several Palestinian flag and peace-sign emojis and ended with “Free Palestine.”

    Another defendant, a 38-year-old woman, wrote “Served them right” beneath the same coverage.

    A third, a 21-year-old man, commented “way to go,” accompanied by a flexed-arm emoji and a Palestinian flag.

    All three were acquitted, with the High Court finding that the legal requirement of intent to endorse terrorism had not been established.

    The fifth defendant, a 44-year-old man, was acquitted over a comment published in the hours following the attack but convicted over a separate Facebook comment posted several days later.

    “Yes, I understand them and participate in the demos, and I support them financially #freepalestine #07OctoberCelebrationday,” the second comment read.

    The district court had sentenced him to 40 days of suspended imprisonment, a punishment the Eastern High Court upheld on Friday.

    The High Court did not provide further details about the reasoning behind the acquittals.

    The rulings are generally final under Danish law. If prosecutors wish to pursue the cases further, they must obtain special permission to appeal to the Supreme Court.

  • Police investigate new threats at Copenhagen Airport; flights operating normally

    ·

    Copenhagen Police were visibly present at Copenhagen Airport on Friday morning following new threats directed at air traffic.

    Police said their initial assessment was that there was no danger, and had been no danger, to passengers or others at the airport.

    The incident is under investigation. Police could not immediately provide further details or confirm whether aircraft had been searched.

    Copenhagen Airport confirmed the police presence and said operations were continuing normally. It referred further questions to police.

    Second day of threats

    The incident follows threats against two aircraft at Copenhagen Airport on Thursday morning, which prompted a response from police and the Danish Armed Forces’ Explosive Ordnance Disposal team.

    According to B.T., the airport received an email containing threats against specific flights.

    Police told Ritzau on Thursday that the aircraft had been examined and nothing suspicious was found.

    The threats formed part of a wider series of incidents across Europe. Reuters described Thursday’s wave of bomb threats as unusually extensive, affecting nearly 30 aircraft. No explosives were reported found on the planes concerned.

    Further threats were reported in Prague on Friday. An airport spokesperson told Reuters that aircraft were departing after checks and that no explosives had been found.

  • Copenhagen moves to ban flight and fossil-fuel car adverts from municipal spaces like Metro or busses

    ·

    Advertisements for flights, cruises and new cars with CO₂ emissions could disappear from bus shelters and other municipal advertising spaces in Copenhagen following a City Council vote on Thursday evening.

    The proposal, put forward by the Red-Green Alliance, Socialist People’s Party and Alternative, passed with support from the Social Democrats and Social Liberals.

    It covers advertising sites on land, buildings and other property that the municipality owns, rents or otherwise controls.

    Karoline Lindgaard, political leader of Alternative in Copenhagen, said it was contradictory for the city to work to reduce emissions while providing public space for advertising that encourages higher emissions.

    The adverts will not necessarily disappear immediately.

    The city administration must begin negotiations to stop the advertising covered by the decision, including talks with AFA JCDecaux, which has an existing agreement with the municipality.

    New or extended advertising contracts must include a binding ban.

    Alongside flights and cruises, the restrictions cover the sale and leasing of brand-new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles with CO₂ emissions, including hybrids and plug-in hybrids.

    Regular ferry and scheduled services are exempt. The restrictions apply to the products and services advertised, rather than the companies themselves.

    The municipality will also seek restrictions through transport organisations Movia and Metroselskabet. However, Thursday’s decision does not itself introduce a ban on buses or the metro.

    Privately controlled advertising spaces are also outside its scope.

    Communications and branding expert Sune Bang told DR that the impact should not be overstated, arguing that advertisers would reach consumers through other channels. He described the measure primarily as a political signal.

    Copenhagen’s business mayor, Andreas Keil of the Social Democrats, said the decision concerned what the municipality should provide advertising space for, rather than whether residents should travel or buy cars.

  • 2026 likely to be second-warmest year on record after hottest October in EU

    ·

    This year is likely to finish as the second-warmest ever recorded, according to an update from the EU’s Copernicus climate service following the hottest October on record.

    The service also estimates a 20% probability that 2026 will match or exceed 2024 as the warmest year recorded, AFP reports.

    October’s average global air temperature was 1.75°C above the pre-industrial average for 1850–1900, the highest October figure ever measured.

    Copernicus considers it almost certain that the average global temperature for 2026 will reach 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. According to AFP, the average temperature over the past four years also appears set to exceed that threshold for the first time.

    Update ahead of COP31

    The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, commits countries to keeping warming well below 2°C and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C over the long term. A single year or a four-year period above that level does not, by itself, establish that the agreement’s long-term temperature limit has been breached.

    The update comes days before the UN’s COP31 climate summit opens in Antalya, Turkey.

    Tens of thousands of politicians, officials, activists and business representatives are expected to gather for negotiations aimed at advancing global action on climate change.

    Denmark’s participants include Queen Mary and Climate, Energy and Utilities Minister Samira Nawa, of the Social Liberal Party.

  • Nearly three in four teenage social media users encounter potentially harmful content

    ·

    Nearly three in four teenagers who use Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram or Facebook have encountered images or videos featuring violence, drugs, alcohol, tobacco or nicotine products, according to a survey commissioned by Denmark’s Agency for Digital Government.

    Among 514 respondents aged 13–17 who used at least one of the four platforms, 72% reported seeing content in at least one of those categories.

    The survey did not measure how frequently they encountered it.

    Tobacco and nicotine-related content was the most widespread: 58% reported seeing images or videos featuring products such as cigarettes, vapes, puff bars or snus. Meanwhile, 42% said they had encountered violent images or videos.

    Lars Bønløkke Lé, deputy director at the Agency for Digital Government, said the findings showed that a large proportion of the children and young people surveyed had been exposed to potentially harmful content.

    He noted that this occurred despite platforms’ own guidelines committing them to limiting young users’ exposure to harmful material and content unsuitable for their age.

    The research institute Voxmeter conducted the survey on behalf of the agency. In total, 1,053 children and young people aged 8–17 answered the questionnaire. The findings above concern the subgroup of 514 teenage users of the four platforms.

    The agency said it had forwarded the survey data to the European Commission, amid wider debate in Denmark and abroad about children’s use of social media and screens.

  • 800 criminal records deleted by mistake, including serious offences

    ·

    Danish police have discovered that approximately 800 additional criminal records were deleted prematurely from the country’s Central Criminal Register, including cases involving serious offences such as homicide, drug crimes and sexual offences.

    The National Police (Rigspolitiet), Denmark’s national police authority, confirmed the error Thursday evening, following an earlier announcement in September that information had been incorrectly deleted from the register.

    According to the National Police, the latest error was discovered during an ongoing investigation into the previous deletions.

    “In this connection, it has been identified that premature deletion of certain decisions has occurred in certain cases,” the National Police said in a press release.

    The Police Administrative Centre (PAC), which handles administrative police records, has examined whether the errors affected child protection certificates issued to people working with children.

    “No issued child protection certificates have been identified that have lacked decisions as a result of the error,” the authority stated.

    Following the discovery of the original problem in September, authorities temporarily suspended the processing of several types of applications, including child protection certificates, Danish citizenship applications and weapons permits.

    Those procedures were subsequently resumed.

    According to Danish broadcaster TV 2, the latest deletions include records concerning “particularly serious” crimes.

    Justice spokespersons from parties represented in the Folketing, Denmark’s Parliament, were informed about the additional 800 cases during a meeting at the Ministry of Justice on Thursday, TV 2 reported.

    A briefing from the National Police to Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee showed that the affected records involved so-called combination sentences, in which individuals had been convicted of multiple criminal offences.

    According to TV 2, the records were automatically deleted from the investigative section of the criminal register after 20 years.

    However, records involving particularly serious offences, including homicide, drug crimes and sexual offences, should generally remain in the register until the convicted person reaches the age of 80.

    The National Police is now working with the National Archives to recover historical information and restore records that should not have been deleted.

    “PAC is in the process of obtaining and re-registering the decisions that must continue to be registered in the criminal register,” the National Police stated.

    The authority added that not all 800 records will necessarily be restored, as some may now qualify for deletion under the existing rules.

    “Not all of the approximately 800 decisions will need to be re-registered in this connection, as there may be decisions among them that should have been deleted by now anyway,” the National Police said.

  • Denmark faces cloudy weekend with some sunshine and overnight frost in several areas

    ·

    Denmark is heading into a mostly cloudy weekend, with occasional sunshine, temperatures between 6 and 10 degrees Celsius on Friday and a risk of overnight frost in several parts of the country.

    According to Hans Peter Wandler, meteorologist at the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), weather conditions will vary across the country, with some regions seeing more sunshine than others.

    Friday’s weather will divide Denmark into two areas.

    “In the western and south-western parts, most will probably experience a grey and cloudy day,” Wandler said.

    “In the northern and eastern parts, people will first wake up to fog, as they have experienced so many days before, but during the day there will also be room for some or perhaps a fair amount of sun in several places,” he added.

    Temperatures on Friday will range between 6 and 10 degrees Celsius before falling overnight.

    “In the night into Saturday, it will again become cloudy in several places, and there may also locally be both mist and fog. Locally, there may be some night frost,” the meteorologist said.

    The risk of temperatures dropping below freezing will be greatest in inland areas of southern Jutland.

    Saturday will begin with widespread cloud cover, but sunshine is expected to break through in several places during the day.

    Clouds will return overnight, with temperatures ranging from freezing to 7 degrees Celsius.

    “In the night into Sunday, it clouds over again, and we get a temperature that lies between freezing and seven degrees,” Wandler said.

    The possibility of frost will depend on cloud cover, as clear skies allow temperatures to fall further.

    “The night frost depends on how the cloud cover is distributed. Where the clouds disappear during the night, temperatures can fall further, and locally there may be night frost,” he explained.

    Sunday will also begin with cloudy conditions across much of Denmark.

    As the day progresses, some areas may experience light rain showers, particularly in western parts of the country.

    According to DMI, the beginning of next week is expected to bring more unsettled weather, with further light showers possible.

  • US plans major expansion of Greenland consulate

    ·

    The United States is planning to expand its diplomatic presence in Greenland by investing up to 214 million kroner in its consulate in Nuuk, according to documents obtained by Danish newspaper Politiken.

    The project includes a major renovation and expansion of the American consulate, which is expected to accommodate around 17 employees, more than four times the number working there in recent years.

    The planned investment ranges from 167 million to 214 million kroner, according to a market survey issued by the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, an agency within the US Department of State.

    The consulate will cover 2,784 square meters, a size that has raised questions about the scale of the American diplomatic presence in Greenland.

    Rasmus Sinding Søndergaard, a senior researcher specializing in US foreign policy at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), suggested that the expanded consulate could function as a “shadow embassy.”

    “It really catches the eye. Both in relation to other countries’ diplomatic presence in Greenland and the USA’s presence in comparable smaller countries in the world,” he told Politiken.

    “It is notable that they want 17 employees, such large facilities, and are allocating so much money to renovate and expand the consulate.”

    By comparison, the European Union has four employees at its office in Nuuk, while Canada’s diplomatic presence consists of just one person, according to Politiken.

    The United States reopened its consulate in Nuuk in 2020, after having closed its previous diplomatic office in Greenland in 1953.

    Earlier this year, the consulate moved into larger premises, although most of the building has remained empty, Politiken reported.

    The expansion comes amid continued American interest in Greenland, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and has extensive self-government.

    US President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that the United States wants to take control and ownership of Greenland, arguing that the territory is essential to American national security.

    At the end of September, the United States, Greenland and Denmark signed a new security and defense agreement concerning Greenland following prolonged negotiations.

    The agreement was signed at the United Nations headquarters in New York, shortly after Trump addressed the UN General Assembly.

    Among other provisions, the agreement allows the United States to establish two additional military bases in Greenland.

    The United States currently operates one military base on the island, Pituffik Space Base, located in northwestern Greenland.

  • Copenhagen extends seaplane permit until June 2027

    ·

    The Copenhagen City Council has decided to extend the temporary environmental permit for the seaplane service connecting Copenhagen and Aarhus until the end of June 2027, giving the operator more time to find a permanent location in the capital.

    The decision was approved by a majority of the City Council on Thursday, according to Danish broadcaster DR.

    The existing permit, which allows the seaplane to take off and land at Nordre Toldbod in Copenhagen, was originally due to expire on January 1, 2027.

    The extension was supported by the Socialist People’s Party (Socialistisk Folkeparti, SF), the Social Democrats (Socialdemokratiet), the Liberal Party (Venstre), the Conservative People’s Party (Det Konservative Folkeparti) and the Liberal Alliance.

    According to the parties, the extension has one specific purpose: to give Nordic Seaplanes, the company operating the route, time to find a new location within the Port of Copenhagen.

    The company will work with the municipality “and other relevant actors” to identify a suitable alternative, TV 2 Kosmopol reported.

    Nordic Seaplanes has been unable to obtain a permanent environmental permit at Nordre Toldbod because its aircraft fall into a higher pollution category than is allowed at the location.

    The classification is partly due to noise generated by the aircraft, which also affects the surrounding area.

    The company has previously announced plans to introduce electrically powered seaplanes from 2032, which are expected to reduce noise and odor pollution.

    The seaplane service allows passengers to travel between the Port of Aarhus and Nordre Toldbod in Copenhagen in approximately 45 minutes.

    The extension was welcomed by Dansk Erhverv, the Danish Chamber of Commerce, one of Denmark’s main business associations.

    “It is good news that the seaplane between Aarhus and Copenhagen has been granted permission to continue, but it is important that a permanent solution is found,” deputy director Marc Perera Christensen said in a statement.

    “Because even though we are a small country, it is important for parts of the business community that there is an opportunity to get back and forth quickly between the country’s two largest cities,” he added.

    Nordic Seaplanes has operated the route under a temporary environmental permit since 2015.

  • News round up

    Three Danish restaurants are among the world’s best. Here’s which ones

    ·

    Three Danish restaurants have secured places among the world’s top 40 in the 2026 World’s 50 Best Restaurants ranking, with Copenhagen’s Alchemist taking third place.

    The results were announced at an awards ceremony in Lima, Peru, overnight into Thursday Danish time. Spain’s Asador…

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  • Prosecutors are seeking a 60-day prison sentence for a 30-year-old woman for Facebook comment about Hamas.

    ·

    Prosecutors are seeking a 60-day prison sentence for a 30-year-old woman previously acquitted of condoning terrorism in a Facebook comment about Hamas. Senior prosecutor Henrik Aagaard presented the prosecution’s case at the Eastern High Court on Thursday. The woman, identified by Politiken as Nadine, was acquitted by Odense District Court on 23 October 2024. Her defence lawyer, Helene Brædder, is seeking another acquittal. If Nadine is convicted, the defence argues that any sentence should be no more than 30 days, suspended. The charge concerns a comment Nadine posted on Politiken’s Facebook page on 19 December 2023, beneath an article about children killed in Gaza. “There has been war for 73 years, but only now is Hamas truly striking back. With good reason! Any people would do that,” she wrote. The prosecution argues that the comment condoned Hamas’ attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. Brædder disputed that interpretation, telling the court that Nadine neither implicitly nor explicitly condoned terrorism. She said Nadine had explained that she did not know precisely what Hamas was and had read that the organisation emerged because Palestine had no military. Her comment was not connected to the 7 October attack, the lawyer argued. Aagaard rejected that explanation, pointing to the extensive coverage of the attack and the fact that the comment was posted more than two months later. He also noted that Nadine was replying to another comment containing the word “massacre”. The defence criticised the police investigation, arguing that officers had failed to seek out comments that could support Nadine’s case. Brædder presented another comment in which Nadine had written that the issue concerned innocent people being killed. In a separate administrative matter, Nadine’s Danish citizenship was revoked on 9 May 2025. She had obtained it through adoption by a stepparent at the age of nine, but the Agency of Family Law subsequently assessed that the adoption had not entitled her to citizenship. According to Politiken, prosecutors are also considering deportation proceedings if she is convicted. Aagaard said these could potentially result in a warning of deportation. Any such proceedings would follow the high court’s judgment. The case is one of five concerning alleged condoning of terrorism linked to the 7 October attack heard by the Eastern High Court this week. Verdicts in all five are expected on Friday.

  • Russia’s war prompts Sweden to extend border checks

    ·

    Sweden’s government has decided to introduce border control for a period of six months from 12 November.
    Sweden’s Ministry of Justice states this in a press release.
    Sweden already has border controls at the borders with its neighboring countries, and this control expires on 11 November.
    The background for extending the border control is “the serious security situation as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine”.
    The Swedish government refers to “hybrid threats and hostile actors who move around and operate within the Schengen area”.
    – A reintroduced border control at the internal border is an important measure to ensure that the authorities have access to the right tools and conditions to be able to identify incoming persons who may pose a threat to public order and internal security, the government writes.
    The Schengen area comprises 25 EU countries as well as Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland. The Schengen cooperation ensures that inhabitants of the member states, as a rule, can travel freely in the Schengen area without having to present a passport.
    However, states have the option to introduce temporary border control.
    Several other Schengen countries – including Denmark and Norway – also have temporary border control. The Swedish government points this out.
    Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, authorities across Europe have reported possible Russian hybrid attacks.
    This includes, among other things, illegal overflights with drones and suspected espionage.
    Sweden shares land borders with Norway and Finland. In addition, Sweden has maritime borders with Denmark and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
    When crossing the Øresund Link from Denmark to Sweden by train, one crosses the border into Sweden without encountering a border crossing point.
    Here, Swedish police will have the opportunity to check passengers’ passports when the train stops at the first station on the Swedish side of Øresund.
    Swedish police also conduct spot checks of drivers’ passports or other ID on the Swedish part of the Øresund Link in the direction towards Sweden.
    Øresundsbron – the company behind the Øresund Link – states on its website that for Nordic citizens, it is typically sufficient to present a driving licence issued in one of the Nordic countries.
    RITZAU

  • Pro-Russian hackers claim supermarket cooling attacks

    ·

    Two pro-Russian hacker groups claimed on social media on Thursday that they were behind cyberattacks targeting supermarket cooling systems in Europe, prompting Danish authorities to urge businesses to review their security.

    Denmark’s Agency for Societal Security said it was monitoring the attacks closely alongside relevant authorities, but stressed that the groups’ involvement had not been established.

    “At this point in time, it is too early to say anything about whether the two hacker groups have played a role,” the agency said in a press release.

    Several supermarket chains have reported problems with their cooling systems since Monday. Danish authorities are working to establish whether companies in Denmark have also been affected.

    The agency warned that similar attacks could target Denmark and recommended that authorities, businesses and organisations review the security of their refrigeration and freezing systems.

    It also cautioned that pro-Russian hacker groups regularly claim responsibility for cyberattacks, and that the publicity surrounding such claims can itself serve to create insecurity and uncertainty.

    The incidents come against a backdrop of warnings about Russian sabotage and hybrid warfare.

    On 5 September, the Danish Security and Intelligence Service, PET, reported concrete Russian planning and preparations for sabotage targeting Denmark.

    Later that month, the Danish Defence Intelligence Service, FE, warned that Russia would intensify its hybrid warfare against the West in the coming months, with more serious consequences for the countries affected.

    The Agency for Societal Security also raised Denmark’s threat level for destructive cyberattacks from “medium” to “high”.

  • Energinet explores ways to boost capacity on Denmark’s existing power grid

    ·

    Denmark’s state-owned electricity transmission operator, Energinet, is investigating whether its existing grid can carry more power as demand outpaces expansion.

    The company says a combination of measures could deliver a double-digit percentage increase in capacity, potentially easing pressure while new infrastructure is built.

    Options under examination include adding more conductors to existing pylons and allowing overhead lines to operate at temperatures of up to 75°C, compared with around 50°C today. Higher operating temperature limits would allow the lines to carry more electricity.

    Energinet is also looking at temporarily increasing the load on transformers, which convert electricity between voltage levels. Some transformers can handle additional load for short periods, provided they have time to cool down afterwards.

    Kim Willerslev Jakobsen, CEO of Energinet Systemansvar, said it was possible to operate the transmission grid more intensively, but stressed that doing so came with trade-offs.

    Higher loads increase wear on equipment and require subsequent periods of lower temperatures, particularly for transformers.

    There are nevertheless several measures that remain technically sound, he said, adding that Energinet was working on those possibilities.

    The investigation comes as Denmark’s electricity grid struggles to keep pace with growing demand. Although expansion is underway, some businesses face waits for connections needed to switch their operations to electricity.

    Energinet has faced criticism over the pace of grid development, including from Denmark’s National Audit Office, Rigsrevisionen.

    Parliament recently approved an emergency plan intended to allow Energinet to prioritise applications for grid connections.

  • Tupperware returns to Denmark through Føtex and Bilka

    ·

    Tupperware is returning to Denmark after an absence of almost two years, with its colourful food-storage containers set to be sold through Føtex, Bilka and bilka.dk.

    The products are already available on bilka.dk, according to a press release announcing the return.

    Bespoke Distribution, which distributes Tupperware across the Nordic region, is behind the relaunch.

    “We look forward to bringing Tupperware back to Denmark. It is a brand that a great many Danes already know and have a relationship with, and we look forward to also introducing it to a new generation,” said Bespoke Distribution CEO Niels Andersen.

    Tupperware first arrived in Denmark in 1962 and became known for its home parties, where products were demonstrated and sold in customers’ homes.

    Its Danish sales operation ended in January 2025 when Tupperware Nordic closed following bankruptcy.

    That collapse followed financial difficulties at parent company Tupperware Brands, which filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States in 2024 with debts exceeding $700 million.

  • Maersk shares plunge 10 percent despite tripling quarterly profit

    ·

    Shares in Danish shipping giant Maersk fell more than 10 percent Thursday morning despite the company reporting a sharp increase in third-quarter profits and raising its full-year outlook.

    Maersk recorded a quarterly profit of more than $3 billion (DKK 20 billion), nearly three times the previous year’s figure, while revenue increased 27 percent to $18.1 billion, driven partly by higher freight rates and strong demand.

    However, the results failed to meet market expectations, according to Philip Jagd, head of equities at Sampension.

    “Freight volume and earnings disappoint in the quarter. Guidance is admittedly raised, but less than analysts had already factored in,” he said.

    Other Danish companies performed better following their quarterly reports Thursday.

    GN Store Nord shares rose more than 12 percent shortly after trading opened, following third-quarter revenue of nearly DKK 2.3 billion, an increase of DKK 56 million compared with the previous year.

    Medical equipment manufacturer Ambu also saw its shares rise after reporting improved quarterly results.

  • 30,000 owner-occupied apartments to get lower property valuations

    ·

    The Danish government plans to introduce legislation that would lower property assessments for approximately 30,100 owner-occupied apartments across 31 municipalities, preventing homeowners from facing disproportionately high property taxes.

    Minister for Taxation and Growth Jakob Engel-Schmidt said the proposal would ensure that property valuations better reflect local housing market conditions rather than price developments in larger cities.

    The issue affects municipalities with too few apartment sales to calculate reliable local price indexes. In 82 of Denmark’s 98 municipalities, insufficient sales data currently prevents Statistics Denmark from producing such indexes.

    On Bornholm, for example, apartment valuations risk being influenced by housing price increases in Copenhagen, despite significant differences between the two markets.

    Under the proposal, the Danish Assessment Agency would instead use local price developments for single-family houses when these produce lower valuations. If local data is unavailable, the agency would apply the regional index resulting in the lowest price projection.

    The legislation would also generally exempt apartment owners in the island municipalities of Samsø, Fanø, Læsø and Ærø from price increases in their assessments this year.

    The proposed changes would apply through 2027, although Engel-Schmidt said he intends to extend the system if no better alternative is developed.

  • Personal data of 5,000 pilots exposed in cyberattack on Danish Meteorological Institute

    ·

    Personal information belonging to approximately 5,000 pilots was compromised in a data breach at the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) in late October, the agency confirmed Wednesday.

    According to an update published on DMI’s website, unauthorized individuals accessed and downloaded information about pilots registered on Northavimet, a joint Nordic online portal that provides weather information for flight planning.

    “It has been established that unauthorized persons managed to download a list of information about approximately 5,000 pilots who have login access to Northavimet,” DMI stated.

    The stolen information includes names, email addresses, nationalities and pilot certificate numbers.

    DMI said it is notifying the affected pilots and advising them to change their passwords.

    The breach occurred amid concerns over security vulnerabilities discovered in late October in PHP, one of the most widely used programming languages for websites and online platforms.

    Several Danish organizations temporarily shut down their websites while security updates were installed to prevent potential cyberattacks. Among them was Aula, the digital communication platform used by Danish schools and parents.

    DMI also attempted to protect its systems by temporarily closing access to the affected portal.

    However, an investigation found that unauthorized individuals had already gained access to a user administration system connected to Northavimet on October 22.

    The portal was shut down at 2 p.m. that day and reopened later after a security update had been installed.

    DMI has reported the incident to the police and Datatilsynet, the Danish Data Protection Agency, which oversees compliance with personal data protection rules in Denmark.

  • Google to disable AI tools by default for school students

    ·

    Google will disable its artificial intelligence tools by default for students from kindergarten through high school, requiring schools to actively enable them.

    The change will affect Gemini, Gemini Notebook, Gemini in Classroom and Google Search, the company announced in a blog post.

    Chris Phillips, Google’s vice president of education, told The New York Times that students could also lose access to Google Search if their schools choose to block AI features, as the two technologies are now closely integrated.

    The changes will first be introduced in the United States before expanding worldwide, although no timeline has been announced.

    The decision follows concerns raised by U.S. senators Richard Blumenthal and Josh Hawley, who questioned why AI features were enabled by default on school devices.

    Google, whose Classroom platform is used by more than 150 million students worldwide, said the changes would give schools greater control.

    “We know that there is concern that students use AI as a shortcut to avoid homework, and schools have told us that they want control,” the company said.

  • Copenhagen housing supply doubles as listings fall across Denmark

    ·

    Denmark’s housing market is showing contrasting trends, with more properties available in Copenhagen and its surrounding areas while listings decline across the rest of the country, according to new figures from housing platform Boligsiden.

    At the beginning of November, the number of apartments for sale in Copenhagen and Frederiksberg was more than twice as high as a year earlier. The supply of houses in the capital area also increased by 17 percent.

    Birgit Daetz, housing economist at Boligsiden, said the slowdown in Copenhagen’s apartment market is affecting suburban housing sales, as fewer apartment owners are selling their properties to buy houses outside the city.

    Outside the Capital Region, however, housing availability continues to decline. Nationwide, the number of houses for sale has fallen by 10 percent compared with November 2025, while East Jutland recorded a 21 percent decrease.

    “As a buyer, it therefore also continues to be about being clear on one’s priorities so that you can strike when the right home appears,” Daetz said.

    The supply of holiday homes across Denmark has also declined, falling 15 percent compared with a year earlier.