Danes back Chinese wages in Greenland
Chinese investment in Greenland has drawn one step closer after the Danish government has indicated it will back a new law that will allow mining companies operating in the semi-autonomous territory to pay foreign workers lower wages than Danish law currently permits. The new law, which has been passed in the Greenlandic parliament, means that thousands of Chinese guest workers soon could arrive in Greenland and work in mines for over 60 hours a week for just 30 kroner an hour. The law would require changes to Danish immigration laws and must be passed by lawmakers in Copenhagen to go into effect. Labour union 3F called the Danish support of the law for “disgraceful”. – Politiken
Jysk Sengetøj still bullish China
A failed venture in China means that Danish duvet retailer Jysk Sengetøj has been forced to radically change its strategy in order to remain in the world’s most populous country. After two years on the Chinese market, only seven of the chain’s original nine stores remain open. Despite the setback, Lars Larsen, the founder and owner of Jysk, is still confident that he can reach his goal of 5,000 shops in China. Jysk currently has 2,000 shops in 35 countries, 1,000 of which are in Germany. The company employs over 17,000 people and opened 48 new stores in the 2011-2012 fiscal year. – Børsen
Planned road improvements shelved
Motorists will have to do without a number of planned motorway extensions and other improvements after the Transport Ministry announced it did not have the 27 billion kroner available for the projects, which include improvements to the Køge Bugt motorway between Solrød to Køge and an extension of a stretch of motorway on Funen. Opposition parties and motorists groups accuse the government of spending the funds on public transport instead. – Jyllands-Posten
Children risk getting asthma when mother takes antibiotics
When mothers take antibiotics during their pregnancy, it increases the risk that their child will have asthma by up to 20 percent, according to a Danish study involving over 30,000 children. Taking antibiotics such as penicillin disrupts the mother’s natural production of bacteria, which can lead to the development of the condition. Danish scientists become suspicious of the link in 1998 when they followed a group of 411 children being treated for asthma while also looking at antibiotic intake of the mothers during the last trimester of their pregnancies. The results of the study have just been published in The Journal of Pediatrics. – Videnskab.dk
Weather
Sunny and scattered flurries. High temperature – 2 C, overnight lows – 14 C. Windy at times. – DMI
