CPH Post newspaper: 11 - 24 November 2022

DANISH

Sharm El Sheikh

PHOTO: HASSE FERROLD

LIGHTS OUT ACROSS THE CAPITAL

City Hall icks the switch on 70 landmarks and parks

BEN HAMILTON

COMPANIES and private homes aren’t the only ones making widespread e orts to turn o their lights during the hours of darkness.

A concerted e ort under the watchful eye of the Teknik- og Miljøudvalget (technical and environmental committee) at Copenhagen Municipality will ensure the capital uses minimal electricity to light its landmarks and parks at night.

Some 70 places in the capital region – from the Little Mermaid statue to the Lakes – will be pitch-black from midnight to 05:00, according to the plans.

Severe energy crisis

THE MOVE to save electricity brings Copenhagen into line with a third of the municipalities in the capital region, with more expected to follow suit.

“We are in the middle of a very severe energy crisis,” explained Line Barfod, the mayor for technical and environmental

issues, to TV2. “So while we are asking private individuals to reduce energy consumption in their own homes, we are also asking public buildings to reduce energy consumption, and companies to reduce energy consumption.”

Concerns over safety

HOWEVER, Copenhagen Municipality received a recommendation a month ago that lights should be turned up during the hours of darkness due to safety concerns. The safety measure failed to

nd a majority at City Hall.

Not only will many cycle lanes be pitch dark, requiring cyclists to seriously increase the power of their bike lights, but many waterfront walkways will be poorly lit – and they are already treacherous enough for drunken revellers and those unfamiliar with the area.

According to Barfod, the police have been consulted about which parks are safe to turn o the lighting in, and which aren’t.

“We should consider whether it is possible to take a detour,” she suggested.

VESTERBRO’S COOL AGAIN, APPARENTLY

If it isn’t Nørrebro, then it’s the home of Istedgade and Dan Turèll, every time there’s a trendiest city district in the world list

THE LATEST Timeout 51 Coolest Neighbourhoods in the World list acknowledges that “‘cool’ is probably the most subjective quality going”. Maybe that’s why the Copenhagen city districts of Nørrebro (28th in 2020!) and Vesterbro seem to routinely switch places every year it is announced.

For the 2022 edition, it was the turn of Vesterbro – the senior partner of the pair if

the process of gentri cation, which started in the district in the late 1990s, is used to determine how long an area has been hip.

It inhabits 24th place on a list this year headed by Colonia Americana in the Mexican city of Guadalajara.

Enjoy the perfect day “BUSTLING and lively, Vesterbro in Copenhagen is littered with famous historical streets, picture-perfect canal swimming spots, boutique shopping and attractions like the Glyptoteket museum and the famed Tivoli fairground,” praises Timeout.

“Despite vast gentri cation, it still has a

neighbourly feel with its mix of students, young professionals, families and long-time locals.”

Timeout is full of recommendations: from enjoying wine on the grass on Sønder Boulevard whilst reading Tove Ditlevsen (not Dan Turèll?), to visiting one of the "adorable picture houses" – a choice between Vester Vov Vov or Dagmar.

Its ultimate advice, if you only have a day, is to stay at Villa Copenhagen, visit Glyptoteket and Tivoli Gardens (either for Halloween or Christmas), and then dine on shell sh at Les Trois Cochons on Værnedamsvej, which it recently named as one of the coolest streets in the world. (BH)

Famous pølsevogn for sale

HARRY'S Place, one of the most famous hotdog stalls in Denmark, is up for sale. Since 1965, the pølsevogn has been permanently based on Nordre Fasanvej just around the corner from Nørrebro Station. It costs 1,850,000 kroner and the monthly rent is 12,250.

Explosion in Gladsaxe

A LARGE part of Gladsaxe was cordoned o on October 20 after the western district was rocked by an explosion on Vandtårnsvej, Gladsaxe. Police are still investigating the cause of the explosion, which is not thought to have harmed anyone.

Metro now 20 years old

THE COPENHAGEN Metro recently celebrated its 20th birthday. When it rst opened in 2002, it ran from the Amager stations of Lergravsparken and Vestamager to Nørreport. Since then, the M1 and M2 have been extended and joined by the M3 and M4 lines in 2019 and 2020.

Election poster complaints

Local wishes ignored

LOCAL groups Nordhavn Naturvenner and Østerbro Lokaludvalgs are disappointed that Copenhagen Municipality’s plans for a new nature park in Nordhavn allocate 28 hectares to football pitches. They claim their wishes have been discounted. The football pitches could end up accounting for 25 percent of the park, leaving nature with barely 50 percent.

Fatal shooting in Christiania

A 23-YEAR-OLD man was shot dead on Pusherstreet in Christiania on October 26 between 17:00 and 18:00. A well-known gure in the cannabis trade environment, his assailant is believed to be Somalian. He ed via the old main entrance on the corner of Prinsessegade and Baadsmandsstraede.

Prison time for PM threats

Field’s failings

THE 22-YEAR-OLD man who killed three people at Field’s in July visited a psychiatrist a week before the attack, where he tried to bring up thoughts of violence and murder, reports DR. Furthermore, he tried to call the Psychiatric Foundation’s crisis line, but gave up after a lengthy wait for assistance.

Serious assault at Brøndby

THREE Brøndby supporters were badly assaulted after their derby with FC Copenhagen in the Brøndby supporters' clubhouse on October 16. Brøndby supporters’ behaviour has already seen them banned from away matches, and it was not clear who was responsible.

Future harbour school

CHILDREN from schools in Husum, Christianshavn and Amager recently met the Copenhagen mayor for children and youth, Jakob Næsager, and Anne Skovbro, the CEO of By & Havn, to present their vision of how a future harbour school could be established.

COPENHAGEN Municipality received more than 5,000 complaints about illegally-placed posters during the general election campaign.

Pancakes for prize winner

MORTEN Meldal, Denmark’s first winner of a Nobel Prize this century, was honoured at City Hall with pancakes on Monday 31 October.

A 53-YEAR-OLD man has been sentenced to three months in prison for writing “I'm going to kill the prime minister of Denmark” on YouTube last year. In his defence, he said he was drunk and that it was “for fun”. The man had prior convictions, including a 50-day sentence in March 2021 for more or less saying the same thing.

Tragedy in Præstø

A 30-YEAR-OLD woman and 11-month-old child were recently found dead in Næbskoven, a forest near Præstø in southern Zealand. The police began a search for them after they found a man dead in a house on Svanevej in Præstø.

Like Sir Edward Grey famously said: "The lamps are going out all over Europe"

Ben Hamilton EDITOR

Christian Wenande NEWS/LAYOUT EDITOR

Ejvind Sandal CO-OWNER

Hans Hermansen CEO

Hasse Ferrold PHOTOGRAPHER

Barbara Mensah SOCIAL MEDIA

METTE’S MAGICAL FORMULA IS IN THE POT

Who will join Socialdemokratiet in a majority remains to be seen, but it could very well be the country’s next three most popular parties: Venstre, SF and Lars Løkke’s Moderaterne

CPH POST

IT’S ALREADY been ten days since the 2022 General Election, and not much has happened yet!

One thing’s for sure, though. PM Mette Frederiksen might have dis solved her government on November 2, as is customary the day after an election, but she remains very much in charge.

Negotiations for a majority, entwined with forming a new gov ernment, have been ongoing in earnest since Friday November 4.

And they could conceivably con tinue for some time yet!

Coalition on the cards

THE CURRENT government is made up entirely of members of the PM’s party Socialdemokratiet. But that looks likely to change with the new set-up, with as many as four parties represented in the cabinet.

Frederiksen had exactly the right number of mandates to form the same Red Bloc majority that took her into power in 2019 – 90 of the 179 seats in Parliament. But that is a slender major ity – some would call it fragile.

Frederiksen clearly favours forming a party down the centre and it is highly likely she will exclude allies Radikale,

BIG WINNNERS

Liberal Alliance: What a turn around for a party that was struggling to survive after the elec tion in 2019. Jumping from 4 to 14 mandates spells a massive success for Alex Vanopslagh’s party.

Moderaterne: After founding Moderaterne just months ago, Rasmussen must be over the moon that his party stormed into Parliament with 16 mandates.

Danmarksdemokraterne: Inger Støjberg and Danmarks demokraterne also made a dream election debut, sweeping into Parliament with an impressive 14 mandates – a 1.2 percent gain on the share predicted in the exit poll.

Three and one, as always

AS EXPECTED, Greenland handed its two mandates to the Red Bloc: Aki-Mathil da Høegh-Dam from Siumut and Aaja Chemnitz from Inuit Ataqatigiits. While the Faroes coughed up one MP a piece. Anna Falkenberg becomes only the sec ond woman in history to represent the islands, although three others have won representation with Danish parties.

whose ultimatum led to the election being held eight months earlier than scheduled, and Enhedslisten.

Down the centre

NEW PARTY Moderaterne, led by twotime PM and election kingmaker Lars Løkke Rasmussen, will undoubtedly be there, as he has so far been involved in almost all the negotiations.

Together, Socialdemokratiet and Moderaterne have 66 mandates – who will join them remains to be seen.

But were they to involve the parties closest to the centre, it would probably be Venstre and SF, who together have 38 mandates – a comfortable majority of 104.

Venstre u-turn

VENSTRE leader Jacob Ellemann-Jensen has performed something of a u-turn in the last fortnight.

Initially joined at the hip with Kon servate leader Søren Pape Poulsen – to be fair, the latter was always the ventril oquist’s dummy – he has switched from not trusting the PM to being entirely open to working with her.

Nevertheless, his inclusion – some are tipping him to be the next for eign minister – is not certain. But it is thought Rasmussen has had a big say in Venstre, his former party, being at the table.

Exit polls misleading

THE NEGOTIATIONS followed a vote in which Socialdemokratiet, with 27.5 percent of the vote, secured two more mandates than in 2019, its best result since 2001 and, crucially for the excite ment factor for the viewing public, 4.4 percentage points more than what the exit polls predicted!

The exit votes were also wide of the mark regarding Danmarks

BIG LOSERS

Venstre: Support fell 13.3 percent age points compared to 2019 – a loss of 20 mandates to end with 23 – to hand the party its worst election result in 34 years.

Radikale: It lost over half of its mandates, to slip from 16 to just seven.

Dansk Folkeparti: The party end ed up with just 2.7 percent of votes – its worst performance in history.

Karlsmose steps down

MARIANNE Karlsmose has stepped down as head of the Kristendemokraterne after her party only won 0.5 percent of the vote at the General Election. Karlsmose contended that the party should not run in the next general election and instead focus on local elections in the future. Since being founded in 1970, the party has taken part in every general election.

demokraterne, which ended up with 14 mandates. The party ended up on over 8 percent after exit polling at 6.9.

In fact, throughout the entire dura tion of its coverage, DR projected the Red Bloc missing out on a 90-mandate majority by one seat, only to update this right at the end, once all the votes had been counted.

Before their chickens hatched UP UNTIL that point, Blue Bloc support ers genuinely believed they still had a chance to command a majority! The exit poll had only predicted the Red Bloc winning 85 mandates.

On election night, Venstre political spokesperson Sophie Løhde suggest ed Rasmussen should join the Blue Bloc and forget about the centre, pro viding he backed Ellemann-Jensen as PM.

Even Konservate leader Søren Pape Poulsen seemed upbeat de spite ending up with just 5.5 percent – ten mandates – a far cry from the 16 percent his party was polling in early September before the scandal over his untruthful husband and their subsequent divorce.

He started the night contemplating a majority, but ended it insisting he wouldn’t step down.

PM’s pension contested

A TALKING point during the election was the lifelong pension paid to former ministers and PMs. Pressure has been mounting on PM Mette Frederiksen to reduce it, with many blaming So cialdemokratiet and Venstre, which have accounted for all the PMs since 1993, for recent hikes. Frederiksen will get a pension of 53,000 kroner per month.

KEY FIGURES

- The turnout was the lowest since 1990, but only marginally below the number who voted in 2019. Just 84.1 percent of the 4,269,044 eligible voters took part, compared to 84.6 percent in 2019.

- Some 38.4 percent of the candidates were women – 389 in total. Nor mally the share fluctuates between 27 and 34 percent.

- A record number of women make up Denmark's new Parliament – 79 of 179 MPs (44.13 percent) are women. Until now, the highest share of women in a newly-formed Parliament following an election was 38.9 percent – set in 2011 and again in 2019.

- Some 54,506 votes were ‘lost’ through votes cast for Frie Grønne and Kristendemokraterne (0.9 and 0.5 percent of the vote), or an independent, or because the ballot was blank or spoiled.

- The highest voter turnout was in the Rudersdal voting district, north of Copenhagen, with 90.39 percent, followed by Gentofte (89.57) and Falkoner (89.48).

- The lowest voter turnout was in Brøndby at 76.78 percent, preceded by Lolland (77.64) and Bispebjerg (78.62).

- In Copenhagen, Socialdemokratiet won the most votes (19.1 percent), followed by Enhedslisten (13.8), SF (11.4), Moderaterne (9.5) and Alterna tivet (9.4).

- On election day, Megafon reported that one in seven voters were unsure about who they would vote for, compared to 65 percent of the population in mid-October. Uncertainty was more common among Red Bloc voters.

- The electorate has increased in size since 2019 by 48,414 eligible voters. In total, 4,267,951 people were able to vote.

- In total, 1,014 candidates were in the running – the highest number since 1998. Konservative led the way with 99 candidates.

- Liberal Alliance spent 2.6 million kroner on Facebook. Socialdemokratiet and Konservative were the next two biggest spenders with 1.13 and 1.09 million, while Frie Grønne spent the least: 29,166 kroner.

Nurses finally heard?

NURSE union representatives used the build-up to the election to increase pressure on PM Mette Frederiksen. They chiefly want an increase in wages, argu ing it will prevent nurses from finding employment in the private sector or abroad, and an increase in personnel.

Frederiksen appeared to listen, vowing to heavily reform the healthcare system.

Caught away from home

TWO PROMINENT MPs – the environ ment minister, Lea Wermelin, and Liberal Alliance leader Alex Vanopslagh – were outed for contravening the CPR Act during the campaign. Neither live the required 180 days to stand in their constituencies – Bornholm and Struer – as both spend most of their time in Copenhagen. The coverage failed to dent their popularity.

Mette the big winner overall

STATE REJECTS BLUE BLOC’S CALL FOR ARMS

IN THE BUILD-UP to the general elec tion on November 1, prominent Blue Bloc parties Venstre and Konserva tive were arguing for more shipments of arms to Ukraine.

Lars Christian Lilleholt and Rasmus Jarlov, the respective defence spokes persons, are both prepared to deplete Danish arms stock to support the Ukrain ian cause.

This will mean extra expense for the Danish taxpayer to replenish

the country’s arms. But both parties believe that the cause of freedom is worth the cost.

“Ukraine’s fight is a fight for the whole of Europe,” said Jarsolv. “We have these weapons to, among other things, defend ourselves against Russia. If Ukrainians use them to take down Russian tanks, it lessens the threat Russia poses to Denmark.”

Concerns closer to home HOWEVER, Morten Bødskov, the de fence minister, is hesitant to send more weapons.

He highlights that Denmark has

already contributed 7 billion kroner's worth of weapons and equipment to the Ukrainian effort, including a weapons package of 1.1 billion kroner in early October.

Bødskov is wary of Denmark's ability to defend itself against threats closer to home, stating that he believes there are better ways for Denmark to support Ukraine.

“We are reaching the point where the Danish weapons we are able to supply are limited,” said Bødskov. “But we can try to get together with other countries to finance the sending or building of weapons.”

Drone threat at airports

SECURITY has been stepped up in Denmark in response to suspicious drone activity at Norwegian air ports in Stavanger and Haugesund on October 15. Several Russians were arrested, including a Brazilian suspected of being a Russian spy. Drone activity involving Russians in Sweden ended with arrests in late January.

Maid up to be back

THE DANISH Days Festival in the Californian town of Solvang was held in September for the first time since 2019. Each year it elects a Danish Maid, but this year there were three – for 2020, 2021 and 2022. The festival honors the establishment of Solvang by Danish-Americans in 1911, and this year’s edition was the festival’s 85th. It also featured an arena for axe throwing.

Gruesome Greenland trial

Syrian smuggler sentenced

A DANISH court has sentenced a 29-year-old Syrian man to three years in prison for smuggling 74 million kroner into Sweden on multiple journeys. It is believed that every time he crossed the Øresund Bridge, he smuggled around 2 million kroner. The origin of the money is not known. The man later confessed to the crime.

Big explosions to blame

THE DANISH investigation of the Baltic Sea pipeline leakages on September 26 has concluded that they were caused by powerful explosions. More details might emerge after Swedish and Ger man findings are factored in. The Danish government has vowed to step up se curity in the Baltic Sea in response. More patrol boats is a likely measure.

Iran could face sanctions

JEPPE Kofod, the foreign minister, has said that Russia’s use of Iranian-produced kamikaze drones against Ukraine should result in “targeted sanctions” against the Middle Eastern country. “This is an atroc ity we must address,” he said ahead of a meeting of the EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on October 17.

Many cases under review

MANY FAMILY reunification case de cisions since May 2015 are now under review. Following a ruling by the Euro pean Court of Justice earlier this year, the Danish Immigration Service is busy contacting applicants whose bid for a residency permit, to be together with family already present in Denmark, was turned down.

A 28-YEAR-OLD man will stand trial for murder at Qaasuitsoq District Court in Greenland from November 21-24 in connection with the gruesome discovery of dismembered body parts in in the vicinity of an incinerator in Ilulissat last October. Two other arrests were made – a man and a woman – but both were quickly released without charge.

IOC rejects Danish concerns

DENMARK was one of eleven nations that expressed concern about the presence of Russian delegates at the AGM of the As sociation of Olympic Committees in South Korea. However, IOC president Thomas Bach rejected the criticism, arguing that politics should not take over sport. Some 195 delegates, he pointed out, did not complain.

Royals on Vietnam trade visit

CROWN Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary were part of a trade delegation that visited Vietnam in early November. More than half of the 35 Danish business executives on the visit work in the wind en ergy industry. Denmark is one of the five biggest foreign investors in Vietnam.

Loss and damage progress

LOOKING ahead towards COP27, where it remains unclear who will represent Denmark, the country has been receiving praise as the first to offer ‘loss and damage’ compensation to the most climate vulnerable regions of the world: around 100 million kroner. Den mark concedes that the regions were not beneficiaries of the indus trial progress that caused climate change.

China’s limited Arctic influence

NATO warns Denmark

NATO HAS warned Denmark it needs to increase its defence spending to 2 percent of its GDP at a quicker rate than is currently planned, which is by 2033. Sweden has stolen a march on its neighbours by confirming it should reach 2 percent by 2026. In 2023, Den mark will spend 1.39 percent of its GDP on defence.

Syria kids trial starts

A CASE is ongoing at Copenhagen Court in which Repatriate the Children is suing the Danish Foreign Ministry for evacuating three Danish children from the al-Roj prison camp in Syria, but not their two mothers, who instead lost their Danish citizenship. The court must de cide whether the decision violated the children's right to a family life.

Companies in the dock

THE STATE Prosecutor for Special Crime Unit has opened 12 cases against Danish companies suspect ed of breaking sanctions against Russia and Belarus, reports Børsen. Inspected files reveal the compa nies are suspected of exporting sanctioned goods that may have directly or indirectly ended up in the hands of Russia.

WHEN BEIJING announced an Arc tic strategy to establish a ‘Polar Silk Road’, the likes of Denmark and the US feared a huge intrusion – es pecially in Greenland. But now it emerges that its influence is not as strong as assumed, reports Politico. Only 50 nationals, all fishermen, live in Greenland, and all Chinese mining and infrastructure projects have been put on hold.

Ukraine has received enough weapons and equipment from Denmark, contends defence minister

A farewell to arms in Denmark; in welcome arms in Ukraine

INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES UNDER SCRUTINY

One of the perks of winning the election was opening this file. Oh well ...

Two future investigations could expose the murky activities of PET and Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste … and exactly how much the politicians know about their activities

SAM CLEM-WHITING

THERE IS now general consensus among the major parties that the case of Ahmed Samsam, the Dane currently serving eight years for his in volvement with IS who claims he was spying for Danish intelligence agencies, should be officially investigated.

Next year, Samsam will take his case against PET and Forsvarets Efterret ningstjeneste (FE) to the High Court, and it is thought likely an investigation will follow. Of all the parties, only Nye Borgerlige is vehemently against one.

"We are going to support a commission investigation after a legal end has been reached in our courts," confirmed the justice minister, Mattias Tesfaye, to TV2.

"The matters being discussed con cern Denmark's intelligence services. It requires special consideration."

Was he undercover?

AFTER being found guilty of being part of IS in Syria, Samsam, a Dane with Syrian heritage, was arrested in June 2017 and sentenced to eight years in prison in Spain in 2018.

However, in 2020, Berlingske published a story backing up Samsam’s long-held claims he was an undercover agent, work ing in collaboration with the PET and FE intelligence services to whom he passed on information obtained on his trips to Syria between 2012 and 2015.

Both of them deny this, which is why Samsam is taking his lawsuit against them to the High Court.

Samsam's lawyer, Erbil Kaya, believes that it is certainly more important to investigate his client's case than the December 2021 imprisonment of Lars Findsen, the former head of FE.

Findsen answers sought NEVERTHELESS, the Blue Bloc has been pressing for one. Konservative leader Søren Pape Poulsen and his Venstre counterpart Jakob Ellemann-Jensen even outlined their view at a special press conference.

They also want answers about PM Mette Frederiksen’s knowledge and involvement in the suspension of sev eral key FE leadership figures, including Findsen, in August 2020.

An investigation, they concur, should look to uncover whether the nature of Findsen’s suspension was political and look to confirm or deny Findsen's claims that the defence minister, Trine Bramsen, was more concerned about hanging onto her post.

Another rumour that may be the subject of inquiry is whether a direc tion was passed down to ministers to distance themselves from civil service in “problematic cases”.

Shoplifting increase

THE NUMBER of shop thefts has in creased by 23 percent over the last six months, according to national police figures. It is the highest rate for five years, confirms Rigspolitiet. And with prices continuing to ride, there is no sign it will stop anytime soon. All shops are feeling the in crease, according to Dansk Erhverv.

Multiple climate protests

ACCORDING to Copenhagen Po lice, there were between 30,000 and 40,000 people involved in a climate protest organised by Kli mabevægelsen i Danmark in the capital on October 31. Protests were also held in Viborg, Aarhus, Odense, Aalborg, Hillerød, Hels ingør, Nykøbing F, Ebeltoft, Odder, Silkeborg, Haderslev and Ærø.

Amputation inquiries

TWO REGIONS, Central Jutland and Zealand, are conducted inquiries to determine how many patients may have had their amputation mis handled. Danske Patienter argues that a more uniform approach is needed to create more transpar ency and justice for patients who may be entitled to compensation.

Huge sentences for drug duo

TWO MEN have been hand ed lengthy prison sentences in Sønderborg for producing large quantities of amphetamines (also known as speed). One got 14 years even though he pleaded guilty, and the other nine.

Detonated successfully

Expensive border crossings

MANY KONTANTHJÆLP recipients in south Jutland face losing a third of their benefits for 20 weeks for not alerting case workers that they've travelled across the German border. Most do so to take advantage of Ger many’s cheaper goods, but crossing the border is only permitted once a month and with prior notice.

Red tape problems

THE MUNICIPALITIES, claims DR, have only applied for 1.1 percent of a 100 million kroner heating pool to help residents with energy bills received between 1 October 2021 and 30 April 2022. Red tape has re sulted in applications without audits being rejected. In some cases, audits have cost twice that of the claim. Meanwhile, from October 1, another 100 million has been put aside.

Fourth warmest October

LAST MONTH was the fourth warmest October since records began. It failed to better the 12.2 degree average set in October 2006. Daytime temperatures reached a balmy 18 degrees in the final week of the month.

Biggest meat producer

WITH 325.59 kg per person, Den mark is the largest per capita meat producer in the world, ahead of New Zealand, Ireland and Mon golia, according to UN's Food and Agriculture Organization stats. Arable land accounts for approx imately 60 percent of Denmark's total area, of which three-quarters is used to grow feed for animals.

Church exemption opposed

THE COUNTRY’S bishops have urged the Church Ministry to lift the exemption of the Church of Denmark, and other religious bodies, in regards to the Lige behandlingsloven equal treatment act that ensures men and women are given equal opportunity in the labour market. Established in 1978 for all workplaces, an exemption was given to religious bodies within months.

Decent gender score

DENMARK is the second best per forming EU nation in the 2022 Gender Equality Index issued by the Europe an Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), trailing only Sweden. Its score of 77.8 was well above the EU average of 68.6. The Netherlands, Finland and France completed the top five, while Greece was bottom, slightly ahead of Romania and Hungary.

Green light for car seizures

THE SUPREME Court on October 12 confirmed the police’s power to seize cars owned by private persons or leas ing companies if the person behind the wheel is found to be driving recklessly. A leasing company argued it was a vi olation of European human rights for the vehicle to be confiscated, and that the driver should be fully responsible, but the court rejected it.

A 125-KILO, WWII bomb was success fully detonated 26 metres below sea level in the Femern Belt in mid-Octo ber. Precautions were taken to ensure the safety of the ocean wildlife in the area.In related news, the Defence Bomb Disposal Service recently carried out a controlled explosion of old chemicals near Vordingborg Gymnasium in southern Zealand.

Strict quota on certain catches

DUE TO fears about low stocks of cod and salmon in the Baltic Sea, a new regulation has been put in place that will limit the amounts that can be caught per person per day to just one. This will particularly hit independent fishing and tour boats.

Fourth jab up for sale

FOR UNDER-50S, it has been pos sible since Monday November 7 to book the fourth COVID-19 booster jab. The injections, which come at an unconfirmed price, will com mence on November 15. Since September 15, over-50s and oth er vulnerable groups have been eligible to obtain the jabs, which are variant-updated, for free.

Bereavement support

A CITIZENS' proposal calling for state support for families during the period following a parent’s death has received the necessary support to be heard in Parliament.

Harsh winter could still put the country under extreme pressure, concur economists

SANTIAGO SEBASTIAN

GREEN POWER Denmark and En erginet last month confirmed that Danish gas reserves are full to capacity: enough for two to three months of supply over the winter.

The news is in line with the goal set by the EU countries to raise their sup plies to 85 percent of storage capacity by the start of winter.

Gas prices have been falling accord ingly – particularly in light of Germany’s storage reaching 96.0 of capacity and France reaching 98.9 percent, according to AGSI+.

Lowest prices since June

AS OF MONDAY October 17, they had fallen by 60 percent compared to their

peak in late August. At 0.13 euros per kilowatt-hour of natural gas, it is the lowest price since June, according to Dutch gas exchange TTF.

“Consumers quite rightly feared the development of natural gas prices over the winter months,” Per Hansen, an investment economist at Nordnet, told TV2.

“However, the latest price develop ment is encouraging and gives hope of a much cheaper winter than feared.”

Caution still advised

NEVERTHELESS, caution is still being advised to consumers to save ener gy where they can. Their efforts have already contributed to the situation be coming rosier, achieving a better supply and demand balance.

In the second half of the winter, Den mark could still end up being dependent on its production of biogas and imports from other countries – particularly if the

winter is long and harsh.

“What will be decisive is how the winter will be. It could still become quite critical if we get an icy winter in January, but if it is a mild winter, we are actually in a quite okay situation,” Danske Bank chief analyst Arne Lohmann Rasmussen told TV2.

Many venues closing

MANY VENUES have already decided not to stay open this winter. Just recently, Aalborg Streetfood and three museums in southern Jutland announced they will be closed.

Festive lights will certainly be less vis ible. Tønder, which calls itself Denmark's most welcoming Christmas town, will only have its lights on for six hours a day. And many ice rinks will not be in use (for example, Horsens will not be opening theirs this winter), heating will be limited, and some saunas and even a few indoor swimming pools will be closed due to the rising costs.

Sunniest ever year?

BASED on the first nine months of the year, 2022 could become the sunniest in Danish history. Ac cording to DMI, the year has so far yielded 1,695 hours of sunshine – 26 hours above the annual aver age registered from 1991-2020. The current record of 1,905 hours was set in 2018. This year is on course for 1,902 hours.

Understanding insulin

RESEARCH carried out by Novo Nordisk and Aarhus University is shining a light on how insulin is bound and recognised. It turns out that not only the insulin receptor, but also insulin itself, changes its three-dimensional structure when it binds, and that the insulin recep tor simultaneously behaves as a switch that turns on the insulin signal inside the cell.

Parental leave benefits

WHEN MUM and Dad take longer parental leave and postpone their children's introduction to formal childcare services, it benefits well-being in the long term, con cludes an Aarhus University study. When the kids reach adolescence, they are more self-disciplined and emotionally more stable and have a better well-being in general, the study found.

‘Wikipedia' for bacteria

RESEARCHERS from DTU have de veloped a 'Wikipedia' for resistant bacteria that includes an overview of more than 200,000 microbiome samples. The platform, which will be freely accessible, displays dif ferent types of resistant bacteria worldwide and is supposed to help find patterns and connections be tween them.

Saving water drip by drip

Binned COVID-19 doses

A TOTAL of 5.8 million COVID-19 vac cine doses, costing the government anything between 116 and 783 mil lion kroner, will have to be binned, Statens Serum Institut recently con firmed. Some 3.6 million of the total are Pfizer/BioNTech jabs that can only be used for the first two jabs, while the remainder (Moderna) needed updating in light of new variants.

High demand for booster

THERE has been huge demand for the latest booster shot, which has been available to vulnerable groups since the late summer and to the over-50s since October 1. As of mid-October, 89 percent of nursing home residents have received the shot. Interest in flu vaccines has also been high.

Strong pesticide presence

FOR THE third year in a row, GEUS has found pesticide residue in more than half of the wells it tested –a doubling since 2016. However, this is mainly due to the fact that significantly more substances were analysed this year. In total, GEUS examined 1,431 wells and found residue in 55.3 percent of them.

Same the world over

A JOINT study by Aarhus University and the University of York shows that the way adults communicate with babies and young infants is very similar across 36 major lan guages. Danish scored highly for the usage of high-pitched lan guage, but low for how clearly vowels are pronounced.

Youngest ever professor

Funding for malaria research

RESEARCHERS at the University of Co penhagen have received 75 million kroner in funding in order to work on the development of a new malaria vac cine for pregnant women. Together with African universities, they will work on the development of the vaccine over the next few years. Each year, around 200,000 women lose their baby to ma laria worldwide.

Huge Ørsted wind plans

ØRSTED has entered into a 50-50 part nership with Copenhagen Infrastructure Project to develop offshore windfarms in Denmark with a capacity of 5.2 giga watts – enough to power 4 million homes. Meanwhile in election debate, Venstre and Konservative have called on the govern ment to sell off part of its 50.1 percent majority stake in the company, which recently opened a new office in Newark.

HIV breakthrough

EXPERIMENTAL drugs can boost the body’s ability to fight HIV, contends an Aarhus University study. Researchers investigated two types of experimen tal trial medicine and the results show that newly-diagnosed people with HIV, who receive antibodies together with standard HIV drugs, see a fall in HIV cells after starting treatment and that they develop better immunity against HIV.

SOME 18 Danish food producers and technology companies, who together call themselves the ‘DRIP’ partnership, have managed to reduce water consumption in pro duction by 20 percent – the annual water consumption equivalent of around 23,000 inhabitants. DRIP, which started in 2015, believes it could further cut consumption by 32 percent.

LAST MONTH, Isabelle Augen stein became the youngest ever appointed female professor at a Danish university – at the age of 33. Her research at the University of Co penhagen, which she joined in 2017, specialises on automated analysis and language models. Her career has already taken her to universities in Karlsruhe, Sheffield and London.

Cost before climate

SOME 57 percent of electric car buy ers do so to make financial savings, according to a University of Southern Denmark study. The findings underline how important financial incentives are at influencing consumers.

"I love the smell of gas in the morning: it smells like luxury"

QATAR ENDORSED AND CONDEMNED BY DANES

PADOVANI

NEVER AFRAID to put the boot in as a player – he once famously had a pre-arranged fight with Roy Keane – former national keeper Peter Schmeichel is equally fearless as a broadcaster. During the 2018 World Cup, he worked for Russia Today!

And now he is courting controversy again, this time by getting a job as a 2022 World Cup expert for BeIN Sports, a Qatari TV channel that will broadcast the tournament to 25 countries.

Many Danes have been critical of the move. "We probably just have to face the fact that Peter Schmeichel doesn't care what the Danes think of him, or the collaborations he enters into. Ap parently, legacy isn't that important to him," pundit Lasse Vøge told BT.

Schmeichel isn’t the only Dane to en dorse Qatar's hosting of the 2022 World

Cup, as artist Olafur Eliasson is currently exhibiting an outdoor art installation in the middle of the al-Zubarah desert in northern Qatar.

Migrant worker deaths

RECENTLY, the kit manufacturer Hummel toned down Danish jerseys for the event in protest at Qatar's repeated human rights violations. The third kit, which is all-black, is a representation of the "colour of sadness".

"This shirt carries with it a message. We don't wish to be visible during a tournament that has cost thousands of people their lives. We support the Danish national team all the way, but that isn't the same as support ing Qatar as a host nation,” explained Hummel.

The Guardian claims that more than 6,500 migrant workers from the likes of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have died in Qatar working on the country's stadia – a number often cited by Danish media.

Criticism resoundly rejected

THE WC organisers, the Supreme Com mittee for Delivery & Legacy, reacted angrily: “We whole-heartedly reject the trivialising of our genuine commitment to protect the health and safety of the 30,000 workers who built FIFA World Cup stadia and other tournament projects.”

The Qatari authorities recently blocked the visit of several Danish journalists to the country, and Qatari citizens and media have been busy using '#Denmark National Team is not Welcome' to condemn its treatment of migrants, Muslims and even animal rights.

“Does Denmark have a humanist and human rights record that allows it to criticise other nations and gives examples in that domain?" The answer is unfortunately no, with a bold font, because Denmark has one of the worst records on human rights according to many international reports,” noted Qatari daily Al-Sharq.

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Tour not tough enough

DEFENDING champion Jonas Vingegaard will struggle in next year's Tour de France, according to BT expert Rasmus Rask, because the route is not tough enough. He predicts Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar will thrive because it’s missing “the excruciatingly gruelling marathon stages” that would give Vingegaard an advantage.

New WC song

THE DANISH national team have released their official 2022 World Cup song. 'Skulder Ved Skulder' (shoulder to shoulder) calls for national unity and full support from the fans. Written by Burhan G, Ankerstjerne, Nicolai Seebach and Jarl Friis-Mikkelsen, keeper Kasper Schmeichel even sings a solo. Most fans appear to like it.

Hart and Noma bearing up

COPENHAGEN name-dropping is par of the course on the acclaimed Disney series ‘The Bear’, which is set in a New York takeaway joint. Not only has the main character worked for Noma, but his pastry chef has a picture of Richard Hart, the owner of Hart Bageri (which is also mentioned by name), on the wall.

Painting restored

THE ASGER Jorn painting 'Den Foruroligende Ælling' has been restored and returned to its home at Museum Jorn in Silkeborg fol lowing its vandalism in April.

Hunt for the medals

FC COPENHAGEN’S European jour ney is over. A 0-3 defeat to Sevilla in their penultimate game ensured they finished last in their Champi ons League group. However, the six teenagers in their starting 11 did set a CL record. The Lions ended their campaign with a 1-1 draw at home to Dortmund. Silkeborg also missed out on progressing in the Conference League after losing 0-2 at home to Anderlecht when only a draw was needed.

FCM get Sporting

FC MIDTJYLLAND were rewarded for finishing second in their Europa League group with a tasty match-up against Portuguese giants Sporting in the knock-out stage. The games will be played on February 16 and 23.

Disrespectful blowjob

DANISH actor Caspar Phillipson, who played the role of JFK in ‘Jackie’, reprised the role for ‘Blonde’, the Netflix biopic. He is depicted re ceiving a two-minute blowjob from Monroe – a scene condemned online as “horrifying”, “insane” and “disrespectful” by viewers.

Brøndby takeover

US COMPANY Global Football Holdings has taken a majority stake in Brøndby IF. The new owners, who will inject 30 million euros into the club, own several other European sides, including Estoril Praia in Portugal and SK Beveren in Belgium. It is also a co-owner of FC Augsburg in Germany.

Inspiration for ‘The Exorcist’

Rune into top 10

HOLGER Rune, 19, is now number 10 in the world following his victory over Novak Djokovic in the final of the Par is Masters. The Dane beat five top 10 players on his way to the title, including world number one Carlos Alcaraz. He's the first Dane in the top 10 of the men's singles since 1967.

Pape loses out to comic

COMEDIAN Nina Rask was recently named ‘LGBT+ Person of the Year’ at the annual Danish Rainbow Awards, ensur ing that Søren Pape Poulsen lost more than one major contest this autumn.

Meanwhile, Helle Thorning-Schmidt was named 'Ally of the Year' for making it law ful for same-sex couples to get married and taking part in Copenhagen Pride.

Record crowds for event

CULTURE Night has never taken place during an election campaign before, so it was no surprise to see so many people attend the events traditionally hosted by Parliament on October 14. In total, more than 8,000 people turned up, forming colossal queues ahead of the doors opening.

Noma to return to Japan

NOMA WILL set up a pop-up restaurant in the Japanese city of Kyoto from March 15 to May 20. It previously ran one in Tokyo in 2015, as well outlets in Sydney in Australia and Tulum in Mexico. In total, it will relocate 95 people – including some interns and family members. Head chef René Redzepi and his inner circle have been in Japan recently exploring the local food culture.

Handball ladies progress

The Danish women’s handball team are back on track following to a dis appointing loss to the hosts to start to the 2022 European Championship in Slovenia. Denmark beat Serbia 34-21 and then Sweden 25-23 to progress to the next stage where Hungary, Norway and Croatia wait.

Mette a big influence

‘BORGEN’ creator and screenwriter Adam Price has confirmed that PM Mette Fred eriksen was a major influence on the plot of season four – namely her top-down leadership and tendency to centralise authority. "Naturally, we were inspired by elements in the character of our current PM,” he told Reuters. Price does not yet know whether there will be a season five.

THE MAKERS of a DR documentary have been trying to track down missing Danish Order of the Ele phants. The country’s top honour, a medal bearing an elephant and diamonds, should be returned once the recipient dies, but many end up in museums and private collections. An estimated 70 should be in circulation at any given time.

Among the world’s best

JUST ONE year after hailing Gaso line Grill as the best burger joint in Europe, Big 7 Travel has named it the 13th best in the world. Summa rised in two words, it said the chain offered “juicy perfection”.

Penis man is back

THE DR stop motion animated children’s series 'John Dillermand', in which the main character has the world’s longest penis, returned with a second season on October 14. Widely talked about since its early 2021 debut, its creators con sulted children over the direction of season two, which includes a trip to The Moon. The word ‘diller’ is soft slang for penis in Danish.

AN ARTICLE on horror film website Slashed.com recently underlined how Danish film ‘Ordet’ was the main inspiration for ‘The Exorcist’. “It shows a literal resurrection, so believable. I knew because of that film that I could show a literal exorcism,” con firmed director William Friedkin.

NFL debut at last

CLEVELAND Browns guard Hjalte Froholdt finally made his NFL debut on October 23, becoming the first Dane to play in the league since kicking legend Morten Andersen played his last game in 2007.

Olympic winner retires

PERNILLE Blume, the 2016 Olympic champion in the 50-metres free style, has retired from swimming aged 28. She also won an Olympic bronze in 2020.

Copyright lawsuit

ICELANDIC design studio Flétta is taking legal action against Danish brand Ferm Living for infringing the copyright of its 'minute candlehold er', reports the Reykjavík Grapevine.

Peter Schmeichel and Olafur Eliasson’s stance in direct contrast to Hummel

LOIC

FCK bow out with record

Schmeichel has taken the worst The Kop had to throw at him. Denmark is small fry after that

SAM CLEM-WHITING

TWO OUT of every three Danish municipalities will face a decline in their labour force over the next decade to the extent that there is a de nite risk some will simply run out of employees if no action is taken, warns former minister Brian Mikkelsen, the CEO of Dansk Erhverv.

Currently, several municipalities are reporting a shortage of labour. Some are unable to stay open the whole day, while others are turning down orders because they cannot get the su cient workforce.

As a consequence, Denmark is missing out on growth, prosperity and jobs, which is “deeply worrying” looking ahead to 2030, according to Mikkelsen, who advocates the recruitment of labour from foreign countries as soon as possible – a view shared by Dansk Industri (DI).

Nearly 50,000 short of mark HEADING into the election, DI warned that Denmark must increase its labour supply to give it a chance of meeting the challenges of the green transition.

Since the 2019 election, the labour supply has only increased by 1,700. DI argues that an increase in the region of 50,000 will be required to meet the challenges ahead.

“We will not get a real green transition, the best education or secure the foundation for welfare without greater reform ambitions than we have had

in the current election period, when the labour supply was only increased by 1,700 people,” said DI head Sandahl Sørensen.

“The business community has great ambitions for Denmark and is ready to further speed up, for example, the green transition, but it requires that the upcoming Parliament secures enough resources, manpower and nances.”

Improved insulation needed

FURTHERMORE, for Denmark to achieve a 70 percent reduction in CO2 emissions, DI argues that insulation in municipal buildings must be improved.

In addition to poor insulation and leaky windows, about a quarter of municipal buildings are heated by a gas broiler. The e ect of this is that 17,969 municipally-owned buildings have an energy label of D to G – buildings given a label of G use approximately 20 times more energy than those given an A grade. In total, 64 percent of buildings are consuming energy that could be

saved with some much-needed updating and renovations.

“There are big savings to be made both in the short and long term by energy-renovating the buildings. The cheapest energy now is the energy we do not use, and therefore we must minimise heat consumption as much as possible,” said Anders Stouge, the head of DI Byggeri.

Recession looking likely

THE NEW government will need to do all of this whilst coping with a likely recession, according to De Økonomiske Råd, the economic council often referred to as ‘vismændene’ (the wise men), which has warned that three years of austerity are likely to hit the country.

At least 100,000 of the 2,950,000 people currently in work are likely to lose their jobs over the next 14 months, it forecasts.

By the end of 2024, the country’s GDP should begin to return to the same level as the end of 2021.

Good for graduates

DENMARK is the world’s ninth best country for young professionals, according to a ranking conducted by US job platform Lensa. Denmark ranked sixth for salary and sixth for leisure options. It fared less well for job availability, cost of living and rental prices. The top ve were the US, Luxembourg, Romania, Belgium and Germany.

Public backs 90 a pack

SOME 61 percent of the public are in favour of raising the price of a pack of cigarettes to 90 kroner, according to an Epinion survey for the Kræftens Bekæmpelse cancer society. Just 19 percent were against the hike, along with tobacco industry association Tobaksproducenterne, which argues more people would buy their cigarettes abroad.

Lego acquires US platform

LEGO’S owner Kirkbi has completed a 6.7 billion kroner takeover of US e-learning platform Brainpop, which produces educational material (mostly videos) aimed at children aged 5-18.

Cashing in on their homes

SINCE 2019, 58,647 Danish homeowners scored a tax-free million or more thanks to property sale profits. In 2021 alone, 27,249 cashed in, according to gures from Kaas & Mulvad. According to the parcelhusreglen rule, sellers are exempt from paying tax on properties on land less than 1,400 sqm in size if it was their all-year-round address.

In contention for top award

A CEREMONY on November 24 will con rm the recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for 2022. Some 18 companies are currently in contention.

Travel agency belly up

DANISH travel agency Detur has blamed its bankruptcy on liquidity. Customers who have paid for cancelled holidays using debit or credit cards are advised to ask their banks for a refund. Otherwise, they will have to chance it as a creditor. Earlier this year, Detur guests were thrown out of their rooms by hotels that claimed Detur had not paid them.

In ation hits double gures

INFLATION recently reached 10 percent – the rst time it has hit double gures since November 1982, according to Danmarks Statistik. Two years ago, in ation was just 0.6 percent. The price of goods is 16 percent higher than this time last year, whilst the price of energy, transport and services are also in the ascendancy.

Manchester ights resume

SUN-AIR resumed its ights from Billund to Manchester on October 31 after a more than two-year absence due to the pandemic. Last month, SUN-AIR reintroduced its service from Billund to London City Airport. Its services between Denmark and the UK operate under the British Airways brand.

Google is banned!

HELSINGØR Municipality banned the use of Google in local schools on July 14, reports Wired. The ban can be traced back to an o cial complaint submitted to Datatilsynet by a concerned parent in December 2019, who discovered that his eight-year-old son’s name was in the public domain courtesy of a YouTube account that another pupil borrowed to write a rude video comment.

Approval of higher air tax

SOME 58 percent of the public would be happy to pay a much higher air travel tax than proposed by the government. While the state has suggested 13 percent, the participants in an Epinion survey on behalf of DR said they would pay 45-96 kroner for a ight in Europe and upwards of 438 kroner for longer journeys. Only 19 percent said they were against it.

Shah’s future uncertain

IT IS UNCERTAIN whether dividend scam mastermind Sanjay Shah will be extradited from Dubai to stand trial for his role in defrauding Denmark of 12.7 billion kroner. A court refused to extradite him in September, ruling there was insu cient paperwork. Another attempt, with an additional 600 pages, will soon be made. Meanwhile, the extradition of a Brit based in the UK has been approved.

Startups to watch out for

EVERY year Sifted makes a list of the Danish startups worth watching out for. This year’s list, based on recommendations by venture capitalists, comprises Wawa Fertility, Yuman Robots, ByFounders, Embla, Medusa, Synq, Novo Seeds, Synclino, Ciana Therapeutics, Commit Biologics, Seed Capital, ZTLment, Climate.co and HeyHack.

Rise in electric car sales

A TOTAL of 13,200 new passenger cars were registered in September – a 9.7 increase on August. Overall car sales rose by 4.3 percent in the third quarter compared to the previous three months. Electric cars accounted for 23 percent of sales in September, compared to 19 percent in August, while plug-in hybrids accounted for 16.8 percent.

Both Dansk Erhverv and Dansk Industri issue stark warnings to new government

They're doing their bit, but where are the human turbines?

Crazier than Christmas

Neil is a Scottish-educated lawyer with 18 years’ experience in corporate structuring and general commercial matters. Based in Copenhagen, he primarily advises on international deals. Out of the o ce, his interests include sports and politics. His column explores topical international nancial and economic issues from a Danish perspective.

RARELY in British political history has a budget been so disastrous.

How to lose a PM in 45 days

SPOOKED by large and unfunded tax cuts, the markets reacted with a vengeance. Sterling plummeted to a historic low against the dollar, stock prices fell and bond yields soared.

The unfunded tax cuts came just at the time that markets were increasingly jittery. Part of the concern is global (War in Ukraine, supply chain issues, the change of macroeconomic cycle) and part is unique to Britain (sluggish growth, Brexit beginning to reveal its contradictions).

With its policies – unfunded, without independent number-crunching and generally bereft of seriousness and rigour – the Truss government put itself in the market crosshairs at exactly the wrong moment.

Truss tried everything – from throwing her Chancellor and friend under the bus to cancelling her policies – but it was to no avail. Unable to ful l her goals and not respected by the markets, Truss was a leader without a purpose.

Bigger sh to fry?

HAVING worked in them, at least new PM Rishi Sunak knows the nancial markets and should be able to reassure them.

This might mean that the forthcoming interest rate hikes are less eye-watering than they might have been, even though they could still mean average house owners have to shell out hundreds of pounds more every month.

However, with scal discipline required, and a cost of living crisis in full swing, Sunak will certainly have his hands full.

Labour’s chances boosted IT HAS been long conjectured that Labour would struggle to win a majority. The evidence typically given is the Conservatives’ current large (80-seat) majority and Labour’s continuing travails in Scotland – one of its traditional heartlands.

This reasoning is wrong. Firstly, the 2019 majority was in ated by Labour being led by Jeremy Corbyn – the most leftwing leader in modern British history. The current incumbent, Keir Starmer, may be dull, but few will actively vote against him.

Secondly, Britain’s ‘ rst past the post’ system works to accentuate moderate vote swings.

Thirdly, the Conservatives’ 2019 slogan “Get Brexit Done”has not been delivered and can’t be recycled.

Finally, having changed their leader four times in six years, the Conservatives are increasingly dysfunctional and faction-ridden.

Gary knows the score!

FOOTBALL commentator Gary Neville told the recent Labour party conference: “The cross has come into the box – it just needs to be nodded into the net.”

He was talking about Premier League regulation, but he might just as well have been discussing Labour’s chances at the next election.

NOT MUCH these days makes me leap for joy.

Leave of senses

CERTAINLY not watching DRTV news or listening to BBC4. It's all doom and gloom, isn’t it? Especially in the UK where, in spite of the Brits’ reputation for humour, even the jokes and memes have dried up.

I can still smile at a few though: Jonathan Pie’s rants on YouTube, a photo of King Charles with the caption “73-year-old man nally gets a job”, and Boris Johnson’s decision to leave the race to be PM prompting the tweet “First time in his life he's pulled out in time.”

Led astray

IT IS NOT easy to be a comedian during these days of strict political correctness –anything involving #MeToo, #Black Lives Matter, green activism, racism, sexism, ageism and every other ‘ism’ is constantly under scrutiny.

During rehearsals for our Crazy Christmas Show this year, one actor was concerned about describing ‘The Dame’

– that is a large male actor dressed as a ridiculous woman, with clownish makeup and wearing a gigantic costume, as "looking like a lump of dough". “Would this”, he asked nervously, “o end overweight people in the audience?”

Lost in Lago

THIS YEAR I have set the action of the show in Florida in the 1980s, and Donald Trump (or, as I call him, Dump ) has just bought Mar-a-Lago. Determined to make a few satirical hits at the ex-president, I found myself in a dilemma. These days news changes faster than ever. References to the classi ed, top-secret documents in the basement of Mar-a-Lago, and Trump’s eagerness to get his views back on Twitter, are already old news. What I wrote in August is no longer valid in November. Stand-up comedy has now become fast-forward comedy!

As I write this, the UK has gone through three Tory prime ministers in just a few months, the British monarchy has changed, and Danish royalty has been ‘reshaped’. Apart from that, how does one

write comedy about the War in Ukraine, crippling in ation and a world splattered with dictators and far-right activists?

Leap of joy

SO WHERE do I nd my leap of joy? Well – we are back in the lovely theatre of Glassalen in Tivoli. My team of talented comedy actors are all happy, healthy and having fun with toe-tapping ‘80s pop music, funky fashion and the craziness of a Miami murder mystery show in which the audience has to guess ‘Who Killed Don Calzone?’

Corona may again be lurking in the shadows, but hopefully, unlike last year, when all theatres had to close down in mid-December, we will be able to run our show until Christmas and beyond!

Yes – every dark cloud has a silver lining, and perhaps, to save money on heating and electricity, and to cure your winter blues, you will want to leave your home screens and streaming services and go out to enjoy yourselves for a few hours in the bright lights and warm glow of a LIVE theatre show.

In that hope, I leap for joy!

NEIL SMITH DANISH CAPITAL IN 2022

Vivienne McKee, Denmark’s best-known English entertainer, is this country’s most beloved foreign import. For the last four decades, hundreds of thousands of Copenhageners have enjoyed her annual Crazy Christmas Cabaret show at Tivoli, marvelling at her unique, wry Anglo wit and charm.

VIVIENNE MCKEE

Joy will rain down on Glassalen at the premiere of the Crazy Christmas Cabaret on

THOMAS PETRI

IAN BURNS

An Actor’s Life

A resident here since 1990, Ian Burns is the artistic director at That Theatre Company and very possibly Copenhagen’s best known English language actor thanks to roles as diverse as Casanova, Shakespeare and Tony Hancock.

RISHI SUNAK is Britain’s rst non-white PM – that’s the only positive out of the calamity that has descended on the country this autumn. Not sure how long we might have to wait for Denmark to follow suit, although the UK did have a 40-year headstart in terms of society-changing immigration.

It certainly says something that Denmark, with a general election of its own to look forward to on November 1, has been diverting so much of its media attention towards Britain, politely poking fun at recently discarded PM Liz Truss with cartoons proclaiming “Yes, the lettuce lasted longer!”

Jacob: you’re on sewer duty

EVEN NOW, after the installation of the third Conservative PM in seven weeks, the ‘Tory Horror Show’ continues to provide amusement for many parts of the world, but it ought not to be this entertaining.

British (English) politics is like a cross between ‘House of Cards’, ‘Yes Minister’, Monty Python and ‘The Muppet Show’, but for too many people living in the Disunited Kingdom a very harsh winter is approaching.

Calling for unity in this shambolic political party is like drawing straws to get the job of cleaning out the sewers at Westminster before facing a ring squad from public opinion.

The hubris of a hard Brexit is obvious except to the likes of Jacob Rees-Mogg,

one of the Tory Ma a who told us that Engerland would bene t greatly once freed from the shackles of European legislation and rules. Deniers of climate change like him should not be given so much air-time in my humble opinion, so it’s a joy to see him removed from the Cabinet by the new PM.

More than meets the eye

THANKFULLY Liz Truss has been discarded to the dustbin of history. How she ever got elected to be our shortest-lasting PM in history (45 days!) is another question that we should all be asking. I refer back to my earlier ‘Tory Ma a’ reference and I’m sure it’ll all come out in the whitewash one ne day.

Boris Johnson made the heroic gesture of pulling his modest and nimble sunkissed frame out of the PM leadership race in the sake of the public interest and party unity … but maybe he didn’t want to risk su ering the slings and arrows of defeat yet again and so soon? His interest in the race certainly ensured his ‘old mate’ was the only one left with the necessary support –we don’t need an inquiry to con rm that.

Plus, there’s that small matter of waiting for the result of the Privileges Committee who will probably nd him guilty of deliberately misleading Parliament, but in these days of soundbite politics does it matter?

Time to strike them o

HERE'S a list of words that spring to mind when I think about the British Conservative Party: sel sh, broken, incoherent, chaotic, divided, calamitous, turmoil, farcical, pathetic, appalling, disgraceful.

They have been in power for 12 years and cannot blame all the problems on the pandemic or Ukraine.

A ‘General Strike’ is looming because workers across all sectors of society are understandably angry.

Level the eld ASAP

THE TORY mantra of “levelling up!”, which every Tory MP spouts in almost every interview, is fading fast into the distance, the distance , the distance … becoming another echo of too many untruths that are too numerous to mention here.

Their idea of ‘levelling up’ only focused on the elite, and the majority of the country has stopped believing in them. None of us voted for the nancial disaster that Truss & co imposed on the nation, and the only way of restoring Britain’s reputation, both home and abroad, is to have a general election ASAP. It would be pleasing as a Scot to see the SNP as the party of Opposition.

Mark Twain once said “Truth is stranger than ction”. Witnessing the daily Tory soap opera only serves to con rm this and as amusing as it all is I’d prefer politics to be a slightly duller business, wouldn’t you?

THE MOMENT when the end of the date gets too real: the bill arrives!

Waking up to the bill

JENNIFER from the US was smitten by her newly met, cute Danish hulk until she went for a few drinks with him and his friends. The night was hygge and fun, but the morning got cold and practical. She woke up to a MobilePay request for 90 kroner. OUCH! She was prepared for the weather but not the cold note: “Your share”!

I know. Why should he pay for her? Why was she shocked?

They say it takes about 21 days for a habit to change. Not quite true for Jennifer. She went on

MAROUA SAJEB

DATING THE DANES

Maroua is a dating coach. She helps young professional women who are tired of dating BS and want a healthy love life. Maroua is about to launch a new podcast that covers how to reset confidence in yourself and dating, where to find great men… and more. If you have any dating-related questions you would love to have answered, email her at maroua@marouasajeb.com. Con nect via facebook.com/maroua.saj.

more than 21 dates and her expectations of Dan ish chivalry remained strongly intact. So splitting the bills 50/50 crushes her bubbly American soul time after time.

The thing is, for Jennifer this goes beyond dating. “I pay for my friends, and they pay for me in return – we don’t count to the dollar,” she explains.

Caution in costly Copenhagen

I HAD SIMILAR views to Jennifer when I first arrived in Denmark. Things should feel smooth when it comes to hanging out with friends – it’s just money!

Going ‘Dutch’ with friends, let alone with dates, felt unnatural and created friction. However, after living in Copenhagen for a while, I quickly got

the gist of it!

After a series of ‘my shout’ nights out, I started feeling the friction with my bank account. My ‘fun’ budget exploded, and so I started the ‘No, we are splitting’ journey.

The living costs get the better of you, and your generous money attitude gets ‘Scandified’.

Don’t take it for granted

NEVERTHELESS, my friend Olga from Poland won’t entertain this logic – especially when it comes to being asked out by a guy. She maintains: “If a man likes you, he should show you that.”

This fits very well with the approach of Marco from Italy who loves to show his appreciation for the women he’s seeing by planning dates and footing the bill.

BUT! We are in the land of the egalitarian Danes. The way you participate in the dating sphere sends a clear message to your Danish date, according to home-grown Dan.

When a woman does not offer to share the bill, she can be perceived as though she wants to be taken care of: that she’s not self-sufficient, nor independent … and she’s not a team player.

That’s quite a turn-off for Dan who does not mind paying for his date from time to time, pro viding he feels she is sometimes reciprocal: for example, by offering to get the drinks and pop corn while he gets the cinema tickets.

Equal partners at the table ON THE other hand, when a man insists on pick ing up the bill, he might make his date feel uneasy and a little annoyed too.

This happened to my client Melanie. She’s a strict German woman that likes to set clear expectations and not end up in a situation where she’s asking: “Do I owe you something now?”.

She met Jacob online. They spoke for weeks, and for the first date they went to a fancy res taurant. Jacob was an old school kind of Dane, and he jumped on the bill right away. Melanie took out her wallet and offered to share the bill, but Jacob was adamant about paying the whole thing.

This made Melanie very uncomfortable. They had a four-course meal and the bill reached over 700 kroner. She dropped her protestations in the restaurant, but transferred her share as soon as she got home.

It created untold hassle that led nowhere, and they never saw each other again.

The inviter should pay, surely?

FIRST lesson! Do not go to a fancy restaurant on a first date. Why would you share a full-blown meal with a stranger you met online?

As for the money dance, in Denmark and beyond, the person inviting, be it the man OR the woman, is the person with the plan and the details – hence the responsibility of paying.

A well-mannered man offers to pay, but a well-mannered woman should not assume that the man will pay for everything all the time. Mu tual appreciation is highly sexy!

You can show your appreciation through a gesture or go full-on bookkeeping mode and kill the romance.

VISIST DENMARK/ ROBIN SKJOLDBORG

KATE MONTEATH

COPEN' WITH THE KIDS

A former kids radio host and now head of content for a leading family activity guide, Kate is back in DK with her back pack full to the brim of experiences. With her basecamp set up in Copenhagen along with hubby and son, she is on the topsy-turvy journey of what you call parenting. Follow her on Instagram @katemonteath

CAREER or children? It is a tricky dilemma that seems to pop up in a parent’s life more often than desired.

Sadly, this exact pickle is what left me feeling more than a little heartsore after I made a tough decision not so long ago to turn down ‘The Dream Job’ in favour of my little one.

Important reasoning

THOUGH I am still in the process of licking my wounds, there were five very important reasons why I decided that my child trumped my career.

(With that said, I come in peace and bear no judgement toward moms and dads who actually make it work for them – more power to you!)

Children need stability

A chaotic home life can be detrimental to a child’s development. If your job is causing stress and anxiety for the family, it may be best to take a step back for the sake of your little one. They need to feel safe and secure, and that starts with a stable home life.

The career can wait …

Sure, you can still be an awesome parent while holding down a demanding job, but you might also find yourself missing out on a lot of impor tant moments. You might not be available for the drop-off or pick-up times. You might not be able to help with homework or attend school functions. So, if you want to be an active part of your child’s life, it may be necessary to opt out of the rat race.

The bond is important

When you are lucky enough to spend a lot of time with your child, you have the opportunity to develop a strong bond with them. This bond is important for your child’s emotional development and can help to create a strong foundation for your relationship. With a strong bond, you can also feel more confident in your parenting and be better equipped to deal with challenges that may come up.

Childhood is fleeting

Your child’s childhood years are precious. They are only young once and, before you know it, they are all grown up and ready to move out of the house. How many times have you scrolled through your child’s baby photos on your phone, only to wish that you could time-machine back to those moments again?

It’s not forever

Sacrificing your career for your child does not have to be a permanent decision. Once your child is old er and more independent, you can start thinking about going for it again. In the meantime, be at peace with your decision and take advantage of that priceless time you have with your little one.

If you find yourself facing a similar situation, take some time to note down what is important to you and your family.

Every family is different and, ultimately, the decision of whether or not to de-prioritise your career for your child is a personal one.

There is no right or wrong answer – just your gut feeling.

ABOUT TOWNABOUT TOWN

PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD

The Hungarian Embassy marked its national day on October 21 with a reception at the residence of ambassador Gabriella Jakab, where she was joined by her Argentine counterpart Conrado Solari, the dean of the diplomatic corps

Moderaterne leader Lars Løkke Rasmussen (seventh left) was the VIP guest at a breakfast brie ng hosted by the British Chamber of Commerce at Gorrisen Federspiel on October 10. Among those present were British ambassador Emma Hopkins (left), BCCD president Gareth Garvey (second left) and a great number of other dignitaries

Among the guests of Polish ambassador Antoni Fałkowski (centre right) and his wife at a reception to mark the Polish Armed Forces Day were Hans Hermansen (centre left), the CEO of CPH POST, and Colonel Andrzej Sypniewski, Polish defence attaché (right)

Nobel Prize winner Morten Meldal (centre) was honoured with pancakes at City Hall by Sophie Hæstorp Andersen (right), the lord mayor, on October 31, Meldal, the country’s rst winner of a prize this century, won in the eld of chemistry

‘Back Home’, an exhibition by Davit Pitskhelauri (centre), was the big draw at a Georgian Embassy reception that marked 30 years of diplomatic relations with Denmark. He was joined by ambassador Nata Menabde (left) and counsellor Kakhaber Shishniashvili

Philanthropic investment association Realdania, a huge supporter of non-pro t and charitable purposes in Denmark, was in a charitable mood on the occasion of Kulturnatten on October 14. In the city centre, its chief executive Jesper Nygård presided over a program of music, co ee and free sausages

NOTHIN' BUT A KORN DOG … DEFYING ALL THE TIME

Øresund orbit

BEN HAMILTON

IT WAS INDEED a historic moment in human history when the NASA probe DART collided with the as teroid Dimorphos on September 27 and altered its orbit.

But no less historic than the tenth anniversary of the Copenhagen Conker Championship, which again took place at Charlie’s Bar on Pilestræde in the city centre on Saturday October 22.

An

uncanny re-enactment

JUST LIKE DART dissolved into dust upon impacting the mighty asteroid, Elin ‘nihilation’ Giese’s conker splintered all over the tarmac after directly hitting her opponent’s nut square on the side.

It was, in many ways, an uncanny re-enactment of the NASA operation, and just like the team at Mission Control in Houston (or have they packed it off to Delhi these days?), Kornelja ‘Korn Dog’ Raylte was temporarily stupified – but no, the debris was all her opponent’s, leaving her conker dangling into history.

NASA HAD to wait a fortnight for confirmation of the result, but cham pionship organiser Jon Nunn had no doubts about this orbit and arc: the journey across the Øresund from her native Sweden had paid dividends for the victor, and Korn Dog lifted the tro phy with unbridled joy.

Her vanquished opponent, last year’s winner, was left to rue the tenacity of her strike with a conker clearly on its last threads.

Copenhagen conquered “THIS YEAR’S tournament was the most intense yet,” Nunn told CPH POST after the final strike. “This is quite possi bly the most exciting thing to happen to Sweden in years. I believe there is a possibility they may name a street after her.”

Nunn’s appetite for the game of ur chins, a pastime first practised on the Isle of Wight in 1848, is showing no signs of abating.

“This was the 10th anniversary and the best ever – here’s to 10 more years of conkers,” he enthused.

“Once again thanks to CPH POST and Charlie’s Bar for their unwavering support.”

Swedish interloper seizes Copenhagen Conker Championship with a move straight out of the NASA handbook for colliding with asteroids

BEN HAMILTON

20-26;

CRAZY AMAZING costumes. Au daciously authentic props. Sass levels up to the nines, Evita-style. No, this isn’t an audition for the latest 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film', but the blown-away takeaway from Rear view Teater’s premiere of ‘Bugsy Malone’ last night at Musikteatret Albertslund from one seriously impressed reviewer.

Denmark's busiest thespians FEDORA hat on the table time, with safety catch on splurge gun, let me confess that I personally know the production’s British co-director Rus sell Collins, and I can testify that he is the busiest person I know here in Copenhagen.

Nevertheless, despite his epic work load he has found the Danish work-life balance because through most of his labours, he has his extremely talented

Danish wife and co-director Christina Anthony at his side.

Together they are the founders and owners of the SceneKunst musical the atre enterprise, which has 22 schools (including three international ones) and counting across Zealand and beyond – and then, just for kicks in their spare time, they stage full-blown musicals, making use of the wealth of talent in their classrooms whilst finding plenty more in the wider Danish and interna tional communities.

It’s no exaggeration to already say the bulk of Denmark’s young musical theatre talents are SceneKunst- trained. Give it another decade, and they will hold a monopoly.

The hard work really showed BUT BACK to the hard work and how this was so evident last night. The kids on stage – all 35 of them, ranging in age from 11 to 17 – were so well-re hearsed it felt like every swivel, swerve and somersault was second nature.

The boys fell with such apparent force, their arms must surely be bruised from the constant practising; the girls danced with such grace they must fall asleep every night thinking they’re Gin ger Rogers (after all, Fizzy wants to be

Fred Astaire); somewhere in Albert slund, there’s a deli owner confused why children keep on asking for capi cola and cannoli …

Everything about this production conjured up the sense that these children were living, breathing and sometimes eating the subject matter at hand. At the heart of its success was hard work.

You have your five, we'll try 35 ... that's the Rearview way

THE ONE thing I’ve noticed about Rear view is how they like to do big scenes. Take the song ‘Bad Guys’, as performed by Fat Sam’s Gang. In the songbook, that’s five people on stage – plenty, right? No, in the directors’ minds it’s how many have we got when we factor in costume changes for the next scene: 28, 30, 32? It’s full-on Carol Reed directs ‘Oliver’. Ditto, the audition scene, which was uproarious and inspired, and 'Do you wanna be a boxer' segment, which ended in brilliantly choreographed slow-mo.

They also like to make full use of the theatre. We’ve got actors sitting among the audience, chasing one another through the aisles and over seeing assassinations in the galleries. It

underlines how musical theatre should be, above everything, good fun.

And finally, they don’t compro mise on costumes and props. In this production, Christina Anthony has demonstrated such exquisite taste in clothing the Prohibition Era showgirls and gangsters that she should be up for a fashion award.

Night's standout performers 'BUGSY Malone' provides a lot of mem orable roles, and while this was a great team effort, it would be remiss not to mention a few of the individuals who shone on the night.

From the moment they started to play the overture ahead of Roxy Robinson's unfortunate demise, the live nine-piece band were a constant source of warmth, cosily tucked away at the back of the stage, sometimes silhouetted for choice effect.

Acting-wise, Konrad Raja was a suit ably suave and insidious Dandy Dan, and Ditlev Rejnholdt perfectly cast as his foil Fat Sam – it’s frightening to note they’re only 12 and 11 years old. Viktor Elias Meland Seagrief as Leroy had impeccable timing.

Frederik Thoft as Fizzy was the standout singer (loved the dancer who

joined him on stage), followed closely by Lisa Maria Birk Pohl as Blousey and Ella Daisy Anthony-Collins as a won derfully screechy Lena Merelli.

And finally, kudos to Jokull Logi Hjartarson as Bugsy and Selma Erkut as Talullah for underpinning the pro duction with untold confidence and belief in what they were doing. It was like they empowered those around them to bring their best to the table.

Tak for

a

great evening out

IN CONCLUSION, well done kids! It was a great night, and as I’ve already explained in another piece, you don’t need a degree in Danish to enjoy this to the core.

Opening night nerves are under standable, but as this run progresses (see below: every day until Oct 26 bar Oct 24), you’ll find yourself hitting all of your marks, finding your spotlights and firing your splurge guns on cue with the Tommy Gun sound effects without really thinking about it. Thanks for a great evening!

And Russell and Christina ... the au tumn break was supposed to be your holiday? Enjoy some time off after this, will you!? You’re putting the rest of us to shame with your efforts.

«««««¶

BUGSY MALONE

Oct

Musikteatret Albertslund; rearviewteater.dk

ALL PHOTOS: JEFFREY HUNTER/REARVIEW TEATER

Vodka Talks

Nov 11-12, 19:00, Nov 13, 15:00; Bastionen, Norra Vallgatan 28, Malmö; 250kr, kulturcentralen.nu; hit-theatre.com

A contemporary, political tragicomedy, this is bestselling Danish cult author Arne Nielsen’s debut as a playwright. Staged by HIT, and starting the theatre group’s most trusted pairing Jana Pulkrabek and Vanessa Poole, ‘Vodka Talks’ tackles the unsettling political waves of power and change spreading through Europe in 2022 with humour, drama and suspense. A play about love and family and what it means to survive the past.

Science & Cocktails

Nov 15, 20:00; Koncertsalen, DR Koncerthuset, Ørestads Boulevard 13, Cph S; 145-195kr, drkoncerthuset.dk

This month’s English-language lecture is on the subject of ‘Mapping the brain synapse by synapse to explore the mind’. Neuroscientist Je Lichtman will take us on a tour through the brain, the min, and every single connection that your neurons make. Can we have a complete map of the brain and all of its connections? And what would it tell us about our own minds? Lichtman has the answers.

Connections

ongoing, ends Feb 19; Sølvgade 48-50, Cph K; 120kr The year 2022 marks exactly 30 years since Denmark received 20,000 refugees from the former Yugoslavia. Many of these refugees chose to stay in Denmark and became artists, and seven of them present personal artwork inspired by the Yugoslav Wars, migration and asylum policies.

Milky

Chance

Nov 20, 20:00; Amager Bio, Øresundsvej 6, Cph S; from 275kr, eventworld.co

Milky Chance are a German folk/rock band known for their mega hit ‘Stolen Dance’, which travelled the world back in 2013. Now they are coming to Copenhagen to present their latest releases. (SS)

Central Cee

Nov 14, 19:00; Vega, Enghavevej 40, Cph V; 280kr, eventworld.co

British rapper and songwriter Central Cee achieved success in 2020 with the release of the singles ‘Day in the Life’ and ‘Loading’. Recently named by NME magazine as the new face of drill music, he will present his second full-length mixtape ‘23’. (SS)

Christmas at Tivoli

Nov 19-Dec 31; Tivoli, Vesterbrogade 3, Cph V; standard entry: 145kr; tivoli.dk

The 28th Christmas season at Tivoli begins on November 19 with Santa Claus welcoming the rst guests in his new house built on the square overlooking the Christmas village. The candles on the Christmas tree will be lit at the Great Fountain, accompanied by celebrities, while the Tivoli Gardens Brass Band and the Storybook Theatre elves will also entertain. (SS)

Proper British Afternoon Tea

Nov 20; Kogebogeriet, Guldbergsgade 10, Cph N

If you’re looking for an authentic British afternoon tea, then Kogebogeriet is the place to go. Enjoy a menu that includes roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, freshly-baked scones and clotted cream, along with unlimited tea.

De kosmiske dansere

ongoing, 16:00; Ofelia Plads, Cph K

Five large sculptures by Danish artist Lin Utzon, each 3.5 metres in length, have been unveiled at Ofelia Plads. The statues will be illuminated each night until the end of March.

Opera Tours in English

Nov 13 & 20 at 12:00, Nov 19 at 13:00; Ekvipagemestervej 10, Cph K; 135kr, under-12s 60kr, kglteater.dk Discover the Opera's beautiful foyer with its clean lines, Olafur Eliasson's light sculptures, and views over Copenhagen Harbour that embrace the shiny maple shell around the Main Stage.

Big Quiz Night

Nov 17, 19:15; Globe, Nørregade 43, Cph K; 50kr, ve per team

The winners get 1,200 kroner. And who knows, the odd rollover has been known to go too. Backto-back quizzes following the cancellation of the September 22 edition.

60Seconds

Nov 11-20; Metro

stations

The short lm festival 60Seconds is galloping into Copenhagen again to take over its Metro stations. Thanks to the opening of the M3 and M4 lines in late 2019 and early 2020, and not thanks to the pandemic, this will be the rst festival to take full advantage of the hugely expanded network. The lms adhere to the ‘no words, no sound’ concept. This year’s theme is ‘Life Perfect’.

Layers

Nov 19, 20, 26 & 27, 15:00; Den Hirschsprungske Samling, Stockholmsgade 20, Cph Ø; 150kr, hirschsprung.dk A wave of contemporary artists will occupy the museum halls for a few days, using sound installations, performances, dance and storytelling to create a hybrid work involving the site-speci c artwork by Ejnar Nielsen. Visitors can choose between Danish or English.

Digital Matters

ends Feb 19; Kunsthalle Charlottenborg, Kongens Nytorv 1, Cph K; 90kr; kunsthalcharlottenborg.dk Honey Biba Beckerlee examines connections between spheres of geology, technology and biology using wire coils, microchip scrap, cables and server racks to create sculptures that resemble ceramic mosaics. (SS)

Oliver Tree

Nov 19, 19:00; Vega, Enghavevej 40, Cph V; 285kr, eventworld.co

US hip-hop artist Oliver Tree is currently topping the music charts with his single ‘Miss You’ after going viral on Tik Tok. His music will make you want to dance. (SS)

Tove Lo

Nov 18, 20:00; Vega, Enghavevej 40,Cph V; 380kr, eventworld.co

Swedish dance pop and synth star Tove Lo will perform her latest album ‘Dirt Femme’, which many are hailing as her most accomplished album to date – not least due to the hit single ‘2 die 4’. (SS)

The Handmaid's Opera

Nov 12-13, 20:00; Opera House, Ekvipagemestervej 10, Cph K; 160-870kr, kglteater.dk; 170 min Based on Margaret Atwood's dystopian tale, The Handmaid's Opera certainly packs a punch! (SS)

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Nov 11-23, 20:00; Opera House, Ekvipagemestervej 10, Cph K; 110-770kr, kglteater.dk; 155 min Performed to choreography arranged by John Neumeier, expect a performance that is both magical and poetic. (SS)

In nite Deep

ends Jan 16; Nikolaj Kunsthal, Nikolaj Plads 10, Cph K; 40kr

Curator Christian Nørgaard had exclusive access to David Lynch’s photo archives to make this exhibition. It’s tailor-made to t in with the gothic style of Nikolaj Kunsthals Øvre Galleri og Tårn. The church tower dates back to the 16th century. (SS)

RDAM'S annual concert

Nov 25, 19:00; Konservatoriets Koncertsal, Julius Thomsens Gade 1, Frederiksberg; 110kr, dkdm.dk This annual performance will be conducted by Gabriella Teychenné. (SS)

Maggie Rogers

Nov 25, 20:00; Tap 1, Ra naderivej 10, Cph S; from 440 kr, eventworld.co Young singer-songwriter and producer Maggie Rogers has since her early days in the music industry won widespread praise. Pharrell Williams became a fan after listening to her rst single ‘Alaska’. She will present her second album ‘Surrender’, a fusion of alternative pop and rock that has received acclaim in the music industry. (SS

Crazy Christmas Cabaret: ‘Don Calzone’ Nov 11-Jan 14; Glassalen at Tivoli; from 360kr, teaterbilletter.dk; 135 min

This Crazy Christmas Edition will take us away from the dreary Danish winter to sunny 1980s Miami Beach, where the Calzone Family are in crisis again! Most of the team are returning from last year, so expect show creator and London Toast co-founder Vivienne McKee (see page 10 for her column), David Bateson, Katrine Falkenberg, Kevin Kiernan-Molloy and Andrew Je ers as The Dame. Check out cphpost.dk for our review of last year’s show, which also revolved around the antics of the Calzone Family! (SS))

Kendzsi Tanaka

Nov 30, 19:30; Konservatoriets Koncertsal, Julius Thomsens Gade 1, Frederiksberg; free adm; dkdm.dk

Kendzsi Tanaka’s repertoire of classical piano pieces mixed with electronic music gives this performance an eclectic touch. The concert will include a suite by Ravel and Bartok's piano quintet, among other works. (SS)

Wolf Alice

Nov 12, 20:00; Vega, Enghavevej 40, Cph V; 280kr, eventworld.co

The British alternative rock band Wolf Alice present their latest album ‘Blue Weekend’ – their best-selling musical work to date. (SS)

Rag'n'Bone Man

Nov 16, 20:00; Den Grå Hal, Refshalevej 2, Cph K; 490kr, eventworld.co

Rag'n'Bone Man returns to Copenhagen to present more new music. Obviously he can’t stay away … he’s only human.

Ka-Ching! - Show me the money

ongoing; National Museum, Ny Vestergade 10, Cph K

Learn about the history of money and gain some insights into the world of nance. And take a money bath!

Gravens Rand Quiz

Nov 9; Søndre Fasanvej 24, Frederiksberg; entry 30kr

Maximum of four per team, it’s 1,000 kroner for the winners and a crate of beer for second. Two beer rounds, and shots for last place!

BATTLE OF THE CHEFS … BUT NO GORDON RAMSEY BOLLOCKS HERE!

BEN HAMILTON

SOMETIMES life imitates art: after all, it wasn’t long ago that the come dian Volodymyr Zelensky starred in a TV show as a high school teacher who surprisingly becomes president, or that a 21-year-old Robert Downey Jr played a junkie in Less Than Zero. Sometimes, it’s the other way round. Felicia ‘Snoop’ Pearson was a major villain in seasons four and five of The Wire, but did you know she was a teen murderer in real-life too? Art imitated life to the extent the character took on the actress’s real name.

But it’s rare when art imitates life and life imitates art – seemingly at the same time, so respect to the actor and TV host James Corden, who recently got into a spat with staff at New York restaurant Balthazar. In his outspoken criticism, he clearly knew what he was talking about: "You can't do your job! Maybe I should go into the kitchen and cook the omelette myself!” It was no surprise to learn, days later, that his next major acting gig is as a chef in Mammals (Amazon Prime; Nov 11).

Cooking up a feast or two DESPITE being vilified in his native Britain, Corden has enjoyed massive success as the host of The Late Late Show, and appearances in the likes of Gavin & Stacey, Paul Potts biopic One Chance and Into the Woods have proved he can really act … and sing … too. It’s not bad going for a chubby kid who was mocked loudly when he turned his back on awful teen soap Hollyoaks and said he could do better.

It would be wrong to say that Mam mals, written by acclaimed playwright Jez Butterworth (Jerusalem and The Fer ryman), is literally a kitchen sink drama as most of the action revolves around a failed marriage. So while we get to see Corden dressed in his whites and headbutt his sous chef, it’s not really about the restaurant industry.

That’s just as well, as a long list of actors have found out to their cost that chef dramedies don’t fare well with au diences: from Jon Favreau and Bradley Cooper in the US to Lenny Henry and Alan Davies in the UK. But 2022 has been proving all the naysayers wrong, serving up morsels worthy of the high standards set by reality TV in the late 1990s.

British actress Sarah Lancashire de served an EMMY for her turn as Julia Child in the charming series Julia (HBO Max; 76 on Metacritic) earlier in the year, while The Bear (Disney; 88), a Chicago drama set at a dysfunctional restaurant that namedrops Noma and Hart Bageri along the way, set new standards for the genre, superbly depicting the knifeedge conditions depicted by the likes of Boiling Point, the 1998 docusoap that introduced Gordon Ramsay to the whole world.

And now British royalty himself, Ralph Fiennes, is taking a stab at be ing a chef in The Menu (cinemas; Nov 17; 73). Described as a black comedy horror, and co-starring bright young things Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult, this promises to be a feast for all the senses, but will it go down the cannibal route favoured by Timothée Chalamet road movie Bones and All (Nov 24; 75)?

Thirty years later IN TRUTH, while there’s an avalanche of TV shows returning this November – Sex Lives of College Girls (S2; Nov 17), We’re Here (S3; Nov 28), Avenue 5 (S2), The White Lotus (S2) and The Cleaning Lady (S2) on HBO Max; The Crown (S5; Nov 9), Dead to Me (S3; Nov 17) and Derry Girls (S3) on Netflix; and The Mosquito Coast (S2) and Myth ic Quest (S2; Nov 11) on Apple – the volume of new ones has left us a little speechless. It’s questionable whether we have enough space to do them justice.

If there is a common theme, it’s that many are spawned from popular films from 30 years ago. First up is Willow (Disney; Nov 30) with Warwick Davis reprising his role as the loveable dwarf hero. Also returning from the original are Kevin Pollack and Joanne Whalley, but not her ex Val Kilmer – one time capsule sequel was enough for him. Wednesday (Netflix; Nov 23) is the series we all wanted when The Addams Family (with a diabolical theme tune by MC Hammer) was revived in the early 1990s. Christina Ricci as the daughter was the only spark in that bore of a movie, and she has an obligatory cameo

in this affair, which co-stars Catherine Zeta Jones and Gwendoline Christie, among others.

Miniseries The Santa Clauses (Dis ney; Nov 16) continues the saga of the ‘Average Joe who didn’t sign up for this’ played by Tim Allen, but with a ‘now needs to retire’ angle. The material is so good it couldn’t be contained in one film.

Also on our small screens are duff sitcom Blockbuster (Netflix; 44), SAS origins lark Rogue Heroes (HBO Max; 77), promising special ops thriller Echo 3 (Apple; Nov 23), western miniseries

The English (Amazon Prime; Nov 11) and Irish gangster-by-numbers series Kin (CMore; 67). The latter two have terrific casts. Finally, we’d be Scrooge if we didn’t mention documentaries

The Last Movie Stars (HBO Max; 91) – about Paul Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward – and Save our Squad with David Beckham (Disney; Nov 9) in which Golden Balls rides into London town to resuscitate the fortunes of some east end urchins.

So .. like Catherine of Aragon?

TALKING of resurrections, Guillermo del Toro, whose Cabinet of Curiosi ties can be enjoyed on Netflix, is the latest director to take on Pinocchio (cinemas; Nov 14; 93). The result blows away all the recent incarnations, with David Bradley (who saw this stardom coming when he patrolled Hogwarts with a cat) triumphing where Tom Hanks and Roberto Benigni have failed in recent years. Other sequels include Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (cin emas; Nov 9), Enola Holmes 2 (Netflix; 62), Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey

back again for Disenchanted (Disney; Nov 18) and Confess, Fletch (cinemas; Nov 24; 66) with Jon Hamm taking over from Chevy Chase. Meanwhile, Spirited (Apple; Nov 18) is yet another reima gining of A Christmas Carol, this time from the ghosts’ perspective, with Will Ferrell onboard.

Things get a bit spooky in Irish period piece The Wonder (Netflix; Nov 16; 71) with Florence Pugh in yet another ac claimed role – the same can’t be said for Don’t Worry Darling co-star Harry Styles in My Policeman (Amazon Prime; 49). The critics had little time for Halloween Ends (cinemas; 47) – let’s hope it’s finally done this time – and Prey for the Devil (Nov 17; 38) is more nonsense from the killer nun stable. The Good Nurse (Netflix; 65) starring Jessica Chastain might sound like similar fare, but it is in fact a real-life drama about one of America’s most prolific ever serial killers, portrayed here by Eddy Redmayne – a warped tale as so many hospitals were complicit in his spree out of fear they might get sued. The Stranger (Netflix; 74) tells the story of a slightly less pro lific killer. It’s atmospheric but a little plodding at times.

Female empowerment is well rep resented this month, with Harvey Weinstein takedown She Said (cine mas; Nov 17) leading the way – Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan are the hero ines who bring him down. Viola Davis is equally badass as an African warrior fighting the British in modern day Benin in The Woman King (cinemas; Nov 24); The Swimmers (Netflix; Nov 23; 56) charts the extraordinary journey of two girls who managed to swim away from Syria and end up at the 2016 Olympics;

the pro-abortion sentiment of 1960s-set drama Call Jane (cinemas; Nov 10) with Elizabeth Banks and Sigourney Weaver couldn’t be better timed; and Jennifer Lawrence plays a soldier recovering from a traumatic head injury in Cause way (65; Apple). If you need cheering up after all that, The People We Hate at the Wedding (Netflix; Nov 18) could be a good outside bet. With Allison Janney and Kristen Bell lending star quality to this US-UK culture clash, it will be the Netflix film we’re all watching in late November … even if it’s shit.

A fair number of our cinema selec tions are already out there due to this column taking a month off in Octo ber. That meant we weren’t left with egg on our face getting excited about the first David O Russell film for seven years: Amsterdam (48). DC Comics offering Black Adam (41) with The Rock also flopped badly. Faring a little better were British trio See How They Run (60), a whodunnit backstage at Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, The Lost King (57), the true story of how Richard III’s remains were found in a carpark, and Mrs Harris goes to Paris (70), a 1950s-set heartwarmer about a cleaning lady who gets obsessed with haute couture.

The latter stars Lesley Manville, completing a busy autumn for the in-demand Brit. She’s apparently brilliant as Princess Margaret in The Crown and also a standout in Sherwood (DRTV; 90) and needless remake Dangerous Liaisons (58). Did you know she was the first of Gary Oldman’s five wives. One more and she’s a quiz question connecting Tommy Lee and Catherine of Aragon.

In real life, his wife is allergic to egg whites. The fictional version is allergic to whites

ENGLISH JOB DENMARK

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Location: Copenhagen Deadline: ASAP Contact: careers.queue-it.com

INNOVATION LAB IS LOOKING FOR A PART-TIME STUDENT WORKER, DELOITTE

We are looking for a curious tech-savvy student worker to support us on technology experiments to inspire our clients and prepare them for the future.

Location: Copenhagen Deadline: 2 December 2022

Contact: Jonas Sveistrup Søgaard, +45 21 79 74 68

DIRECTOR, LUNDBECK

You will be managing a diverse portfolio of Research, Development and Commercial Alliances. This includes leading alliances with cross-organizational engagement and deliverables critical to the future success of Lundbeck, along with defining, communicating, and executing on agreed joint product strategies.

Location: Copenhagen

Deadline: 18 November 2022

Contact: Lars Wille, VP, Head of T&AM, lawi@lundbeck.com

To advertise your vacancy here and reach 60,000+ readers weekly, contact: info@englishjobdenmark.dk or call 60 70 22 98.

For more information about what we can offer: https://englishjobdenmark.dk/

ENGLISH JOB

DENMARK

PEOPLE PARTNER, SVITZER

You will focus on the full HR cycle, where your tasks vary from recruiting the future talents of Svitzer, participating or running a workshop for a team, discussing employer branding with your peers in other regions or updating job specs in Workday. Basically, end-to-end support for our leaders and the wider organization.

Location: Copenhagen Deadline: ASAP Contact: svitzer.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com

IB DP BUSINESS MANAGEMENT TEACHER, INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF HELLERUP

The role of the Business Manager teacher will be to implement the DP programme, develop curriculum, and teach the objectives of the subjects. The position is part-time but depending on the qualifications can be turned into a full time position.

Location: Hellerup Deadline: 30 November 2022 Contact: Evis Qeska, High School Principal, jobs@ish.dk

SENIOR LEGAL COUNSEL (M/F/D), ØRSTED

Join us in this role where you’ll be responsible for providing high-quality and commercial legal advice on various M&A transactions, partnerships, and strategic joint ventures globally.

Location: Gentofte

Deadline: 14 November 2022

Contact: Talent Acquisition Operations UK, talentacquisitionuk@orsted.com

RIDER, GORILLAS

Do you love biking, have a great attitude and want to make some extra money while meeting a bunch of cool people? Gorillas is a tech-based company that makes grocery deliveries to your door - incredibly quickly.

Location: Copenhagen Deadline: ASAP Contact: apply.workable.com/gorillas

REGULATORY AFFAIRS COORDINATOR, ALK

You will be given a range of responsibilities within regulatory affairs, both coordinative and operational tasks. The tasks will be solved by use of interdisciplinary collaboration with both internal and external stakeholders.

Location: Hørsholm

Deadline: 17 November 2022

Contact: Dorte Friis Christensen, +45 21 45 39 19

SALES PROJECT COORDINATOR, MISSIONPHARMA

You will be a key person in our team dedicated to managing emergency deliveries of medical supplies to United Nation Agencies on a global scale. We are seeking an experienced Sales Project Coordinator responsible for the administrative tasks related to our projects and contracts.

Location: Lynge

Deadline: 24 November 2022 Contact: Bo Birk, UN Director, bo.birk@missionpharma.com

SALES REPRESENTATIVE, MONO SOLUTIONS

The ideal candidate will be a competitive self starter looking to break into a sales career.

Location: Copenhagen Deadline: ASAP

Contact: monosolutions.reqruiting.com/

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