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International New Danish King
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Queen in her New Year’s speech
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Image: Polaris, Flickr
flect the current co-operation between the UK and France in their efforts tackling the crisis. Last March, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised an increase
as 20 hours to be shovelled out by volunteers from the home guard. Several schools in Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Denmark) closed.
Some waited for as long as twenty hours to be shovelled out by volunteers Electricity was cut to 4000 homes in Arctic Sweden where temperatures fell to -38C. A ferry, sailing from Oslo, finally docked in Copenhagen on 4th January, having been forced to spend the night idling at sea with 900 passengers onboard. In 2023, 2.3 billion people experienced record warmth at their local level. Under the current geopolitical approach to greenhouse gas emissions, the world will increase its temperature by 1.5 degrees earlier than predicted, with impacts on people and nature, due to global increases in weather extremes.
Buona fortuna!
Mitchel Rowe discusses Italian New Year traditions
Annabel Jeffery shares how the failing actions of the UK are foiling attempts to end criminal action sponded, saying that the report used outdated information and did n o t r e -
Josie Sharp
Oliver Nicholls shares the chilling facts on Scandanavian winters
common spaces. This may be why when she said it was finally “the right time” to leave many memEOPLE in the Nordic region (Denbers of the public were overwhelmed with emotion; mark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Icemourning the monarch they lovingly nicknamed land) have had to find ways to cope with Daisy. In the words of Ebmark in their interview extreme cold this January. A temperature of with The Guardian, “all of Denmark is crying.” -43.6C was recorded in Kvikkjokk-Årrenjarka (Swedish Lapland), representing the lowest January recording in Sweden in the last 25 years. Image: Johannes Jansson, Wikimedia Commons The freezing temperatures, compounded by extremely heavy snowfall and gale force winds, have caused significant disruption to daily life for many people. These temperatures follow what was globally deemed the hottest year on record. Transportation throughout the Nordic region has been disrupted, with bridges and highways closed and train services impacted. Police across Denmark urged motorists to avoid unnecessary trips as snowstorms hammered the northern and western parts of the country. In Sweden, the resulting traffic chaos left motorists stranded in their vehicles where many had to be evacuated and take refuge in evacuation centres. Some waited for as long
UK and France’s small boat plans sink T may be a new year, but the UK’s handle on illegal Channel crossings remains precarious as ever. This comes after a French report described the relationship between France and the UK as “unequal in terms of the exchange of information and intelligence.” Intelligence provided by the UK on small boats crossing the Channel was often ‘first level’, ‘very general’, and ‘not cross-referenced’, said the Court of Accounts, which inspects France’s expenditure. A BBC article added that officials need more details about “the ways that migrants are arriving, the references or serial numbers of boats or engines, and the [migrants’] nationalities,” in order for the French police to effectively intervene. The Home Office has re-
INTERNATIONAL EDITOR:
Freezing Nordic states
Tabitha John discusses the shock abdication of the Danish N the 14th January, during her New Year’s Eve speech, the Danish queen unexpectedly abdicated her throne leaving the public shocked and confused. Despite the last abdication occurring almost 1000 years ago, Queen Margrethe of Denmark decided to step down after an impressive 52-year reign, allowing her son Frederick to take the throne Though it should be said that the Danish Queen is no stranger to making a splash. Not only was she — rather impressively — the second longest reigning monarch of one of the world’s oldest dynasties, but she was also the first woman to ascend to the throne in over five centuries, at the young age of 13, after a constitutional amendment allowed women to become Queens. Being Queen, Head of State, and representing the country in foreign affairs were not the only feathers in her royal cap. She was also deeply passionate about art and archaeology; whether it was earning a Diploma in Prehistoric Archaeology from the University of Cambridge or presenting her paintings in various museums, she was constantly involving herself in the cultural landscape. However, regardless of all her accolades, her most commendable achievement may be the love she inspired from the public. Unlike the British monarchy, where a sighting of royalty is a rare occasion, the Danish monarchy often intermingle with the public, using the same parks, schools, and
24 JAN 2024| EXEPOSÉ
in funding to €541 million during the 2023-2026 period to help France strengthen its policing along the coast of Calais. Since then, the government agency, the National Crime Association, has increased its efforts in Europe to stop illegal people smugglers, which include placing British officers along the French coast. Sunak’s vow to ‘stop the boats’ through generous funding and NCA efforts could be heavily compromised by lack of detailed communication and co-operation with the French. Whilst Channel crossings dropped by more than one third in 2023, the union representing Border Force officials has attributed this to a lull caused by bad weather conditions; crossings are expected to rise once more in 2024.
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IRRORS smash and magpies become generals. Superstition permeates every culture, and has done since the 4th century BCE. But, at the stroke of midnight, on the final evening of the Gregorian calendar, beliefs transcend the precarious placements of sheets of glass, or the rank of a black bird. Indeed, in Italy, belief becomes action in rituals for good luck. Originating in Roman culture, it remains common to exchange jars of sweet treats for an apt serving of a sweet year. Honey, figs, dates; all are wrapped and exchanged in the herbal embrace of a laurel leaf. Though, if culinary expertise is not your genio, then how about ‘throw the kitchen out entirely!’ No, I’m serious. Throw out pots, pans, your step-mother, anything that might fit through
the yielding frame of your window, and good luck is sure to follow. In this ritual, you’re sure to leave the past where it belongs, and all the while making way for new luxuries and a lighter year. However, one object you’ll want to keep firmly away from your windows are your undergarments — for more reasons than usual! Italian New Year’s are spent in red; the undergarments must be both new and gifted by another. So, from your boxers to your bralette, red is the colour to shop for in the new year. Whether your resolutions include attending more lectures, or sticking to the all-important student budget, these Italian superstitions might just be what you need to stick to your goals when staying in bed or spending are as good as fate.
All a-door-ed!
Anna Kane, Online News Editor, shares the story of a plane’s door flying off mid-flight
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HE new year got off to a turbulent start, when the door of a US commercial plane flew off mid-flight on the 5th January. The Boeing 737 plane was an Alaska Airlines flight meant to be flying from Portland to California. 20 minutes into the journey, a loud pop was heard, and the emergency door broke free from the aircraft. No one was killed or sustained serious injuries on the Alaska Airlines flight, as the pilots executed a successful emergency landing. There has, however, been significant damage done to US air travel. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have tempo-
rarily grounded models of Boeing’s planes, impacting airlines who use their aircrafts. The reputation of the company Boeing is also suffering, with memories of the fatal 2018 and 2019 Boeing crashes being aroused. The safety checks of Boeing are under scrutiny. It was discovered that the plug which blew off the door, discovered in a science teacher’s garden, did not have the four stop bolts it required. Shares in Boeing fell by nine per cent within three days of the incident, revealing the public’s loss of confidence in the company. Boeing CEO, Dave Calhoun, has expressed regret over the incident saying it “can never happen again.”