Monday Morning News & Notes
Climate Change takes a bite out of Chocolate. Ukraine Impasse Broken.
Billund Bomb Scare Update
Jutland police are not saying if the suspected explosive device they found at Billund Airport on Saturday did, or did not, have explosives in it but they are saying it was destroyed in a controlled explosion. The demolition was carried out by the Danish Army’s Ammunition Disposal Unit at a remote area outside Billund.
A man in his 30s who was arrested at the airport on Saturday made his first court appearance on Sunday morning. The hearing was carried out behind locked doors and other than saying he has been remanded for the next four weeks the court wouldn’t reveal his name or even what he has been charged with.
Police are also investigating to see if the man is also linked to an explosion at an ATM near the entrance of Legoland in Billund on Friday night.
🍃Environment & Energy⚡️
🍫 🌍
We might not be at the hoarding chocolate stage yet but we are getting closer. Cocoa prices, which have been rocketing upward with reckless abandon, hit another record high this week. Cocoa hit almost $12,000 per metric tonne. For comparison purposes that is about 300% higher than prices were just a year ago.
Most of the world’s cocoa beans come from places like the Ivory Coast and Ghana where crops have been decimated by climate change and extreme weather events.
🇩🇰
Usually, April is the driest month of the year in Denmark but to no surprise to anyone in the country that is most certainly not the case this year. Just over halfway through the month 80 millimeters of rain has already hit the ground, which is more than double the average April rainfall. In fact, April has yet to record even a single day without rainfall.
April 2, saw 21.1 millimeters of rain alone, the single wettest day ever recorded in the month since they began tracking the statistic in 1874. With April not over yet the country is very close to seeing the wettest April in Denmark in 150 years. April 1936 currently holds the record with 98 millimeters of rain.
🇸🇪
Temperatures in Sweden are unusually cold and it won’t be going away anytime soon. Meteorologist for Swedish national broadcaster SVT Nils Holmqvist says more bad weather is pretty much a certainty. He says it is unusually cold for this time of year.
“This year it's very tricky, it can swing strongly between heat and cold and because we have the temperatures we have, it can determine whether the precipitation falls as rain or snow.”
Overnight temperatures in Stockholm will remain at or below freezing throughout the week.
🇪🇺
Today, the European State of the Climate report will be released for 2023. The comprehensive annual report is compiled by the EU Copernicus Climate Change Service. Last year, the report highlighted the need for urgent action to fight climate change. It found that Europe is the fastest-warming region globally, experiencing double the average global warming rates since the 1980s. Extreme heatwaves, droughts, and wildfires in 2022 resulted in over 16,000 reported fatalities.
🇩🇰
On Tuesday, the Danish Council on Climate Change will release its latest analysis on future land use across the country. With Denmark’s goal of becoming carbon neutral, the organization focuses on how land use should be restructured to meet the country’s climate goals and the choices and challenges that loom ahead in a tug of war over a finite resource in a small country, its land.
🇸🇪
Sweden reached its ‘Overshoot Day’ on Sunday. The Global Footprint Network calculates when each country’s ecological footprint, the drain on nature’s resources, exceeds biocapacity, the Earth’s ability to regenerate those resources.
As of April 21, Sweden has used up its quota of the world’s resources and for the rest of the year will use more than the earth can generate in any given year. Denmark hit its overshoot day a month ago.
Overshoot Day was marked in Stockholm by the group Rebel Mothers who had knitted a four-kilometer-long scarf, which they had hoped to wrap around the Swedish parliament. However, the police intervened. 2,667 women helped knit the scarf each contributing 1.5 meters to mark the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.
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Swedish municipalities are struggling with the question of cost. The cost to the climate of incinerating plastic waste versus the cost of recycling it. Incinerating garbage is responsible for about 7% of Sweden’s total annual greenhouse gas emissions and burning plastic accounts for 90% of those incinerator emissions according to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. Conversely, the cost to recycle plastic is roughly twice that of just sending it to be burned.
Even then, the number of Swedish municipalities that are choosing to recycle plastic waste continues to grow. In the last year, the number of municipalities recycling plastic grew from 101 to 121 according to Avfall Sweden.
Agency Advisor Jon Nilsson-Djerf says more municipalities also need to make the switch.
“It is still a system error. An incredible amount of plastic is put on the market. We have to create circular models and we and many others are working for that. You have to weigh the increased cost against the environmental benefit so that we can avoid fossil fuel emissions.”
🇩🇪
Germany, once reliant on cheap Russian gas, is putting the pedal to the metal in its green energy transition. Last year, Germany installed twice as many onshore wind turbines than it did in the previous five years combined. This month, for the first time ever, wind energy has overtaken coal as the largest generator of electricity in the country.
Wind Europe CEO Giles Dickson says that last year, Germany installed more onshore wind turbines than all other EU countries combined.
“Germany shows what is possible if you are serious about expanding wind power. They are at the forefront of implementing the new EU permitting rules, and more projects are being approved than ever before, especially in the field of onshore wind. It is good for energy security and industry, which is crying out for cheap power.”
But experts also stress that even at that incredible pace Germany has a lot of work still ahead in order to reach its goal of producing 100% of its electricity from green energy sources by 2035 and then becoming carbon neutral by 2045.
According to Wind Europe, Renewable energy sources accounted for 56% of Germany’s electricity production last year. Of those, wind energy covered 31%, while 12%, came from solar, and 6% from biomass.
🇩🇰 🇬🇧 ⚡️
After testing it out for months the world’s longest electricity connection, running 621 kilometers between Denmark and Great Britain, was officially inaugurated last week. The submarine cable called the Viking Line snakes under the North Sea allowing electricity to flow in both directions. During the last few months of the testing phase, Denmark exported electricity about 80% of the time.
Denmark’s Energinet, which operates the Viking Line with its British partner National Grid, said the ability to move electricity in either direction is a net benefit, especially for consumers.
“Now we can also buy electricity when there is plenty on the other side of the North Sea. For example, if a wind front from the west hits Great Britain, a few hours before it hits the Danish wind turbines.”
That is echoed by Chief Consultant Kristian Rune Poulsen:
“The cable sends lots of electricity both ways and helps to balance the electricity grids and even out price differences and fluctuations. It is certainly not just an export cable from Denmark to Great Britain. More cables like Viking Link across Europe will be able to even out even more fluctuations and benefit Danish consumers when prices are high in the North and low in, for example, France and Spain, as is the case at the moment.”
The Viking Line has a maximum transmission capacity of 1,400 megawatts but it will only operate at 800 MW to start because the energy grid on the Danish side hasn’t been upgraded yet to handle the full load.
🇩🇰 ⚡️
As we move closer to summer-like weather (seriously let’s hurry it up) we are seeing more sunshine along with some blustery winds. The combination is an absolute gift for electricity users.
Dansk e-Mobilitet Consultant Kristian Madsen says electric car owners are really celebrating. Madsen says last week EV charging prices in Denmark were the lowest he has ever seen. On average, an EV owner paid just over one Danish kroner per kilowatt hour (about 20 cents Cdn) to charge their vehicle, Those who charged during the cheapest hours paid as little as 8 øre (Danish cents) per kWh (about 2 cents Cdn).
Tesla ⚡️
Things are getting more competitive in the electric car market and that is good news for consumers but not awesome news for Elon Musk. Tesla has cut the prices of three of its five models. Prices were slashed by about $2,000 USD for its Y, X, and S models due to increased competition and a price war among EV makers.
Tesla has had a rough week with lower demand for its vehicles as the company reported that its global vehicle delivery numbers had fallen for the first time in four years. The company is also dealing with a high-profile recall of its much-hyped Cybertruck. And it trimmed about 10% of its staff. All of this has resulted in Tesla shares dropping below $150 this week.
🦠Outbreaks🦠
🇪🇺
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is warning about an outbreak of Parvovirus B19, sometimes called slapped cheek sickness or fifth disease. The agency says increases in B19 infections began in France and have since spread to Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark.
The ECDC says it lacks detailed epidemiological information because B19 doesn’t fall under the usual virus surveillance umbrella in most countries. What it does know is that there are more cases than usual across a number of countries. Young children seem to be the most impacted but the virus also poses a risk to pregnant women. Several countries, including France where the outbreak began, have noted an unusual increase in miscarriages and abortions among infected women. Other risk groups include people with blood disorders and those who are immunocompromised.
The good news is that the ECDC estimates roughly two-thirds of the adult population in Europe are likely immune due to having the virus as a child.
🇺🇸 🦠
The coronavirus keeps spitting out new variants and some recently evolved strains are getting some attention. Sub-strains of the currently dominant JN.1 and formerly dominant BA.2.86 variants have evolved into what infectious disease trackers have dubbed the FLiRT variants.
Infectious Disease Modeler Jay Weiland, who has been pretty accurately forecasting COVID developments, believes the new strains could lead to the beginning of another infection wave in the United States in May.
“Based on the data I'm seeing, I think there's a chance of a reversal in May. The big caveat is that recent sequencing data in the U.S. has been very inconsistent, and travel sequencing have been bleeding into local samples. Makes it hard to nail down what FLiRT is up to.”
🦠
A groundbreaking study led by the University of California in San Francisco is shedding light on why older adults face a significantly higher risk of severe COVID infections and death compared to younger people. The research, published in Science Translational Medicine, found that older adults have an increased coronavirus viral load, impaired ability to clear the virus, and weaker immune and anti-inflammatory responses. These factors contribute to a more severe illness in older patients. In fact, adults over the age of 75 are a staggering 140 times more likely to die if infected with the virus.
The study tracked immune responses in 1,031 unvaccinated COVID patients from May 2020 to March 2021 across 20 US hospitals. Older adults were defined as those 63 years and older. The team observed that infected older patients had a greater viral load upon hospital admission, with fewer immune cells, a delayed viral clearance, and a cohort of other complex reactions down to the cellular level, leading to an imbalance of inflammatory responses during hospitalization.
The researchers also noted a complex relationship between aging and host defense against COVID. While mild infections triggered stronger immune responses in children compared to adults, a stronger immune response in hospitalized adults often led to more severe infections. This suggests that aging impacts the body's ability to mount an appropriate immune response to the virus. The study authors emphasized that understanding these biological mechanisms is crucial for developing effective treatments for older adults. They suggest that older adults with severe COVID infections may respond differently to certain therapies. Additionally, the delayed viral clearance due to age-related factors could facilitate the evolution of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, highlighting the urgent need for further research and intervention strategies for this vulnerable population.
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In a recent study, researchers shed light on the effectiveness of the original monovalent mRNA COVID vaccine among children five years old and older against the Omicron variant. The almost two-year-long study ran from December 2021 until October 2023 and involved 3,348 participants. Of these, 1,551 were patients hospitalized for acute COVID infections with a positive PCR test, while 1,797 were control patients hospitalized for coronavirus-like illness but testing negative for the virus.
The findings revealed that two doses of the original monovalent mRNA vaccine provided 52% protection among children against severe infections resulting in hospitalization. However, the vaccine's efficacy declined significantly after 4 months. Specifically, the vaccine's efficacy protecting against hospitalization dropped to just 19%.
Study authors emphasize the importance of updating vaccination coverage due to the waning protection offered by the original vaccines over time.
"Protection from original vaccines was not sustained over time, necessitating increased coverage with updated vaccines. Most children and adolescents in this analysis who were hospitalized with COVID were unvaccinated, and few had received updated vaccine doses despite a high prevalence of underlying comorbidities associated with more severe disease."
The findings underscore the need for enhanced vaccination strategies, including updated vaccines, to protect children and adolescents, particularly among vulnerable populations, from severe infections, hospitalization, and death.
🇩🇰
A business owner from Jelling will spend six months in prison and must pay a substantial fine for fraudulent use of COVID pandemic aid money. Back during the height of the pandemic many businesses were ordered closed. To keep them afloat the Danish government provided substantial relief packages. In this case, the man in question claimed compensation for more employees than he actually had. He then received 180,000 Danish kroner more funding than he otherwise would have. In addition to the prison time he must also pay a fine of 1.65 million Danish kroner.
🇺🇦Ukraine/ Russia🇷🇺
🇺🇸🇺🇦🇩🇰🇳🇴
Over the weekend the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass a long-stalled billion-dollar aid package for Ukraine. The package must still be approved in the Senate and signed off by President Joe Biden. Breaking the impasse from politically radicalized MAGA Republicans in the House was welcome news in Europe.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen called it an "important day for Ukrainian and European security”.
“The decision in the US Congress will make a noticeable difference on the battlefield. Support for Ukraine must be increased. Hope the Senate will follow suit soon.”
Norwegian Foreign Affairs Minister Espen Barth Eide:
“I am so relieved by the long-awaited US House approval of a much-needed aid package for Ukraine. We all need to step up to turn things around and make sure Ukraine wins this war. This is existential for Ukraine, but also decisive for the security of the whole of Europe.”
🇩🇰/ 🇷🇺
On Friday morning a ferry running between Aarhus and Sjælland had to make a big turn to avoid colliding with a Russian warship. Molslinjen Ferry Communications Head Jesper Maack told DR that the Russian warship ignored the ferry’s requests to change course.
“The captain calls the ship on his radio but gets no answer. He decided to make the turn because he cannot make contact with the ship in front of him and because it does not seem to want to yield as the rules of navigation dictate that it should.”
Maack called the ferry suddenly changing course very “undramatic”.
“It takes place at a very large distance. But when a fast ferry slows down to 37 knots and turns around, it feels violent. That is why the captain has also announced over the public address system why they are making that turn.”
The Russian warship was traveling through Danish waters and being escorted by a Danish patrol ship at the time. International maritime rules dictate that the Russian naval vessel was responsible for yielding to the ferry to avoid a collision. International treaties allow ships to transit from the Baltic to the North Sea and vice versa through Danish waters as long as the journey is deemed not to pose a threat.
🇸🇪🇱🇻/ 🇷🇺
The owners of a Latvian company responsible for refueling a fleet of aging oil tankers making up Russia’s so-called ‘shadow fleet’ are a Russian oligarch and a Latvian oil magnate who also has Russian citizenship. An investigation by Swedish national broadcaster SVT has found that both men have been singled out in other news investigations as recently as 2022 for finding creative ways to get sanctioned oil products to Belarus.
According to SVT the company, Fastbunkering, has sold fuel to over 500 ships since 2022, almost all of which were on their way to or from Russia. The transactions all take place at sea and most of the vessels involved are the aging and environmentally dangerous oil tankers making up the shadow fleet helping Russia sell its sanctioned oil and gas.
Belarusian Investigative Center Journalist Stanislau Ivashkevitch:
“We know that on several occasions these two businessmen are suspected of having acted in creative ways to skirt sanctions on oil from both Russia and Belarus. From this, it cannot be ruled out that it is Russian oil products that they are now selling in the waters off of Gotland.”
The registered owners of the company are Aleksej Tjulets and Sergej Pasters, who hold both Russian and Maltese citizenship.
Fastbunkering appears to already be under investigation after police raided the headquarters of its parent company last summer. SVT is also reporting that several Swedish agencies are also now investigating the company.
Swedish Foreign Affairs Minister Tobias Billström says he will raise the issue at the EU level while also telling media in Sweden that all options are now on the table to curtail the movement of shadow fleet tankers in the Baltic.
“This is something that we need to take very seriously. We need to discuss this issue together with our Nordic and Baltic colleagues and in a wider context in the European Union, and as Foreign Minister, I will make sure that we also do that by raising this issue in the EU's various bodies. It is important in this context that we get the opportunity to look at the EU's entire toolbox. It is both about the sanctions policy but also about issues connected to environmental issues because this is a growing and serious threat to the sensitive environment in the Baltic Sea that ships that are outdated and perhaps not even seaworthy operate in our waters.”
NATO 🇺🇦
NATO is stepping up to get desperately needed air defense systems for Ukraine.
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg:
“Besides the Patriots, there are other weapons allies can provide, including the French SAMP/T air defense system. Many others [countries] that do not have available systems have also promised to provide financial support to buy them for Ukraine.”
🇳🇱🇺🇦
The Netherlands is dedicating more than €200 million for the expedited delivery of additional air defense batteries and artillery ammunition for Ukraine. As part of the effort €150 million will go to a German-led initiative to procure and deliver long-range air defense platforms for Ukraine.
🇨🇦🇫🇷🇩🇪🇮🇹🇯🇵🇬🇧🇺🇸🇪🇺🇺🇦
The G7 countries, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Great Britain and the United States together with the EU, say they will work together to provide Ukraine with even more air defenses.
"Russia must pay for the devastation they are creating. We condemn Russia's robot and drone attacks against Ukraine's energy infrastructure and cities.”
Last week Germany sent a fourth Patriot air defense system to Ukraine. It is lobbying European allies to follow suit.
Not done there, the G7 countries have now indicated they are ready to use frozen Russian funds and assets to send to Ukraine. Up until now, the G7 countries had only been willing to use the interest of the many billions of dollars worth of seized Russian funds. Italian Foreign Affairs Minister Antonio Tajani told Reuters they are now willing to go even further and work is underway to use all seized Russian funding for Ukraine.
An estimated $300 billion USD in Russian funds have been seized due to Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine.
🇬🇧🇺🇦
The United Kingdom is sending an aid package worth £150 million (about $255 million Cdn) to help the country rebuild energy infrastructure destroyed by Russian missile barrages.
UK Diplomat Neil Holland
“Russia is deliberately targeting Ukraine's energy system in their ruthless campaign.”
A lack of air defense batteries and missile ammunition running out in the systems Ukraine is already using is leaving critical Ukrainian infrastructure exposed to Russian attacks.
🇩🇪🇱🇹🇺🇦
European countries aren’t just sending money to Ukraine to help rebuild critical energy infrastructure destroyed by Russian missile attacks. In Germany and Lithuania, authorities are carefully scouring decommissioned power plants to see if there are any parts or materials that can be salvaged and sent to Ukraine. The parts would then be used to help repair and restore damaged Ukrainian power plants.
🇫🇮🇪🇺/ 🇷🇺
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said that European Union-level measures are needed to stop the flow of migrants that Russia is directing at the Finnish border. On Friday, Orpo visited the now-closed Finnish border alongside EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Afterwards, the two took questions from reporters.
Asked if the EU should strengthen legislation to combat the weaponization of migrants, von der Leyen danced around an answer by simply summarizing the issue. However, Prime Minister Orpo was much more direct.
“We have to find common solutions to stop this phenomenon where Russia is using illegal immigrants against us. We are preparing our own legislation but I think that in the next period, we have to also prepare EU legislation. We need tools at the national level and the European level to tackle this phenomenon. It is not a question of asylum, it is a question of national security. We need tools.”
Orpo added that the legislation needs to be prepared very carefully to find a balance between human rights and addressing the national security threat posed by waves of illegal immigrants.
Last year, Finland closed its land borders with Russia due to thousands of undocumented migrants arriving from Russia to claim asylum. Earlier this month the Finnish government decided to keep its land borders with Russia closed indefinitely.
🇫🇮🇺🇦
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo was also asked about the situation in Ukraine.
“We have to immediately send more weapons to Ukraine. The situation on the battlefield is very difficult. They need ammunition. They need weapons to defend their air. That is what we have to do now. All the member states should act immediately.”
Orpo said the European defense industry also needs to be built out to increase production capacity to both supply Ukraine with ammunition and weapons and also to resupply European ammunition stockpiles.
Finland recently sent its 24th weapons package to Ukraine.
🇩🇰🇺🇦
The new Commander-in-Chief of the Danish Armed Forces Michael Wiggers Hyldgaard was in Ukraine over the weekend. While in Kyiv, Wiggers met with his Ukrainian counterpart and other military leaders to get a sense of the situation on the battlefront and what more Denmark could do to help.
Denmark recently announced a 2.2 billion Danish kroner military aid package for Ukraine, the 17th such donation since the Russian invasion. Denmark is the fourth largest provider of military aid to Kyiv, committing around €8.4 million as of January 2024.
🇦🇹/ 🇷🇺
Russia is sticking to its modus operandi like glue. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has accused Moscow of attempting to undermine his country’s democracy using a Russian spy and a political party the person was associated with. The Chancellor says that Austrian intelligence agencies have evidence of the plot and the "very serious allegations" would be "vigorously investigated."
Nehammer did not identify the spy or the political party.
This follows other recent espionage arrests in Austria that may be linked to Russia. At the time the Chancellor said that Russian spy networks "threaten our country by infiltrating or instrumentalizing political parties and networks."
Austria will take part in the European Union elections in June and then will hold its own national elections this fall.
🇱🇹🇵🇱/ 🇷🇺
Suspects in the hammer attack of Navalny ally, and Russian exile, Leonid Volkov have been arrested in Poland. That is according to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda. Volkov lives in Lithuania and was attacked with a hammer by a pair of assailants just over a month ago. He survived the attack and took to his social media to comment on the arrests.
“I am happy to see that the hard work of the Lithuanian police has paid off. We will find out the details soon, I can't wait.”
Volkov worked together with Alexei Navalny the leader of the Russian opposition and fierce Putin critic. Navalny was killed in February in an Arctic prison.
🇸🇰🇺🇦
The new Prime Minister of Slovakia may be rabidly pro-Russia but that doesn’t mean everyone in the country agrees with him. When Robert Fico was elected the first thing he did when taking office was to end all Slovakian military support for Ukraine.
While Fico spouts Russian propaganda outraged Slovakians are picking up the torch and have raised €2 million in just 48 hours to procure ammunition for Ukraine.
It appears the country’s President also supports Ukraine and isn’t on the same political page as the Prime Minister.
🇪🇪🇺🇦
Estonian Member of Parliament Kristo Enn Vaga is riding his bike this week from Tallinn all the way to Kyiv, Ukraine in order to raise money for essential vehicles and drones for the Ukrainian army. His ‘Ride for Victory’ tour is roughly 1,700 kilometers long and he plans to do the entire trip in a week.
“The war is just a bike ride away. To illustrate that, I am riding my bike from Tallinn to Kyiv. My objective is to gather donations for the Ukrainian army. We must not forget that a full-scale war is ongoing in our neighborhood.”
You can donate to his effort HERE.
🇳🇴🇺🇦
Ukraine can continue to count on Norway’s strong support according to Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram. Over the winter Norway sent Ukraine artillery shells, anti-tank weapons, 5,000 anti-tank missiles, minesweepers, and support for tanks it had already donated.
Gram admits that Norwegian donations of artillery shells were “limited” but it is taking part, along with countries, in the Czech Republic ammunition initiative, which should see an increase in ammunition flowing to Ukraine.
Gram says Norway is also setting aside 150 million Norwegian kroner (about $18 million Cdn) for maintenance of Leopard tanks it has already donated to Ukraine.
“There is a need for support, repair and maintenance of donated material. Norway has therefore set aside up to 150 million Norwegian kroner for the maintenance of Leopard 2 A4 tanks at the maintenance center in Poland.”
Going forward Norway is prioritizing its support for Ukraine around donations of anti-aircraft defenses, artillery ammunition, demining equipment, and tanks. It is also a major contributor to training Ukrainian troops in everything from basic military skills to flying F-16s.
Norway is also a leader in the Ukraine maritime coalition working to develop the Ukrainian navy, work which includes the training of Ukrainian marines.
Odds & Ends
🇪🇸
Tourists were once considered an economic gold mine but it appears the winds of change are blowing. Over the weekend tens of thousands of people demonstrated on the streets of the Canary Islands against unending waves of tourists that constantly pour onto the islands.
Canarias se Agota (The Canary Islands are Sold Out) Spokesperson Víctor Martín:
“We have reached a point where the balance between the use of resources and the welfare of the population has broken down, especially over the past year.”
2.2 million people live in the Canary Islands with 34% of them at risk of poverty or social exclusion according to the BBC. The island chain is the second poorest region in all of Spain. Last year, the islands had 13.9 million visitors.
Other tourism destinations around the world have also indicated that the sheer number of tourists has become a growing problem with varying efforts being made to try and limit their numbers. Those include different avenues of tourism taxation or most recently in the case of Amsterdam putting a hard cap on the number of hotels.
🇩🇰The Week Ahead Round Up🇩🇰
Monday, April 22:
Aarhus hosts Europe’s largest aviation conference beginning today. The three-day Routes Europe conference offers a robust agenda of meetings, debates, and seminars.
It takes place at the Aarhus Congress Center.
Find more information and an itinerary HERE.
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The annual ‘Danmark Spiser Sammen’ (Denmark eats together) event begins today. Running until April 28, participants are encouraged to organize parties and gatherings to bring people together to combat loneliness.
The event is organized by Folkebevægelsen mod Ensomhed and other partners. It takes place at various places around the country.
If you are interested in taking part you can find out more HERE.
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At the Odeon in Odense, you can catch Cinderella the Musical every day this week.
Showtimes are generally at either 4:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m.
Buy tickets HERE.
Thursday, April 25:
The annual Mozart Festival begins in Aarhus today. Taking place at Musikhuset Aarhus the festival focuses on Mozart’s greatest works and the musicians that inspired him.
The festival is celebrated with three concerts with the first this evening. The second will be held on Monday, April 29 and the third on Thursday, May 2.
The Musikhuset is located at Skovgaardsgade 2C in Aarhus.
For tickets to tonight’s concert click HERE. For tickets for Monday click HERE. And for Thursday’s concert click HERE.
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Copenhagen Airport will soon open a new terminal expanding the airport by 60,000 square meters. The new sections will include shops, restaurants, and a larger baggage claim area. Today politicians and members of the media will get a sneak peek.
Friday, April 26:
Today would have been a holiday in Denmark but Store Bededag (Great Prayer Day) was abolished as a holiday by the Danish government. Churches across the country will still hold special services to mark the occasion.
Danish trade unions will also use the day to register their displeasure with the government’s decision to abolish the holiday. They will hold a rally in Copenhagen, marching from Arbejdermuseet to Murergade in Nørrebro.
The protest begins at 1:00 p.m.
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At Tivoli in Copenhagen, the Friday Night Concert features a double bill with the boy band Page Four and Mekdes.
Things get rocking at 10:00 p.m.
Find out more information HERE.
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Over at Tivoli Friheden in Aarhus, the Friday Night Concert features the Danish artists Gobs and Maximillian.
The concert begins at 8:00 p.m.
You can buy tickets HERE.
Sunday, April 28:
Musikhuset Aarhus hosts the London Symphony Orchestra today. The legendary orchestra’s program includes Samuel Barber's Adagio, Vaughan Williams' 5th Symphony, and Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major.
The music begins at 5:30 p.m.
You can buy tickets HERE.
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In Superliga football action Odense will meet Hvidovre in a qualification game. The two teams will take to the field at Nature Energy Park in Odense.
The match begins at 2:00 p.m.
You can buy tickets HERE.