Monday Morning News & Notes
Finland a hydrogen powerhouse? Europe prepares for war.
🍃Environment & Energy⚡️
🇲🇽🇮🇳
There are two brutal heatwaves in opposite parts of the globe right now. A massive heat dome has settled over Mexico, with Mexico City breaking heat records pretty much daily. Over the weekend, it hit 34.7°C, the hottest day on record for the month of May. They began tracking weather records in Mexico City in 1877.
In India, it is even worse, with heat records shattering all over the country. In the north-west, it hit a record high of 50°C over the weekend.
🇩🇰
Randers Kommune is sounding the alarm about potential contamination of the groundwater. The municipality has found two bore holes that were left open by Nordic Waste, which were then covered during the landslide of dangerously polluted soil. The Kommune says this could have given the harmful substances an avenue to seep directly into the groundwater.
The municipality has excavated and closed one of the boreholes, while the other, which sinks 67 meters straight down into the groundwater, remains buried under the toxic sludge.
Danish Water and Wastewater Association Senior Consultant Claus Vangsgård told DR that this is a very concerning situation.
“After all, any groundwater pollution can, in the long run, pose a threat to the future extraction of drinking water. We are concerned that there is a groundwater resource that will not be able to be used in the future because they have failed to secure the boreholes against the risk of contamination.”
Vangsgård says it is “incomprehensible” that Nordic Waste would have let this happen. He says he has never seen anything like it.
Randers Municipality has, again, called police in over this latest discovery while it also works to excavate the second borehole in order to seal it off.
For its part, Nordic Waste is choosing to remain silent.
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Climate activist groups Scientist Rebelling and Extinction Rebellion targeted private airplane traffic at Copenhagen’s Kastrup airport over the weekend. Demonstrators blocked a road into the airport while holding a giant banner that read “Ban Private Airplanes.”
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Køge Kommune issued a no swimming advisory over the weekend after finding unsafe levels of coliform bacteria in the harbour waters, possibly indicating some kind of environmental or sewage pollution. The Kommune will take new water samples this morning, but results will take a few days to arrive. In the meantime, the municipality is asking people not to go in the water, especially if it is cloudy and smelly.
🇬🇱
The battle over the extraction of rare earth minerals will soon be waged in a courtroom in Greenland. Rare earth minerals are used in, among other things, smart phones, tablets, flat-screen TVs, LED lights, wind turbines, and electric vehicles. Greenland Minerals, an Australian mining company, is suing the Greenlandic government after it denied the company permission to mine for rare earth minerals in Southern Greenland. The country’s parliament, Naalakkersuisuts, denied the application because it violated the country’s Uranium Act. Greenland has banned all extraction of uranium and other radioactive minerals over environmental concerns. The country’s mining laws do allow for the government’s decisions over the extraction of raw materials to be challenged in court.
🇸🇪🇪🇺
With EU parliamentary elections rapidly approaching, a majority of the parties in the Swedish parliament are urging the European Union to enact new laws to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, including backing the effort with financial support.
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Urban farming is growing in popularity in Sweden, with municipalities across the country finding different ways to create urban farming communities.
Urban Gardening Author Ulrika Flodin Furås:
“The joint cultivations have increased in the last ten years. The first started around 2010 in Sweden. On the one hand, interest in cultivation has increased, but the awareness of property owners and municipalities has also changed.”
Fueling interest in urban farming has been the energy crisis, followed quickly by soaring inflation in Sweden, which saw food prices rocket upward. People began to look for alternatives and quickly zeroed in on growing their own food.
The benefits don’t just include growing your own fruits and vegetables, community gardening also helps people deal with social isolation, improves mental health, and increases biological diversity in crowded urban environments.
🇫🇮
Finland could become a European leader in the rapidly growing hydrogen industry. The EU’s European Hydrogen Bank has given Finnish company Nordic Ren-Gas a €45 million grant to build a hydrogen production plant north of Helsinki.
Confederation of Finnish Industries Chief Policy Advisor Janne Peljo says that Finland has a lot to offer when it comes to building out the hydrogen industry. Pelio says that Finland generates a lot of green electricity, the electricity is cheap, and it offers access to other cheap raw materials needed for the creation of hydrogen. According to the confederation there are currently more than €14 billion worth of hydrogen projects in varying stages of development in Finland. It is estimated that by 2035 the hydrogen industry could see the creation of as many as 100,000 jobs.
Earlier this month, the Geological Survey of Finland published a map showing that Finland has high concentrations of naturally occurring hydrogen. Ready made natural hydrogen is much more efficient for energy production than producing it artificially.
While Finland’s hydrogen industry is in its infancy some experts are comparing the situation to the same one that Norway was in, in the 1970s when it discovered vast oil and gas reserves.
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The three Olkiluoto nuclear power plants in Finland are killing a lot of fish. The plants use a lot of sea water for their cooling systems. According to a study done last year, 27.6 million fish were sucked into the nuclear power plant and killed. That is an estimated 42.4 tonnes of fish.
Fisheries economist Ilkka Tammela said in the study:
"The number of individual fish is, of course, huge, but in total, it is however made up of very small ones.”
According to the study, 95% of the fish killed weighed three grams or less.
🦠Outbreaks🦠
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In a move to ensure food safety amidst the ongoing avian flu outbreak, the US Department of Agriculture and Food Safety Inspection Service announced that viral particles were detected in tissue samples from one of the 96 cows tested. The discovery was made through PCR testing conducted by the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Importantly, the meat from these culled dairy cows did not enter the food supply.
The samples, including muscle tissues from the diaphragm, were collected as part of routine safety checks. The USDA emphasized that these were viral fragments and not live viruses. A postmortem examination of the infected cow revealed signs of illness, prompting immediate safety protocols, including notifying the producer for further investigation.
Meanwhile, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development reported that the H5N1 virus has been identified in three additional dairy herds. These findings were confirmed by the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, with the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory also validating the results. Pending confirmations are awaited for the other two herds. Michigan now leads the nation with 21 affected dairy herds across 10 counties, highlighting the ongoing challenges posed by the avian flu outbreak in the U.S. agricultural sector.
🦠 ✈️
A recent study has shed light on the risks of COVID transmission during air travel, revealing that longer flights significantly increase the chances of spreading the virus. The research, which analyzed flights before COVID vaccines were available, found that passengers on medium and long flights were much more likely to contract the virus compared to those on shorter flights, particularly when masks were not mandated.
The study reviewed 50 flights, categorizing them by duration: short (<3 hours), medium (3-6 hours), and long (>6 hours). It found that medium flights without enforced masking saw a 4.66-fold increase in infection transmission rates, while long flights without masking saw a staggering 25.93-fold increase. However, on long flights where strict mask-wearing was enforced, no cases of transmission were reported, highlighting the critical role of masks in mitigating coronavirus spread while on an airplane.
These findings are particularly important as they provide concrete evidence supporting the enforcement of using masks on flights to reduce the infection risk. The study emphasizes that even a one-hour increase in flight duration can increase the transmission rate by 1.53 times, underscoring the heightened risk associated with longer flights. This research could guide airlines and public health officials in developing policies to ensure safer air travel, particularly in the face of potential future pandemics.
The study in full is HERE.
🦠 🌎
A new report from the World Health Organization has found that the COVID pandemic has undone a decade of progress in life expectancy rates. According to the report, global life expectancy levels have now reverted to those seen in 2012. "Not only has the pandemic set back healthy longevity worldwide by years, it also reversed the previous trends of shifting disease burden to noncommunicable diseases," the WHO stated. The most significant impacts were observed in the Americas and Southeast Asia, where life expectancy at birth dropped by a staggering three years between 2019 and 2021.
The report highlights that in 2020 and 2021, COVID was the leading cause of death in the Americas, and communicable diseases became a major cause of death globally, something that has not been the case for almost two decades. In 2019, noncommunicable diseases accounted for seven of the top ten causes of death worldwide. However, by 2021, COVID-19 had become the second and third leading causes of death in upper-middle-income and high-income countries, respectively. The shift marked a dramatic return to pre-2005 levels, where communicable diseases caused a significant proportion of global deaths.
The pandemic's effects on life expectancy were immediate and profound, particularly in middle-and high-income countries. Global life expectancy at birth dropped by 0.7 years to 72.5 years in 2020 and by a further 1.1 years to 71.4 years in 2021, reaching the levels last seen in 2012. Women and men, who had gained an average of 6.5 and 6.2 years, respectively, from 2000 to 2019, saw those gains suddenly eroded away. The WHO report underscores the pandemic's severe impact on public health, calling for renewed efforts to address the shifting disease burden and restore global life expectancy trends.
🇳🇴
Over the past two winters, Norway has experienced a significant surge in serious streptococcal A infections (iGAS), particularly impacting children under 10 and the elderly over 70. According to data from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, the number of cases has sharply increased, peaking in January 2024 with nearly three times the expected number of cases. This rise has prompted the institute to extend monitoring for infection activity. The causes behind this spike are not fully understood, but the working theory is that reduced exposure to infections during the pandemic may have weakened immunity in the population.
Streptococcus A is a common bacterium responsible for various mild infections like strep throat, but it can occasionally lead to severe conditions like blood poisoning, toxic shock, chicken pox, and necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease. The data revealed that the respiratory tract was the entry point for nearly half of the severe infections among the two most vulnerable populations.
Doctor Yngvild E. Bentdal:
“The reason for the increase in serious streptococcal A infections is not clear. Several hypotheses have been mentioned, such as, for example, that the infection control measures during the pandemic led to fewer infections and thus the immune system isn’t as able to fight infections. This may have led to lower immunity in the population. There is also a generally higher risk of serious bacterial infections after viral infections such as chicken pox, influenza, and the RS virus. When there are a lot of viral infections, as there often is in the winter season, the number of streptococcal A infections will therefore also increase.”
While case numbers appear to have stabilized, the institute is urging public health authorities and doctors to remain vigilant.
Norway is not alone, as many countries around the world have also recorded significant increases in Streptococcus A infections since COVID restrictions were all lifted.
🇺🇦Ukraine/ Russia War🇷🇺
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Reuters, citing four sources close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, reported over the weekend that Putin is open to a ceasefire in Ukraine, but only if the front lines are frozen where they are.
Ukraine was immediately critical of the news, with Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba saying he simply isn’t buying it. Politicians from the Baltic states to Poland, along with some Russian experts, called this development a Russian ploy that would allow it time to rebuild its military.
Lithuania’s Foreign Affairs Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis:
“We've got it backwards. De-escalation secures peace in Russia, but not in Ukraine.”
Putin himself, while Russian forces bombed the Ukrainian equivalent of a Home Depot over the weekend, claimed Russia has always been open to negotiations while also rhetorically asking himself who they should talk to. Russia doesn’t recognize the Ukrainian government as being legitimate, which is odd considering the five rounds of negotiations between Russia and the Ukrainian government it doesn’t recognize that went nowhere in 2022.
Recent history also works against him. Since the breakup of the USSR, Russia has executed various wars through proxies that have resulted in frozen conflicts as a strategy to try and block NATO expansion. In 1994, Russia signed the Budapest Memorandum that gave security guarantees to Ukraine if it gave up its nuclear weapons, which it did. Russia would then wage war against Ukraine through proxies in the Donbas. Then, in 2014, Russia illegally annexed Crimea, leading to his invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In June, 160 countries were invited to a peace summit in Switzerland. Russia has refused to participate.
🇺🇦
Ukraine’s armed forces could soon be adding thousands of new recruits. The Ukrainian government gave some prisoners the option of joining the military, and since that door was opened, over 3,000 convicts have signed up.
The convicts will have to undergo a series of evaluations before they can officially enlist. People convicted of serious crimes like rape, murder, and drug crimes were not allowed the option to serve.
🇮🇹🇨🇦🇫🇷🇩🇪🇯🇵🇬🇧🇺🇸/ 🇷🇺
In the aftermath of European politicians agreeing to use the huge amount of interest on billions in frozen Russian funds and assets, the G7 countries might follow suit. Finance ministers from the G7 countries, seven of the world’s largest economies, gathered in Italy over the weekend. The big topic on the table was whether or not to use frozen Russian assets to help fund the war effort in Ukraine. The G7 countries - Italy, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Great Britain, and the United States - have frozen some $300 billion (USD) in Russian funds and assets between them since the invasion of Ukraine.
🇫🇮🇱🇻🇱🇹🇪🇪🇵🇱/ 🇷🇺
Europe continues to prepare in the event of an all out war with Russia. Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, are working together to build what is called ‘The Baltic Defense Line.’ It is a chain of fortifications and concrete bunkers designed to stop Russian forces at the border, allowing for tactical evacuations of nearby civilian populations, and to buy time for reinforcements from its allies to arrive.
In Poland, the government announced a €2.5 billion project to drastically scale up border security along its borders with Belarus and Russia, which includes the building of fortifications.
Finland is taking a different approach. Instead of seeking to stop Russian invaders cold at the country’s borders, its plan is to lure them in and then use Finland’s geography and dense forests to grind enemy forces down.
Military Policy Expert Lieutenant Colonel Juhani Pihlajamaa:
“The Finnish thinking has been to allow the enemy to advance a little inward and then beat them back.”
At the EU level, the European Union has set up a European Defense Fund to support joint defense industrial projects between member countries. The creation of a new Defense Commissioner post is also gaining a lot of traction.
🇩🇰
Denmark and seven other EU countries are seeking a dynamic change in how Ukraine gets ammunition, drones, and other instruments of war. Defense ministers from Denmark, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, Finland, Poland, and the Netherlands have signed a letter to European Union agencies asking the focus to be shifted to building out Ukraine’s defense industry.
Danish Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen told DR that Ukraine has the capacity to manufacture ammunition, artillery, and drones itself. In fact, several recent weapons donations from Denmark have already included funding to be directly invested in Ukraine’s defense industry. Last month, Denmark announced it would invest 200 million Danish kroner (about $39 million Cdn) directly into the Ukrainian defense sector.
“This is a change of track. It is primarily because the Ukrainian defense industry has a large unused capacity.”
Poulsen says that arms and ammunition will be produced faster and cheaper if they are made in Ukraine. He says it would also mean spare parts and maintenance for the things Ukraine produces itself will also be much easier to access.
“This will mean that the speed at which the Ukrainians can get things delivered to the battlefield is going to be much stronger. And then they get stronger military muscle because they get a stronger defense industry. It is in both their and our interests.”
Whether the letter results in a shift in how Europe approaches future weapons donations to Ukraine is up to the European Union. The EU will respond at some point, likely via the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, Josep Borrell.
🇪🇺🇩🇰🇺🇦
Europe still owes Ukraine around 500,000 artillery shells, the missing half of the one million artillery rounds the EU promised to deliver to Ukraine over a year ago. This is while stockpiles of the country’s making the donations badly need to be restocked.
Denmark’s Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen says the security situation with an aggressive Russia has put a serious emphasis on the need for Europe’s defense industry to be able to stand on its own two feet.
“One of the absolutely crucial things is that we must be able to be almost self-sufficient in ammunition.”
According to the European Commission, out of all the billions of euros worth of military donations to Ukraine, just a fifth have gone to European defense manufacturers. The lion’s share comes from the mammoth U.S. defense industry.
Poulsen says that needs to change.
“We will never give up buying American equipment. It remains absolutely essential for European security. But we must become less dependent on them. A potential 50/50 model should be something we strive for. But it won't happen today or tomorrow.”
🇫🇮🇳🇴🇱🇻🇪🇪🇱🇹🇵🇱
Finland is joining Norway, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Poland in the creation of what the countries are calling a “drone wall” to protect NATO’s eastern border with Russia. The news was first announced by Lithuanian Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė in a discussion with the Baltic News Service on Friday.
"The entire region is facing similar threats coordinated by Russia and Belarus, instrumentalization of migration, cyberattacks, disinformation, sabotage of critical infrastructure, and other hybrid threats. Therefore, we need joint efforts to increase resilience and readiness to counter these threats. First of all, we have to think about the evacuation of the population on a regional scale, as well as the protection of the external border of the EU with drones.”
On Saturday, Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen confirmed that Finland is joining the initiative. On the Finnish current affairs program Ykkösaamu, she said that the goal is to protect the border with Russia from provocations and smuggling by using drones.
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In February of last year, Denmark, alongside Germany and the Netherlands, promised to refurbish up to 100 Leopard 1 battle tanks that had been decommissioned and donate them to Ukraine. While it sounded like a good idea at the time, in reality, that promise has gone up in smoke due to a myriad of serious issues. According to an investigation by Denmark’s national broadcaster, DR, the aging tanks had so many problems that Ukraine actually refused to take them. Among the numerous issues were guns that wouldn’t fire, electrical and hydraulic systems that didn’t work, important parts that were missing, and faulty targeting computers.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen acknowledged the problems with the Leopard tanks and other donations involving old gear and weapons.
“There have been challenges along the way with some of the donations. We were entering uncharted territory. Not least, the question of training, maintenance, and the spare parts for what was donated has presented challenges.”
🇸🇪🇺🇦/ 🇷🇺
Sweden has taken a side in the debate over whether weapons donated to Ukraine can or cannot be used to hit targets inside of Russia. Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson says Ukraine is free to use weapons donated by Sweden to hit any target it feels is of high value, be it in occupied Ukraine or in Russia.
Ukraine has expressed frustration over the reservations placed on some weapons donations by, among others, the United States that do not allow Ukraine to use them to attack targets inside Russia. This is despite many of the devastating missiles and bombs raining down on Ukraine being fired from Russia.
The US secretary of state has opened the door to lifting the restriction, and NATO's Jens Stoltenberg has said Ukraine's right to defend itself includes attacking targets inside Russia.
🇸🇪/ 🇷🇺
With Sweden and Finland joining NATO, Russia has a lot less freedom of movement in the Baltic Sea, which is now sewn up by alliance member countries. The Supreme Commander of Sweden’s Armed Forces, Micael Bydén, says this puts even more focus on the strategically important island of Gotland. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Sweden has been working hard to fortify the island, including moving enough soldiers, arms, ammunition, and other supplies to ensure the island’s garrison could keep fighting for months on their own if need be.
“With Sweden and Finland in NATO, the Baltic Sea is a NATO sea. It's getting harder for Russia to have free room to maneuver. This means that certain areas in the Baltic Sea region are important to them. Gotland is one, and there are other islands in the Baltic Sea.”
The Swedish Armed Forces recently held a major field exercise on Gotland that included 20 other national authorities, including the Riksbank, Sweden’s national bank. Bydén says that “Russia has always had its eyes on Gotland,” but his chief concern is Russia’s so-called hybrid war efforts, finding ways to try and sow division between allied countries and among their populations.
“When it comes to Russian action and non-linear warfare, we see time and time again examples of it. The most recent example is about drawing boundaries where the rule-based order is challenged. It is always looking for new ways to create provocations.”
During NATO wargames, the first move of which ever country is role playing Russia is to take Gotland in a first step to control the Baltic.
🇫🇮/ 🇷🇺
Finland’s controversial border security legislation, dubbed the “pushback law,” is being defended by Interior Minister Mari Rantanen. She said it is intended to give Finland a powerful tool to combat Russia’s weaponization of immigration. Rantanen says, if passed in the legislature, the bill would block migrants from applying for asylum except in some special cases, for children, disabled people, or people at risk of torture or death if they are returned to their home country. All other illegal migrants would be deported back to Russia, even if Russia refused to take them. The minister didn’t specify how Finnish authorities would be able to do that in practical terms.
The proposed law has been heavily criticized by an array of groups, including the UN Refugee Agency.
Finland has closed its land border with Russia indefinitely after Russian authorities sent thousands of undocumented migrants to the Finnish border last fall.
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Finnish authorities are looking into reports of an unidentified aircraft spotted flying along the Russian side of the border with Finland. The flight was first reported by the online flight monitoring service Flightradar24 on Thursday afternoon. It shows a plane taking off and landing from St. Petersburg airport.
🇩🇰/ 🇷🇺
Danish biotechnology company Novonesis has pulled out of Russia. The company had been in a bit of a pickle because it was born of a merger between Novozymes and Chr. Hansen. Prior to the merger, Novozymes had ended all of its business in Russia due to the war in Ukraine, but Chr. Hansen hadn’t. Now the company has ironed out the wrinkles, and under its new brand, it has ended all business in Russia.
🇮🇳🇷🇺
India is buying more and more Russian oil despite western sanctions. Last month, India’s oil imports from Russia hit a nine month high with 1.8 million barrels of Russian being imported, a 8.2% increase from March.
India is the world's third largest buyer and consumer of oil and is one of Russia's main oil customers.
Odds & Ends
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Opposition continues to build against mass tourism. Over the weekend, 10,000 people on the Spanish island of Mallorca demonstrated against the never-ending flood of tourists. People carried signs like “Mallorca is not for sale” while marching through the streets of the resort city. Demonstrators told the media covering the event they want a ban on the sale of property to anyone who has lived for less than five years on Mallorca or its sister islands, as well as a crackdown on rentals. Some 14.4 million tourists flood into the tropical island chain every year, which is more than the population of the islands.
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The European Union has fined American chocolate giant Mondelēz International €337.5 million for unfair business practices. The chocolate giant, which is behind brands like Oreo, Toblerone, Cadbury, and Daim, was accused of breaching EU competition rules in order to keep prices artificially high.
EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager says in 22 instances, the company’s actions have directly impacted consumers because they "have ended up paying more for chocolate, biscuits, and coffee.”
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Copenhagen Council is cracking down on advertising that is hung from scaffolding around the city. Companies have been taking advantage with city bylaws, not really addressing the issue. Technology and Environment Line Barfod says the council will now close that loophole, calling the current situation “the Wild West.” The city will ban scaffolding advertising entirely in historic areas like Kongens Nytorv and Nyhavn. It will also introduce a fee to hang the advertising.
🇫🇮
The birth rate across the Nordics continues to drop like a rock. Finland is the latest Scandinavian country to report that a record low number of babies were born last year. 43,383 babies were born in Finland in 2023, which equals a birth rate of 1.76, the lowest in the country’s history. The average age of first-time mothers in Finland rose to 30.3 years old; for fathers, it was 32.2.
🇳🇿
Talk about a feather in your cap. Someone paid about $38,000 Canadian for a single feather from a now extinct bird. That was much higher than the feather had been assessed at by the auction house. It makes it the most expensive feather ever sold at auction.
The feather was from a Huia bird from New Zealand. The last one ever seen was spotted in 1907.
🇩🇰The Week Ahead Round Up🇩🇰
Monday, May 27:
Copenhagen hosts the 2024 World News Media Congress, beginning today and running until Wednesday. The conference will focus on the impacts of artificial intelligence on the news industry. It features journalists and experts from all over the world.
The convention takes place at the Tivoli Hotel & Congress Center on Arni Magnussons Gade 2.
You can buy tickets, see a full itinerary, and learn more HERE.
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Do you love to play backgammon? Every Monday through the summer, you can join other enthusiasts for an evening of backgammon at Storms Pakhus in Odense. You can also enjoy the delicious food and drink on offer at the best street food venue on Fyn.
Event details are on Facebook.
Tuesday, May 28:
Come and see the largest theater production in Northern Europe. Ragnarok, the ancient Viking story, leading to the battle between the giants and the gods, is told in a thrilling fashion at the outdoor theater at the Moesgaard Museum in Aarhus.
Shows run every day of the week except for Sunday and Monday. The production runs until June 29.
You can see the schedule and buy tickets HERE.
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The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is holding a special event on Sjælland where they will release endangered butterflies at Knudshoved Odde. The WWF has been doing this for several years now in a bid to save the butterflies and help restore the biodiversity of the area.
The butterflies will be released at noon. Denmark’s Queen Mary will be attending the event.
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There is a big car rally at the stunning Kalø slotsruin (Castle Ruins) just north of Aarhus. This happens every Tuesday night until September 24.
Come and see an amazing variety of cars and wander the picturesque castle ruins.
Event details are on Facebook.
Wednesday, May 29:
The Distortion Street Festival begins in Copenhagen today. The event ends on June 2. The festival, a celebration of street life and new dance music, takes place all over Copenhagen. It usually draws in excess of 100,000 attendees and is now one of the largest festivals in Northern Europe.
You can buy tickets HERE.
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The International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN) will host its annual general assembly in Copenhagen today. The organization offers refuge for persecuted artists, writers, journalists, and others. More than 300 people are expected to attend, including artists, writers, human rights advocates, and journalists who have been persecuted.
Copenhagen became an ICORN City of Refuge in 2010.
The three day assembly ends on Friday. It takes place at venues around the city.
Learn more HERE.
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The summer Wednesday night jazz concerts begin today at the iconic Tivoli amusement park in Copenhagen.
Shows take place three times a night at 7:00 p.m, 8:00 p.m, and 9:00 p.m.
Find out more HERE.
Thursday, May 30:
Internationally and nationally known classic music artists will play in Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen every Thursday night, beginning today.
You can see the full summer program and buy tickets HERE.
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CPH Stage, Copenhagen’s celebrated theater festival, begins today. It ends on June 8. Taking place in venues around the city, the festival features plays, theater, dance, performance art, readings, and other activities.
You can see the full program and buy tickets HERE.
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The 2024 European Maritime Day will be held in Svendborg this year. The event begins today and ends on Friday. Europe’s maritime community will gather in the picturesque Danish city to tackle important issues, including transitioning maritime industries to a sustainable economy. Keynote speakers include notable people from the European Commission and Denmark’s Industry Minister Morten Bødskov.
It takes place at the Svendborg International Maritime Academy on Nordre Kajgade 9A.
You can find more information HERE.
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Are you fascinated by robots? Then head to Denmark’s robotics capital in Odense. The two-day ROBOTBRAG 2024 event begins today with more than 70 robotics exhibitors and specialists. During the event, a new Space Robotics Lab will also be inaugurated.
It takes place at the Teknologisk Institut at Odense Forskerparken 10.
You can find out more (in Danish) HERE.
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Think Tank Europe holds its annual conference in Copenhagen this year. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is the event’s keynote speaker.
It begins at 1:00 p.m. at Gorrissen Federspiel Advokatpartnerselskab, Axeltorv 2.
You can learn more about the event HERE.
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For football fans, the roster for the Danish men’s national team for the EURO UEFA tournament in Germany will be officially announced today. The championship begins on June 14.
The roster will be announced at 3:30 p.m. at the Dansk Boldspil Union offices in Brøndby.
Friday, May 31:
Salling in Aarhus is holding a grand opening of its newly revamped shopping areas, including the addition of a giant new shoe section.
The event begins with an official ribbon cutting at 10:00 a.m. followed by music, goodie bags, and other festivities.
You can find the big Salling store on the Aarhus gågade.
More details are HERE.
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If you are in Aarhus, the awesome Salling rooftop summer Friday night series continues with DJ Rasmus P spinning music. Aperol spritz drinks are also 2 for 1.
Over at the Salling rooftop in Aalborg, DJ Stuf is holding court, and the same drink special is also on offer.
In both cities, the event begins at 4:00 p.m. and ends at 7:00 p.m.
More information HERE.
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Celebrated artist Ai Weiwei will install his ‘Water Lillies #1’ art piece at Ordrupgaard Art Museum in Charlottenlund today. The spectacular work is 15 meters long and uses more than 650,000 LEGO bricks. It is Weiwei’s single biggest LEGO artwork to date. It will remain at the museum until January of next year.
You can find the museum at Vilvordevej 110 in Charlottenlund, just north of Copenhagen.
You can learn more HERE.
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The Madens Folkemøde begins today at Engestofte Gods in Lolland. The weekend long conference focuses on the sustainability transition for food production and how Denmark can become a world leader in the sustainable production of food.
There will be debates, presentations, and, of course, lots of delicious food and drink.
Engestofte Gods is located Søvej 10, in Maribo.
Find out more about the event HERE.
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The Danish national women’s football team plays against Spain today. The match, a EURO 2025 qualifier, takes place in Vejle.
It begins at 7:00 p.m. at Vejle Stadion (stadium).
You can buy tickets HERE.
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The Friday Night Rock Concert at Tivoli in Copenhagen features Krebsfalch.
The concert begins at 10:00 p.m.
You can learn more about the band and buy tickets HERE.
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Over at Tivoli Friheden in Aarhus, legendary Danish rockers D-A-D will celebrate their 40th anniversary with a big show tonight.
The concert starts at 8:00 p.m.
You can buy tickets HERE.
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The two-day Rosenholm Music Festival begins today and ends on Saturday. The festival offers music for all ages, food, drinks, and other activities.
It takes place at Hornslet in Djursland.
See the full performance schedule and learn more HERE.
Saturday, June 1:
Aarhus Pride takes place today. The parade starts at 11:00 a.m, followed by different events and an after-party going long into the wee hours of the morning.
You can find all the information you need HERE
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Come join the party at the Vestergade Street Festival in Aarhus today. The event offers street food, flea markets, live music, and a whole bunch of activities for all ages.
You can learn more on Facebook.
Sunday, June 2:
The Folkets Klimamarch’ (Climate March) takes place in Copenhagen. The demonstration is timed to send a message about the importance of fighting climate change ahead of this summer’s EU parliamentary elections.
You can learn more about the event on Facebook.