The Evening Report - May 23
World’s coral under threat. Russia steps up efforts to mess with the West.
🍃Environment & Energy⚡️
🌍
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has published maps comparing previous global coral bleaching events with the extremely worrying one that is currently unfolding.
Researchers rank heat stress on a scale of 1 to 5, with five being the marine equivalent of a category 5 hurricane in terms of impact on global coral reef systems.
The agency says the 2014 to 2017 event is still considered the longest, most widespread, and most damaging coral bleaching event on record. However, it anticipates that the current global bleaching epidemic will surpass it in severity in the next few weeks. Since the beginning of 2023, due to unprecedented marine heat waves, over 60% of the world’s coral has been bleached white. The catastrophe hasn’t left an ocean untouched and is continuing to get worse. Coral bleaching has been confirmed by 62 countries and territories around the world.
“What makes the current, ongoing event stand out is the amount of accumulated heat stress across the Atlantic Ocean basin. None of the previous global bleaching events showed such severe and widespread heat stress throughout the Atlantic. Within the past year, 99.7% of Atlantic tropical reef areas have experienced bleaching-level heat stress.”
The NOAA says that coral bleaching was an unheard of event before the end of the 20th century. Since then, there have been four global mass coral bleaching events.
🌍 🇩🇰
Climate change is causing the colour of the seas around us to change. It might not be noticeable to the naked eye, but in a study published in the science journal Nature, by comparing satellite images from NASA over the last two decades, an estimated 56% of the oceans on earth have changed colour. In some places, the sea is becoming greener, and in others, more blue. The colour change is especially noticeable in the Atlantic around the Nordic countries, where the water is becoming greener.
Researchers believe the colour change in the North Atlantic and the Norwegian Sea is caused by increasing amounts of chlorophyll in the water. The study says chlorophyll levels in 2023 were 200 to 500 times higher than the average from 1998 to 2020.
DTU Aqua Oceanography Professor Colin Stedmon says rising ocean temperatures are playing a significant role. But he adds that there are a lot of other factors at play as well.
“South of the Faroe Islands and north of Iceland, we have seen that the water is becoming greener, primarily because higher temperatures produce more phytoalgae. But even if the sea temperature rises elsewhere, it does not necessarily mean that the color of the sea changes everywhere.”
Stedmon uses the Baltic Sea as an example of what happens when the delicate balance governing an ecosystem tips out of control. In the Baltics, a flood of nutrients from things like nitrogen from agricultural fertilizers has upset the balance, allowing algae to take over.
“The Baltic Sea has changed into a more dead sea, where plankton algae are part of the problem. Nutrition can be positive to some extent, but if it becomes too much, the system ends up out of balance, and this can ultimately mean that habitats and fish disappear.”
🌎
Populations of migratory freshwater fish around the globe have declined by 80%, according to a new report from the World Wide Fund for Nature. The WWF examined 284 migratory fish populations, including eels, salmon, and trout, that migrate back and forth between fresh and salt water. The nature agency says that due to water pollution and the destruction of fish habitats, populations have dramatically declined. The worst areas are in Central America and Europe, where migratory fish populations have plummeted by 75%.
🇩🇰
Former Danish Prime Minister, and now Foreign Affairs Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen says he is in part to blame for the environmental crisis impacting Denmark’s inland waters.
“I also have a responsibility myself. Back in 2015, we made a package in which we set some targets for a nitrogen reduction, which we have not achieved.”
In 2015, it was the government led by Rasmussen that reached an agreement that would offer financial incentives for farmers to reduce their nitrogen seepage from fertilizers from farmland into nearby waterways. But it was all entirely voluntary,w despite warnings at the time from experts that the agreement wouldn’t work and would result in more damage to the marine environment.
Rasmussen, who also leads the Danish Moderates Party, has conceded they should have approached things “a little differently.” He says that the marine environment and agriculture must be included in the fight against climate change, on the same table at the Danish government level and especially at the EU level.
Rasmussen, in admitting some of the blame, also issued a sobering assessment about reaching goals set by the EU to ensure good ecological conditions in all Danish waterways by 2027.
“We won't reach our goal. What you have to understand here is that an immediate effort today will not make the problem go away tomorrow. You have to be honest about that. But it must be an incentive for us to make some decisions as soon as possible.”
Agriculture accounts for 70% of all nitrogen emissions into the marine environment. Huge swaths of the Kattegat Strait and the Baltic Sea have essentially been turned into dead zones. This is due to catastrophically low oxygen levels in the water that have wiped out invertebrate species and chased away fish and other marine life.
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Once world leaders in wind energy, Europe and especially Denmark, are at risk of being rapidly eclipsed by a tidal wave of cheap Chinese wind turbines
Business Journalist, and expert on China, Christina Boutrup, appeared on DR’s business podcast, Sorte Tal.
“When the Chinese wind turbine manufacturers bid on projects in, for example, the EU, their wind turbines are up to 50 percent cheaper than, for example, Vestas' or Siemens', it is a challenge. But in addition, they can offer three years of financing, which means that you basically don't have to pay a penny for the first few years. It is very difficult for a private European company to compete with.”
Boutrup says the Chinese government is heavily subsidizing wind turbine manufacturers. In April, the EU Commission launched a high priority investigation over suspicions that Chinese wind turbine companies are benefiting from illegal state funding for the specific purpose of undercutting European manufacturers.
She says that the Chinese government has been investing staggering amounts of money into green energy initiatives, like wind and solar.
“In 2022, China invested more than the rest of the world combined in wind and solar energy. And in 2023, it was twice as much as the entire world combined. It's completely wild, and you're starting to see that in Chinese society.”
Boutrup says the EU could place punishing tariffs on Chinese wind turbines and solar power cells, but at best that would keep the threat at bay for a couple of years. She says that to truly compete, not just in Europe but globally, European wind manufacturers need to drop their prices.
“There is the price war on wind turbines, which we now see moving to Europe. And that's what makes it so difficult. We cannot just say that we are up against the Chinese state. Right now, it's simply the wildest price war.”
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The Danish government has cleared away regulatory hurdles in order to make it easier to install solar cells on the rooftops of commercial buildings and public institutions.
Green Power Denmark Renewable Energy Head Camilla Holbech applauds the move.
“It is positive that the government will now make it easier to get solar cells on rooftops. We need all the green power from solar cells we can get, primarily from large field installations, but also from rooftop installations. Otherwise, we will not achieve the political goal of quadrupling solar and wind energy green power production.”
In the same breath, Holbech noted that the government also needs to dramatically reduce red tape in the construction of land-based solar farms. She says that the installation of solar cells dropped by 70% last year.
“Solar cells on roofs are an important contribution to our climate goals, but if we really want to move, we must make it easier to build solar cells on land and ensure a clear framework for access to land. The government's solar cell executive order unfortunately puts municipalities and companies in a very difficult situation in relation to guidelines for solar cells.”
Green Power Denmark is urging the government to rethink distance requirements between solar farms and homes, as well as the exclusion of some areas where solar cells could be installed but are currently not allowed.
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Kolding Kommune is taking the unusual step of hanging signs around some 170 trees in the Kommune to tell people about all the good things trees do for the environment. In a new campaign, the signs tell people about how much CO2 the trees absorb and their importance in providing a habitat for birds, animals, and fungi. The municipality hopes that the messages will be taken to heart so people understand how important trees are and why we need to take better care of them.
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Largely agricultural Denmark has found itself in a paradox, according to the Danish Beekeepers Association its crops need pollination, but it has also managed to almost eradicate bees. The association says that with huge areas of monoculture croplands and a lack of natural areas with flowers, Denmark has created a desert that bees cannot traverse.
Nature Guide Morten D. D. Hansen spoke to DR.
“The agricultural consideration is that you actually need the bees to pollinate the plants, and when you eradicate their habitats, you are fucked. Some bees are doing excellent, especially those who like garden flowers. But for other wild bees, when we set aside only five percent of the country's area for wild nature, then they have a hard time.”
The Beekeepers Association has written a letter to Denmark’s Food and Agriculture Minister stating that “the story of the bee and the flower must be taken seriously.”
Association Deputy Chair Alice Schou Nørgaard:
“We have made a kind of desert for the flying insects. We are therefore calling on the minister to give agriculture an incentive to plant with the insects in mind.”
Nørgaard says large contiguous nature areas full of wild flowers are desperately needed across the country. Farmers can also help not only by creating natural areas around their farmland but also by planting crops that flower and offer food for wild bees. The association says it would benefit the farmers because, without wild bees to pollinate their crops, there would ultimately be far less yield at harvest time.
🇸🇪
Despite recommendations to preserve a huge chunk of one of the last intact woodlands left in Europe, a Swedish Radio News investigation has found that deforestation has increased rapidly. State forest agencies have recommended that 500,000 hectares of the vast arctic forest in Jämtland-Härjedalen be protected in a huge nature reserve; however, successive Swedish governments have done nothing.
Radio Sweden compared a four-year-old map of the area of forest that was recommended to be protected with up to date satellite imagery. It found that some 6,300 hectares have been lost to clear-cutting in just the last few years.
The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation President Ulf Von Sydow lamented the loss of such a pristine and unique ecosystem.
“It is terrible and horribly shortsighted that a one-thousand year old ecosystem is being cut down. It can withstand storms, fires, and insect infestations, it is thriving and doing well.”
Most of the tree cutting takes place on private land within the forest. The government is blaming a lumber shortage due to Sweden ending its purchase of Russian lumber due to the invasion of Ukraine.
🇩🇰 ⚡️
People in Denmark used a record-high amount of electricity in the first quarter of the year. The Danish Energy Agency says electricity consumption shot up by over 8% compared to the first quarter of 2023. The agency say that is the highest electricity consumption ever recorded in Denmark. It says cheaper electricity prices, the country-wide transition from gas boilers to heat pumps, and a big increase in the number of electric cars, were all big factors.
🇩🇪🇬🇧
Construction has started on the German side for the NeuConnect power cable project. Once completed, it will be the first power transmission line connecting Germany with the UK. Construction on the British side began last summer. The 720 kilometer long power connector will be one of the largest of its kind, with a capacity of 1.4 gigawatts and a price tag of around €2.8 billion.
Once the power line comes online in 2028, electricity will be able to be imported and exported from both the UK and Germany.
In a ceremony to mark the beginning of construction, German Energy Minister Robert Habeck said the power line will supply “green electricity to Germany”implying Europe’s largest economy will continue to be a power importer. Back in 2021, then German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the project would allow power grids to share excess power, ensuring that “renewable energy is not wasted.”
The project relies on quite high electricity prices for a long time in order to recoup its significant costs.
🇪🇺
Inflation in the Euro area tread water from March to April, stating steady at 2.4%. Year over year, it has dropped from the 7% inflation of March 2023.
Lithuania (0.4%), Denmark (0.5%), and Finland (0.6%), had the lowest inflation rates. While the highest were recorded in Romania (6.2%), Belgium (4.9%), and Croatia (4.7%).
Month to month inflation fell in fifteen EU countries, remained stable in four, and rose in eight.
🦠Outbreaks🦠
🇺🇸
A second person in the United States has been confirmed to have contracted the bird flu in the ongoing avian flu outbreak. The U.S. Centre for Disease Control says the person tested positive in Michigan, and as in the first case, this person was a worker on a dairy farm and was in direct contact with infected cows.
“Based on the information available, this infection does not change the CDC’s current H5N1 bird flu human health risk assessment for the U.S. general public, which the agency considers to be low.”
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The ongoing avian flu outbreak in the United States continues to spread among dairy cows. The Michigan Department of Agriculture has reported three additional H5N1 avian flu outbreaks in dairy herds in the state. This development brings Michigan's total to 18 outbreaks in dairy cows across nine counties, making it the state with the highest number of such incidents. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently reported 51 dairy herd outbreaks across nine states, including new cases in Michigan and Idaho.
In a related yet separate incident, the H5N1 virus has been detected in two domestic cats in South Dakota, marking a concerning expansion of the virus. Unlike previous cases linked to infected raw milk consumption, these cats showed no connection to affected poultry or dairy farms. Since the H5N1 strain was first detected in the United States in early 2022, the virus has been detected in different animal species, mostly wildlife, including bobcats and mountain lions, species known to feed on infected wild birds.
Amidst these developments, the FDA is intensifying its efforts to ensure the safety of the nation’s milk supply. Recent updates include scientific studies to validate pasteurization’s effectiveness in inactivating H5N1. Preliminary tests on retail milk samples have been reassuring, showing no live virus presence. Additionally, the FDA has allocated $8 million to enhance surveillance, laboratory capacity, and biosecurity training. Concurrently, the CDC is bolstering flu surveillance and has initiated a pandemic risk assessment for the H5N1 strain affecting dairy cattle.
🇦🇺
Australia has recorded its first ever case of avian influenza in a human. A child who had returned to Australia from a trip to India tested positive after suffering a severe infection. Health authorities say the child has since made a full recovery. The Department of Health says the strain of bird flu the child was infected with is different than the strain currently sweeping through dairy cow herds in the United States.
“There is no evidence of transmission in Victoria, and the chance of additional human cases is very low as avian influenza does not easily spread between people.”
🇩🇰
COVID activity declined across Denmark last week according to the latest wastewater surveillance results. The Statens Serum Institute says virus activity was “at a low level.”
The influenza and RS virus seasons are over so what few respiratory infection-related hospitalizations registered last week were all coronavirus cases.
🇸🇪
In Sweden, COVID hospitalizations (44) have ebbed (-9) and the number of ICU admissions (1) also dropped (-9).
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The Swedish Public Health Agency says COVID activity has been at a low level for the last few weeks. During the first two weeks of May, there were 193 confirmed infections with a positivity percentage of 3%. Over the first two weeks of the month, there were ten COVID deaths. In the three weeks prior to that, the agency says there were on average five deaths a week. Half of all the recent coronavirus fatalities have been among seniors over 80.
From what little testing is still being done, the health agency says it looks like the JN.1 variant is dominant in Sweden.
Sweden is conducting a spring COVID booster dose campaign, the only country in the Nordics to do so. It doesn’t appear to be going very well, with the public health agency saying just over half of the target group, vulnerable seniors over 80, have gotten the jab.
🇳🇴
All is relatively quiet on the coronavirus front in Norway. After weathering a brutal winter with near simultaneous COVID, influenza, and RS virus infection waves things have been much improved so far this spring. The Norwegian Institute of Health says there is a “low incidence” of coronavirus activity. Respiratory virus-related hospitalizations continue to drop and are at levels that are actually much lower than in May of the previous two years.
The one fly in the ointment continues to be whooping cough with cases continuing to increase. The health agency says young people seem to be the hardest hit.
🇫🇮
Despite returning to near normal and the lifting of COVID restrictions, mental health challenges among young people in Finland remain a significant concern, according to a recent study by the Finnish Institute for Health. The study examined the mental health of young people in the aftermath of the first two years of the pandemic to determine if the ending of COVID restrictions had alleviated the surge in mental health issues observed during the pandemic. Unfortunately, the findings indicate otherwise.
Research Professor Jaana Suvisaari:
“None of the examined indicators showed a decrease in [mental health] symptoms, even close to pre-pandemic levels. It can no longer be said that the majority of young people are doing well. Especially girls.”
The situation is particularly dire among eighth and ninth-grade girls, whose mental health issues have not only persisted but worsened since the pandemic. According to the study, nearly 73% of young female respondents reported experiencing at least one mental health issue, with nearly half indicating multiple conditions. They reported issues such as generalized anxiety, depression, eating disorders, social fears, and suicidal thoughts. Over half of the girls reported suffering from social anxiety.
Conversely, while the number of mental health issues among boys has declined since the end of the pandemic, their situation remains worse than pre-pandemic levels, with about 33% of young male respondents reporting at least one mental health issue. Suvisaari pointed out that addressing such a widespread problem requires more than just improving access to treatment; broader social factors must be considered.
🇺🇸
COVID vaccines provide strong protection not just against severe infection, hospitalization, and death, they also dramatically decrease the chances of suffering from long-COVID. That is according to a new study published in Nature Communications. The study analyzed patient outcomes across eight major healthcare systems in the United States, focusing on people who tested positive for COVID between March 2021 and February 2022. Researchers meticulously matched 161,531 vaccinated patients with those who were unvaccinated using electronic health records. Among the vaccinated, 96.7% had received two doses of the vaccine, and fewer than 1% of all participants had evidence of reinfection.
The majority of these cases were identified between December 2021 and January 2022, coinciding with the dominance of the Omicron variant and higher vaccination rates in the US than exist now. The study, which followed patients for an average of 151 days, revealed a notably lower long-COVID risk in vaccinated individuals for nine out of the thirteen outcomes studied.
In a related note, we still need to learn more about long-COVID. A study published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases highlighted the global prevalence and research trends of long-COVID. It reported an incidence of 31% in North America, 44% in Europe, and 51% in Asia. The study noted a significant rise in the proportion of long-COVID studies focusing on potential treatments, increasing from 45.7% in 2020 to 64.9% in 2023. The United States led the way in conducting clinical studies on long-COVID, accounting for 18.6% of the research, followed by India and Spain. Despite these efforts, the authors emphasized the need for more long-COVID studies in Europe to better understand and address the condition in the region.
🇺🇦Ukraine/ Russia War🇷🇺
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy didn’t beat around the bush in several media appearances this week, as he said delays in delivering promised western weapons and ammunition have cost many lives. He was blunt in his frustration over the slow pace of military support from Ukraine’s allies.
Zelenskyy also added that Ukraine needs around 130 F-16 aircraft to effectively counter the 300 or so Russian combat jets operating in and around Ukraine.
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Politico is reporting that the first batch of Ukrainian pilots have graduated from F-16 training in the United States. It does not say how many pilots have graduated but does add that they are now en route to Europe for further training.
🇳🇱🇺🇦
Ten Ukrainians have graduated from F-16 fighter jet maintenance training in the Netherlands, according to the Dutch Defense Ministry.
“The F-16 pilots basically trust their lives to the military personnel who maintain the aircraft. When they take off, they know that they can rely on the knowledge and skills of these people and that the aircraft is in working order.”
The Netherlands has pledged to donate 24 of its F-16 fighters to Ukraine, with the first jets beginning to arrive this fall.
🇷🇺
Russia is doing everything in its limited power to try and intimidate Western nations that are arming and financing Ukraine. Russian forces have taken the first step in military exercises to train for the preparation and use of tactical nuclear weapons. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the exercises due to what he called “provocative threats” from the West.
🇪🇺
The European Union has reached an agreement to use the massive amounts of interest on frozen Russian funds and assets to help Ukraine’s war effort.
The interest alone on the massive amount of frozen Russian money is estimated to be around €3 billion in 2024 alone. The agreement states that 90% of those monies will be dedicated to military support for Ukraine, with the remaining 10% going to macro-financial support for Ukraine.
Sweden’s Foreign Affairs Minister Tobias Billström:
“Today's decision is an important step forward in compensating Ukraine for the extensive destruction caused by Russia's aggression. The decision is a result of the initiative that Sweden took during the Swedish EU presidency and an important part of the long-term support for Ukraine. . The government is positive about further and more far-reaching measures regarding Russia's immobilized assets as long as they are compatible with EU law and international law.”
Due to a mountain of sanctions levied against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, European central depositories and all banks in EU member countries are not allowed to transfer returns back to the Russian Central Bank. European banks then manage this huge sum of money as they would any other holdings, resulting in significant amounts of interest that continually accumulate.
🇷🇺/ 🇫🇮🇱🇹
According to an announcement on a Russian government website and reports in Russian media, Russia will try to unilaterally change its maritime borders with Finland and Lithuania. The two areas of concern are in the Gulf of Finland and around the Kaliningrad enclave on the Baltic Sea coast. Russia says the old demarcation zones marking its territorial waters were based on unreliable technology and need to be updated, which conveniently means claiming more of the sea in the two areas as now being Russian.
Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo says that Finnish authorities are investigating the news that Russia will unilaterally change its sea borders with Finland.
“The government is monitoring the situation closely. Russia has not been in contact with Finland about this matter. Finland acts as always: calmly and based on facts.”
Lithuania’s Foreign Affairs Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis didn’t pull any punches with his response.
“Another Russian hybrid operation is underway, this time attempting to spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt about their intentions in the Baltic Sea. This is an obvious escalation against NATO and the EU and must be met with an appropriately firm response.”
The announcement disappeared off a Russian government website several days after being posted.
🇷🇺/ 🇪🇪
In the dead of night, Russian border guards went out on the Narva River, separating Russia from Estonia, and removed buoys used to mark safe boating channels. According to the Estonian Border Guard, buoys are installed in Estonian waters every spring because of the constant changes to the riverbed over the winter months.
East Prefecture Board Guard Head Eerik Purgel:
“Before the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the installation of buoys largely passed by mutual agreement; then in 2023, Russia suddenly did not agree with Estonia’s positions regarding the location of the buoys. We decided to release the floating marks into the water for the summer season according to the 2022 agreement, because they are necessary to avoid navigational errors, so that our fishermen and other boaters do not accidentally wander into Russian waters.”
Every spring, 250 light buoys are installed in the river. So far this year, 50 buoys have been put in the water, with Russian border guards sneaking out to remove 24 of them. The Estonian Border Guard says it has reached out to Russian officials, asking what is going on and asking for the return of the buoys that were taken.
🇸🇪🇺🇦
The Swedish government has unveiled a three year 75 billion Swedish kroner (about $9.5 billion Cdn) financial support package for Ukraine. From next year until 2026, 25 billion Swedish kroner will be dedicated to Ukraine each year. This will push Sweden’s total financial support for Ukraine since the Russian invasion to over 100 billion SEK.
Defense Minister Pål Jonson:
“The plan does not mean that Sweden’s aid will end in 2026. If the situation should require, the government is ready to look into further support. The plan will cover all economic areas of Swedish military support for Ukraine. For example, donations of military aid and training of Ukrainian troops. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a threat to the entire democratic world. By providing a long-term plan for Sweden’s military aid, we show that we will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. It sends a clear message to Russia that time is not on its side.”
To date, Sweden has sent Ukraine 15 weapons packages totaling some 30 billion SEK.
🇳🇴/ 🇷🇺
Norway is tightening border controls with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. As of May 29, only Russian citizens with a good reason to travel will be allowed entry into Norway. The Norwegian Justice Ministry says that valid reasons for travel include Russians who reside in Norway, are visiting close family, or are students in a Schengen country. All other Russian citizens seeking to cross the border for non-essential reasons, even those with tourism visas, regardless of when or by which country they were issued, will be refused entry.
Norwegian Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl:
“The decision to tighten the entry rules is in line with the Norwegian approach of standing by allies and partners in the reactions against Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.”
Norwegian authorities say they will be keeping a close eye on the last remaining border crossing still open between Norway and Russia and “will take action if necessary.”
🇫🇮/ 🇷🇺
The Finnish government tabled its new deportation law this week. The legislation is in response to Russia weaponizing immigration and funneling thousands of undocumented migrants to the Finnish border last fall and winter. The crisis prompted Finland to close its land borders with Russia, and it will keep them closed indefinitely.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told reporters this week that the deportation bill was necessary because no other measure was sufficient to counteract the hybrid war efforts being exerted by Russia.
The legislation allows Finnish Border Guards to, under certain conditions, limit asylum applications at border crossings and deport migrants who have already crossed into Finland.
Interior Minister Mari Rantanen:
"Exceptions would apply to certain individuals who are particularly vulnerable or who would be at real risk of facing the death penalty, torture, or other degrading treatment in the state from which they have come to Finland.”
The legislation needs support from 83% of the parliament to become law. Even then, it would only be in force for a year.
🇬🇧🇫🇮/ 🇷🇺
Britain and Finland have reached an agreement this week to counter "the threat of Russian aggression.” The agreement was signed by both countries and will come into force by Monday. The two countries have agreed to work together to counter cyber threats, Russian misinformation, and other efforts by Russian to divide and destabilize the West. In the agreement, Russia is described as "the most prominent and direct threat to European peace and stability.”
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron:
“This strategic partnership, which is built on our shared values, will see the UK and Finland intensify cooperation to strengthen European security and seize new opportunities in science and technology to strengthen our ties.”
🇫🇮🇺🇸
Finland and the United States signed a declaration of intent on special forces cooperation this week.
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen:
“The declaration of intent supports the development of Finland's defense and deepens the existing cooperation framework with the United States. Examples of good cooperation between the countries' special forces are regular training events in the Baltic Sea region and northern Finland, as well as other training activities.”
🇵🇱/ 🇷🇺
Nine people allegedly involved in a Russian spy ring have been arrested in Poland.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk:
"We currently have nine suspects detained and indicted, who have been directly implicated in the name of Russian (intelligence) services in acts of sabotage in Poland.”
Tusk said that the alleged sabotage included beatings, arson, and attempted arson in Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and possibly even Sweden. One of the arson targets was an IKEA in Lithuania.
The nine have varied citizenships, including Polish, Ukrainian, and Belarusian.
🇬🇧/ 🇷🇺
Police in the UK have arrested a 64 year old man and charged him with assisting Russian intelligence. The man was arrested by counter-terrorism police and made his first court appearance on Thursday afternoon. While police haven’t disclosed any further information about the arrest, we do know the man was taken into custody under the new British National Security Act, giving police the power to detain people without a warrant if there is a reasonable suspicion they are involved "in foreign power threat activity.”
🇩🇰
A temporary military area set up in Aarhus harbour will remain in place a little longer than planned. East Jutland Police say that the restricted area will remain in place until at least June 30. It was supposed to be lifted on June 3. The police say this is due to delays in ship traffic. The closure is part of Denmark’s responsibility to provide what is called Host Nation Support under its NATO obligations. This usually involves the movement of arriving soldiers, military gear, and armoured vehicles, from places like the United States.
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The Danish government was presented with a number of options this week in terms of how to go about building new ships for the Danish navy. A committee of experts has been working on the proposal for almost two years, and this week they tabled their recommendations.
Danske Rederier's managing director, Anne H. Steffensen, was head of the committee. She says, depending on what politicians decide, a new warship could be built and on the water in four years.
“It takes time. Even if a quick decision is made to build warships in Denmark, the first ships will probably not be on the water until 2028 at the earliest.”
The options include the absolute top end, which is the construction of a national ship-building facility that could churn out warships down to a variety of more cost effective hybrid models.
“The decisive thing is that we get the warships we need. We have pointed out that there are various possibilities for providing what is needed to build warships in Denmark, if you choose to do so politically, and that is of course the key point.”
Speaking of the political decisions to come, Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen was on hand when the report was released.
“It is in Denmark's national security interest that we, with financial responsibility, strengthen our security of supply also in the maritime area. We would like to support that and also give the industry the right prerequisites and conditions for that work. The fact that we are in a very serious security policy situation, will have an impact on how we are going to develop our production of ships for the Danish Armed Forces going forward.”
🇫🇮
The person or people behind a cyber attack on Helsinki’s education servers might have accessed a lot more information than first thought. In a press release, the city says the cyber attack may have accessed the personal information of all school-aged children in the city, as well as that of their parents and guardians.
Last week, authorities said the data breach impacted an estimated 80,000 people. This week, that figure is now estimated to be 150,000 students and their parents or guardians. Hackers also have the personal information of about 38,000 city employees.
The person or people behind the cyber attack now likely have the personal identification, nationality, native language, and home addresses of all students born between 2005 and 2018 and those of their parents. The city says that in some cases, the breach includes the passport numbers of families who immigrated to Finland.
Helsinki Police and Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation are both investigating the data breach.
🇳🇱🇺🇦
The Netherlands says it is rushing the delivery of YPR armoured vehicles to the front lines in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has specifically requested more of them from the Netherlands.
Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren:
“It is essential that all countries continue to contribute to the collective efforts in Ukraine, such as with the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. The Netherlands will soon provide Ukraine’s armed forces with YPR armoured infantry fighting vehicles with remote control weapon stations. It is vital that all countries continue to contribute to Ukraine.”
Odds & Ends
🇩🇰
An extremely rare species of spider has been found in Jutland for the first time ever. The National Park Mols Bjerge confirmed the discovery of a North American crab spider. The spider, which doesn’t weave webs but rather catches its prey with its strong legs, is usually only found on the Danish island of Møn.
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When Denmark introduces a deposit on cans and bottles of alcohol, soda, and other beverages from Germany in 2029, it will mean significant amounts of money will flow into the Danish treasury. In an exchange in the Danish parliament, Tax Minister Jeppe Bruus says an estimated 120 million Danish kroner in additional revenue is expected.
Currently, Danes dodge into German border stores to take advantage of cheaper prices, including buying copious amounts of soda and alcohol. Bruus says once a deposit is included, the desire to buy beverages in German border stores will diminish while sales in Denmark on the same products, and the taxes on them, will increase.
🇸🇪
A mammoth amount of chocolate will be destroyed in Sweden after it was found to contain cancer causing substances. Malmö’s environmental management agency found the substances in chocolate from candy giant Cloetta, known for brands like Kex, Sportlunch, and Polly. All told, 850 tonnes of chocolate must be destroyed.
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Two of Helsinki’s most visited cathedrals will begin to charge an entrance fee beginning next month. Helsinki's Lutheran Cathedral, Suomenlinna Church, and St. John's Church will charge between €5 to €8 as an entry fee for visitors. The cathedrals typically get hundreds of thousands of visitors every summer.