Posts Tagged ‘Denmark’
Saturday, April 17th, 2010
New rules are being called for across Danish City Councils to deal with what are seen as increasingly problematic street vendors.
In Denmark, registering with a local council is currently all that street vendors are required to do in order to begin selling. However, under a new proposal, all vendors will be required to pay an annual fee of DKK 4,550 (USD 812) for a numbered license plate that must be displayed while trading. These plates would also limit the street seller to a certain location.
Chairman of the Committee of City Councils, Bent Lohmann, said that problems caused by uncontrolled street vendors needed addressing, reports Politiken.
“It’s a bigger problem than you think,” said Lohmann. “‘There are so many street traders that they are fighting over who ‘owns’ what space. An annual fee will reduce their numbers. After all, when you look at how good their sales are then who can’t afford 4550 kroner”.
Lohmann also argued that shopkeepers have joined politicians in calling for action to be taken against street vendors. Many say they have been undermined by street vendors selling cut-price goods such as fruit, bottled water and coffee on the street.
“These street traders don’t respect the fact that shopkeepers have to pay rent and there are concerns that they are stealing their customers,” said Lohmann.
Tags: Bottled Water, City Councils, Coffee, Danish City, Denmark, Kroner, License Plate, Local Council, Politicians, Proposal, Street Traders, Street Vendors
Posted in Iceland | No Comments »
Thursday, April 15th, 2010
The volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull glacier in south Iceland might have a considerable influence on the festivities organized in Denmark because of Queen Margrethe II’s 70th birthday tomorrow.
Tags: 70th Birthday, Birthday Tomorrow, Denmark, Festivities, Glacier, Iceland Eruption, Margrethe Ii, Queen Margrethe Ii, Royal Banquet, South Iceland, Volcanic Eruption
Posted in Iceland | No Comments »
Thursday, April 15th, 2010
UK airspace will essentially close between 12.00 and 18.00 BST today due to the ash cloud coming from a volcano erupting in South Iceland. No civilian aircraft will be allowed to enter or leave UK airspace and there is a similar story in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.
Britain’s aviation authorities hope to restart scheduled services this evening; but safety comes first and volcanic ash is particularly dangerous to aeroplane engines and can cause them to stop working altogether.
Iceland’s Keflavik International Airport remains open as it is not in the path of the dust cloud – but services to northern Europe are not running.
The RAF will maintain full search and rescue capability over the whole UK.
Photo: Árni Sæbergg / mbl.is
Tags: Ash Cloud, Aviation Authorities, Civilian Aircraft, Denmark, Dust Cloud, Finland, Flights Uk, Iceland Volcano, Keflavik, Mbl, Northern Europe, Norway, Raf, Rescue Capability, Search And Rescue, South Iceland, Sweden, Uk Airspace, Uk Flights, Volcanic Ash
Posted in Iceland | No Comments »
Saturday, April 10th, 2010
A government decision for Danish troops to remain in Afghanistan this year has been accepted by opposition parties on the condition that a more precise withdrawal plan is provided in 2011.
Although no dates have been agreed on, Politiken reports that parliamentary parties are moving closer to a agreeing on a course of action in Afghanistan.
The Social Liberal and Social Democrat parties have accepted the latest government amendment to the Helmand plan, which proposes a strategy for the removal of the 750 Danish troops predominantly stationed in the Helmand province of South Afghanistan.
Previously, the opposition had demanded an identifiable time frame for an Afghan exit-strategy, along with a guarantee that Danish troops would not be allowed to continue to fight unaided in Helmand.
Foreign Minister Lene Espersen’s recent visit to Kabul may have placated the opposition somewhat, as Espersen returned to Denmark with news of a successful meeting with Hamid Karzai. The Afghan president promised that 400-500 local soldiers would be dispatched to support Danish forces in the region, with a plan for Afghan troops to eventually take over from their Danish counterparts.
“But there is still a need for more Afghan soldiers out there and we must push hard for it, for it can result in Danes being replaced in their role as battle troops,” claimed Social Democrat minister Mogens Lykketoft.
Tags: Afghan, Afghanistan Government, Counterparts, Democrat Parties, Denmark, Exit Plan, Exit Strategy, Foreign Minister, Government Decision, Guarantee, Hamid Karzai, Helmand Province, Kabul, Lene Espersen, Mogens Lykketoft, Opposition Parties, Parliamentary Parties, Social Democrat, Time Frame, Withdrawal Plan
Posted in Iceland | No Comments »
Saturday, April 10th, 2010
According to media in Azerbaijan, the country’s Eurovision Song Contest entry this year intends to visit and perform in both Iceland and Denmark before the contest in Norway next month.
According to News.az, the music video for Drip Drop, the song to be performed by Azerbaijani representative Safura Alizade is being shot in Ukraine by a Ukrainian director. The video will be presented on 25th April.
After the video is released, Safura Alizade will perform concerts in a number of countries. “The singer is expected to give concerts in Denmark and Iceland after the video clip presentation. She is also planning to perform her songs in other countries too,” the head of the Azerbaijani Eurovision delegation explained.
“It is important that her performance becomes memorable for the audience. The preparation process will be finished on May 15,” he said – adding that Safura is also working hard on her English.
Tags: Audience, Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani, Concerts, Contest Entry, Delegation, Denmark, Drip Drop, Eurovision Contest, Eurovision Song Contest, Iceland, Music Video, Norway, Number Of Countries, Safura, Ukraine, Video Clip
Posted in Iceland | No Comments »
Thursday, April 1st, 2010
Today is Maundy Thursday, the first day of a five-day Easter weekend in most of the Nordic region.
Finns and Swedes may be at work today, but people in Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland and Norway are mostly off already, although many shops are open at least part of the day.
The Nordic region celebrates Easter in a similar way to other Western nations, but there are certain quirks associated with each country.
Look out for snippets of each country’s Easter celebrations all weekend on IceNews.
Today we start with Denmark:
In Denmark it is a unique tradition to cut out letters and arrange them into special poems around the time of Valentine’s Day. One then sends the poems anonymously and if the recipient guesses who it is from, they are rewarded with an Easter egg!
Tags: Denmark, Easter Celebrations, Easter Egg, Easter Weekend, Faroe Islands, Finns, Greenland, Maundy Thursday, Nordic Region, Norway, Poems, Quirks, Snippets, Swedes, Tradition, Valentine S Day
Posted in Iceland | No Comments »
Saturday, March 27th, 2010
Latin American countries will soon be prevented for from receiving aid from Denmark under plans from the country’s new Development Aid Minister, the Liberal Party’s Soren Pind.
“We are going to leave Latin America, but in a decent way,” said Pind, during his presentation of his Danish development policy. He did not specifically mention when aid to Nicaragua and Bolivia, the only two Latin American countries currently receiving Danish aidmoniesey, would be discontinued.
Pind has argued that his vision for distribution of aid would be focused on countries deemed to be most needy, but that a reduction in numbers receiving aid would also be undertaken. “There will also be some countries in Africa where others can do a better job than us,” said Pind, without elaborating exactly which countries were in questionto be axed.
Politiken reports that Pind has stated that Denmark will now concentrate on providing economic growth aid to the most vulnerable and troubled nations. He has dismissed opposition and analyst criticism which argues that education and health systems are more important foundations for economic stability.
“I have never understood where there is a contradiction between combating poverty and economic growth. On the contrary, I believe that economic growth is the only thing that can lift people out of poverty,” said Pind.
Tags: Bolivia, Contradiction, Contrary, Countries In Africa, Danish Development, Denmark, Economic Growth, Economic Stability, Education, Foundations, Health Systems, Job, Latin America, Latin American Countries, Liberal Party, Nicaragua, Opposition, Poverty, Presentation, Soren
Posted in Iceland | No Comments »
Thursday, March 25th, 2010
The statue of the Little Mermaid, which has been welcoming visitors to Copenhagen for 97 years, today begins her voyage to China.
The real Little Mermaid statue is being sent to China as a crazy or brilliant stunt (depending on who you speak to) to take pride of place in the Denmark Pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai. She will remain in China until the end of October.
A farewell party is being held for the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen today at 14.00 where residents and tourists can wish her bon voyage.
Tourists wanting to see the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen over the next six months will not be totally disappointed. Danish media reported this week that the life size replica of the statue in Tivoli Gardens will be moved to the original’s coastline location while she is away.
Tags: Bon Voyage, China Party, Coastline, Copenhagen, Denmark, Farewell Party, Flies, Life Size Replica, Little Mermaid, Little Mermaid Statue, Pride Of Place, Shanghai, Six Months, Statue Of The Little Mermaid, Tivoli Gardens, Tourists, World Expo
Posted in Iceland | No Comments »
Sunday, March 21st, 2010
Iceland’s fleet of private cars is older than elsewhere in Europe, with the average car two years older than in the EU.
The average age of private cars in Iceland is 10.2 years, according to the newest figures from the Icelandic Roads Administration. The average age of private cars in EU countries is 8.5 years, according to ACEA figures. Interestingly the average age of Icelandic cars nearly 20 years ago in 1989 was 7.5 years.
In comparison, the average age of cars in the UK is 6.7 years, 7.5 in Italy, 8.1 in both France and Germany, 9.1 in Denmark and 9.4 in Sweden. The Finnish are the only nation surveyed by ACEA with older cars: an average age of 10.5 years. According to Statistics Norway figures, Norwegian cars are of a similar age to those in Iceland, at 10.3 years.
The impression of some commentators outside of Iceland that every Icelander drives a brand new car bought on credit before the banking crash would appear to be rebuffed by these figures; and it is probably the high rates of tax which encourage Nordic residents to keep their cars on the road slightly longer.
The ACEA statistics for the EU are from 2006 because no newer figures are available, Visir.is reported. Ozur Larusson from the Confederation of Icelandic Car Retailers says that the figures will not have changed much in the meantime as the EU car market is comparatively massive and therefore more stable. He points to independent figures just released from Sweden showing that the age of Swedish cars has not changed since the ACEA figures in 2006.
Tags: 3 Years, Acea, Brand New Car, Car Market, Car Retailers, Cars Uk, Commentators, Confederation, Crash, Denmark, Eu Countries, Europe, Fleet Cars, Italy, Older Cars, Private Cars, Statistics Norway, Sweden, Swedish Cars, Visir
Posted in Iceland | No Comments »
Friday, March 12th, 2010
Jonas Gahr Store, the Norwegian Foreign Minister, looks set to break ranks with the other Nordic countries by recommending that Norway grant loans to Iceland before the Icesave issue is finally resolved with the Netherlands and the UK.
Aftenposten reports that not only are the Norwegians potentially interested in granting Iceland the promised loan through the IMF right away, but that Store’s government may also be willing to offer another separate loan to Iceland in co-operation with the EU.
Store’s timing seems to be deliberate, with his comments coming just a day before today’s meeting of the Nordic finance ministers in Denmark. So far all the other Nordic nations have said their support for Iceland will not be paid out before Icesave is completely off the agenda. Icesave will be on the agenda in Copenhagen today.
“Norwegian assistance is tied to the IMF package and in our opinion the IMF package is not tied to a solution to the Icesave issue as the conditions of the package stand,” Store told Aftenposten.
Store emphasised that the Nordic nations should not do anything to hinder Iceland’s IMF package—his comments a direct response to a Nordic neighbour’s opinion that the Icesave issue must be out of the way before any loan can come from that country to Iceland through the IMF. Store said the issue will be discussed today.
Store added that there is no sign that the British and Dutch have tried to stall the IMF’s work in Iceland; and a week ago the Fund’s chief, Dominique Strauss Kahn told the press he is ready and willing to continue with the Iceland package without a final agreement in the Icesave issue.
Tags: Aftenposten, Break, Copenhagen, Day Before Today, Denmark, Direct Response, Dominique Strauss Kahn, Emphasised, Finance Ministers, Foreign Minister, Gahr, Icesave, Imf Package, Loans, Neighbour, Netherlands, Nordic Countries, Nordic Nations, Norway, Norwegians
Posted in Iceland | No Comments »
Thursday, March 11th, 2010
Danish Minister of Justice Lars Barfoed is not going to look into whether the Danish Constitution can be used to ban the operations of motorcycle clubs such as Hells Angels in Denmark. However, his Icelandic counterpart, Ragna Árnadóttir, is keen on using the Icelandic Constitution to prevent the club from launching operations in Iceland.
Tags: Counterpart, Danish Constitution, Danish Minister, Denmark, Hells Angels, Iceland, Lars, Minister Of Justice, Motorcycle Clubs
Posted in Iceland | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
It is self explanatory that there is not much sympathy worldwide for a country which first behaved irresponsibly and then tried to export its problems to other countries.
Like other countries which have run their economies into the ground – including Greece as a good example - Iceland must take responsibility for itself. So even if the Icelanders voted no and every last one of them had banged pots and pans in the streets of Reykjavik, the global community has to remain steadfast. If the Icelanders can not agree with the Dutch and the British about payment terms, then they naturally can not expect further loans from either the IMF, the Nordic countries or progression in the EU talks.
It must be noted for fairness sakes that the Icelanders have underlined that their position is not one of not paying, but about the details. And Netherlands and the UK have listened. When Iceland voted no anyhow, the two countries had already offered a better deal, which the Icelandic leadership had already rejected as not good enough. It does not bear witness of either humility or sense of reality.
From Denmark’s Berlingske Tidende (in Danish)
Berlingske noting that Icelanders seem to lack the understanding that actions have consequences.
Related posts:
- What Have You Done?
- It Came To The Point Where I Saw No Sense In Continuing To Pay
- A Farewell Letter – I am escaping to a different reality that is more FAIR to me
Tags: Berlingske Tidende, Consequences, Danish, Denmark, Different Reality, Fairness, Farewell Letter, Global Community, Greece, Humility, Imf, Netherlands, Nordic Countries, Pots And Pans, Pots Pans, Reykjavik, Sakes, Sense Of Reality, Sympathy, Witness
Posted in Iceland, Market | No Comments »
Monday, March 8th, 2010
Village Profile: Akureyri - " Bustling with Life Akureyri promises visitors a lively stay with its many art galleries and museums, outdoor recreation in summer and winter, an awakening of the taste buds at the town's gourmet restaurants and breathtaking views of natural sites around the corner.
Tags: Art Galleries, Breathtaking Views, Denmark, Gourmet Restaurants, Museums, Outdoor Recreation, Summer And Winter, Taste Buds, Village Profile
Posted in Iceland | No Comments »
Monday, March 8th, 2010
A 47-year-old Icelandic man is suspected of having murdered another Icelander in Copenhagen on Friday night. He has been remanded to custody until the end of this month and must also undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
Tags: Copenhagen, Denmark, Friday Night, Psychiatric Evaluation
Posted in Iceland | No Comments »
Sunday, March 7th, 2010
The Danish government’s new agricultural platform, aimed at helping farmers, has been questioned by industry experts who see the move as potentially damaging to agricultural efficiency.
The government’s own Environment Economic Council has warned that the current crisis stimulus package may be detrimental in the long term, as smaller inefficient farms that might be in danger of collapsing in the short term will be able to survive for longer. “Crisis aid to agriculture can have the effect that less efficient farms continue production for a longer period and that structural change within the agricultural sector is postponed,” writes the council in a new report featured in Politiken.
Independent experts and those within the Danish agricultural sector have agreed that without the aid package, up to 25 percent of the 13,000 professional farming operations across the country would shut down within five years. To alleviate the impact of the crisis, the Danish government will provide property tax relief of DKK 1 billion (USD 181 million) to farmers in 2011 and 2012. The council, however, has warned that such a package may lead to artificially inflated property prices. “Crisis help in the form of even lower taxation would be a mistake,” says the report.
The council also recommended that the agricultural sector should be faced with stricter economic controls by way of strengthening of environmental regulations in order that Denmark can meet its international responsibilities.
Tags: 1 Billion, Agricultural Efficiency, Agricultural Sector, Agriculture, Danish Government, Denmark, Economic Controls, Economic Council, Economists, Farmers, Farming Operations, Independent Experts, Industry Experts, International Responsibilities, Lead, Mistake, Property Tax Relief, Stimulus Package, Taxation
Posted in Iceland | No Comments »
Sunday, March 7th, 2010
A 42 year-old Icelandic man was murdered in Copenhagen this weekend. Police have arrested another Icelandic man as their chief suspect.
It seems the men had been in the flat where the murder took place, drinking and taking drugs together, RUV reports. Danish police believe the men got into a fight that ended with one of them stabbing the other to death.
The two Icelanders are believed to have been friends and witnesses report seeing them enter the building together in good spirits before the murder took place. The dead man was found by police and had been stabbed in the neck with a pocket knife.
Copenhagen police chief, Paul Hansen told media that the man they arrested was also the person who first called in the murder.
The arrested man, 47, was already known to police and at the time of arrest he told officers he was under the influence of alcohol and other drugs.
Tags: Alcohol And Other Drugs, Copenhagen, Danish Police, Dead Man, Denmark, Paul Hansen, Pocket Knife, Police Chief, Spirits, Taking Drugs
Posted in Iceland | No Comments »
Friday, February 12th, 2010
Despite the prospect of some light appearing at the end of what has been a very dark tunnel; Danish banks are preparing themselves for another difficult year ahead. The country’s largest operator, Danske Bank, has recently released its accounts for last year and has predicted that 2010 will continue to be an uphill battle for the nation’s financial institutions.
While numbers for 2009 improved slightly on the disastrous performances of 2008 they still fall well behind the peak period prior to the global economic crisis. Danske Bank reported an after tax result of DKK 1.7 billion (USD 310 million) in 2009, a mild rise from the 2008 figure of DKK 1 billion (USD 180 million) but still a long way short of the DKK 15 billion (USD 2.75 billion) recorded in 2007.
“2010 is expected to be yet another challenging year for the financial sector, for Danske Bank and for the group’s customers. The latest macroeconomic development does, however, give hope for a gradual improvement in the business foundation,” the bank claimed in a press statement reported in Politiken.
Danske Bank though still anticipates ongoing major losses from bad loans. “Write-downs on loans are expected again this year to be at a high level, though lower than 2009,” the bank said. These cost Danske Bank an estimated DKK 25.7 billion (USD 4.7 billion) in 2009.
Danske Bank is expecting positive growth for Denmark’s GDP at around 1.7 percent this year tempered by a 0.5 percentage point interest rate rise. Together with anticipated ongoing unemployment, the bank predicts continued difficulties for those wishing to borrow money.
Tags: 1 Billion, Banks, Business Foundation, Danske Bank, Dark Tunnel, Denmark, Financial Institutions, Financial Sector, Gdp, Global Economic Crisis, Interest Rate Rise, Loans, Losses, Macroeconomic Development, Money, Peak Period, Percentage Point, Unemployment, Uphill Battle
Posted in Iceland | No Comments »
Sunday, January 31st, 2010
The monster-series children’s books, written by Icelandic author and playwright Áslaug Jónsdóttir and her Faroese and Swedish colleagues Rakel Hemsdal and Kalle Güettler, have now been published in Denmark, and will be out soon in Finland, Spain and France.
Tags: Children Books, Children S Books, Colleagues, Denmark, Faroese, Finland, Monster Series, Playwright, Spain
Posted in Iceland | No Comments »
Saturday, January 30th, 2010
Denmark have beaten Spain in their final game at the EHF European Handball Championships in Austria to take overall fifth in the competition.
Spain will have to make do with sixth place following the Danes’ impressive 34-27 win. However, the Spanish team were clearly not putting their all into the game and were happy when it ended.
After some uncertainty, it has now been confirmed that the winner of this fifth place match will not automatically qualify for the next world championship in Sweden.
Iceland play France in the semi-final this afternoon at 13.00 GMT.
Tags: Austria, Denmark, European Handball Championships, Final Game, Handball Euro, Match, Play France, Spain, Spanish Team, Sweden, Uncertainty
Posted in Iceland | No Comments »
Nordic region cars among Europe’s oldest
Sunday, March 21st, 2010The average age of private cars in Iceland is 10.2 years, according to the newest figures from the Icelandic Roads Administration. The average age of private cars in EU countries is 8.5 years, according to ACEA figures. Interestingly the average age of Icelandic cars nearly 20 years ago in 1989 was 7.5 years.
In comparison, the average age of cars in the UK is 6.7 years, 7.5 in Italy, 8.1 in both France and Germany, 9.1 in Denmark and 9.4 in Sweden. The Finnish are the only nation surveyed by ACEA with older cars: an average age of 10.5 years. According to Statistics Norway figures, Norwegian cars are of a similar age to those in Iceland, at 10.3 years.
The impression of some commentators outside of Iceland that every Icelander drives a brand new car bought on credit before the banking crash would appear to be rebuffed by these figures; and it is probably the high rates of tax which encourage Nordic residents to keep their cars on the road slightly longer.
The ACEA statistics for the EU are from 2006 because no newer figures are available, Visir.is reported. Ozur Larusson from the Confederation of Icelandic Car Retailers says that the figures will not have changed much in the meantime as the EU car market is comparatively massive and therefore more stable. He points to independent figures just released from Sweden showing that the age of Swedish cars has not changed since the ACEA figures in 2006.
Tags: 3 Years, Acea, Brand New Car, Car Market, Car Retailers, Cars Uk, Commentators, Confederation, Crash, Denmark, Eu Countries, Europe, Fleet Cars, Italy, Older Cars, Private Cars, Statistics Norway, Sweden, Swedish Cars, Visir
Posted in Iceland | No Comments »