Tuesday, March 25, 2025

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Fire ravages Copenhagen’s cultural landmark Børsen

Published 16 April 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Copenhageners witnessed the fall of the famous 'Dragon spire'.

The iconic Børsen building is in flames, with large sections reportedly completely destroyed. The fire is described as “very, very large”, including the collapse of the building’s famous spire, and work to extinguish the fire is expected to take all day.

Børsen is located on Slotsholmen in Copenhagen and is one of the oldest buildings in the city. It was built between 1619 and 1623 by Lorenz and Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger for Christian IV as a visualization of the king’s mercantilist policies. The building’s iconic spire, called the ‘Dragon Spire’, was completed in 1625. Today it serves as an office building and the headquarters of one of the country’s largest business and employer organizations, Dansk Erhverv.

The first alarm about the fire came at 07:43 this morning and large parts of the area were quickly cordoned off. The fire is said to be so large that it can be seen from Sweden.

– It is a very, very big fire. It requires an effort that will take most of the day. We’re doing our best to minimize the damage, Jakob Vedsted Andersen, head of the emergency response at Hovedstadens Beredskab, told Danish TV2.

All the people in the building have reportedly been evacuated and no one has been injured.

– We are currently carrying out extensive extinguishing work. There are no personal injuries. There is extensive damage to the stock exchange, says Vedsted Andersen.

“400 years of Danish cultural heritage in flames”

Moments later, Copenhageners saw the building’s iconic spire collapse before their eyes. Citizens are said to have chanted “no, no, no, no, no” as the flames destroyed the famous spire.

“People are standing in shock, covering their mouths”, the broadcaster said.

Several people are said to have braved the fire to run in and save valuable art, according to Danish state broadcaster DR. Among others, former minister and CEO of the Danish Chamber of Commerce Brian Mikkelsen was seen running into the building. Several paintings were reportedly carried out of the building, including Skagen painter P.S. Krøyer’s “Fra Københavns Børs,” an 1895 painting depicting many of the most important stock exchange figures of the time standing in the trading room, including businessman C.F. Tietgen.

“Terrifying pictures from Børsen this morning. 400 years of Danish cultural heritage in flames”, writes Minister of Culture Jakob Engel-Schmidt on X.

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LEGO announces collaboration with Pokémon

Published 20 March 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Pokémon management describes the collaboration with LEGO as “the perfect partnership”.

For the first time ever, Danish LEGO is launching a collaboration with Japanese Pokémon. The new products will be on the market next year.

Julia Goldin, Director of Product and Marketing at Lego Group, says they are “thrilled to be working with a brand that has such a deep and passionate fanbase as Pokémon.

– We strongly believe that through the endless possibilities of LEGO play and the exciting adventures the world of Pokémon brings, this partnership will create a range of new possibilities for Trainers and builders alike, she said in a press release.

Gaku Susai, Director of Product and Marketing at The Pokémon Company International, says the two companies share the same values and that this is “the perfect partnership”.

– We cannot wait to see both LEGO fans and the Pokémon community’s reactions in 2026, he says.

So far, there are no details about the partnership, but Lego says it will update more about it throughout the year.

Danish PM: Prolonged war may be preferable to peace in Ukraine

The war in Ukraine

Published 13 March 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Mette Frederiksen with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Ukraine and the US have reportedly agreed on a proposal for a temporary ceasefire, and while it is not yet clear what Russia’s position is on the terms, many hope that it could soon lead to a lasting peace in the Ukrainian war.

However, many EU leaders are against a peace agreement, including Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who believes that continuing the war could be a much better option than a ceasefire.

Frederiksen, like many of her EU colleagues, has recently focused on the need for Europe to arm itself heavily to “deter” Russia, arguing that a Russian invasion could be very close.

– I don’t think we should panic. But i think we are in a hurry. And I think we have been in a hurry for three years but now we really have to scale up and speed up and scale up. Because Russia and Putin is not only threatening Ukraine but all of us and we have to be able to defend ourselves, she recently told assembled journalists.

The Socialist Prime Minister says there is no alternative but for Ukraine to win the war and that a ceasefire or ending the fighting could be very negative.

If we end this war now some kind of frozen conflict ceasefire it will give Russia the possibility to return to Russia to mobilize more funds, people and maybe to attack another country in Europe, she warns.

In another interview with the AP, she reiterates the message that a quick ceasefire is not a positive thing at all, but rather something that fills her with concern.

– I am very concerned about making a fast ceasefire because it can actually give Putin and Russia a better possibility to go back and re-ramp and mobilize again and attack Ukraine or another country in Europe.

“Even more dangerous situation”

Frederiksen further states that she does not believe Russian President Vladimir Putin when he says he wants peace in Ukraine, and several media outlets report that the Prime Minister believes that “we risk that peace in Ukraine is actually more dangerous than the war that is happening now”.

– We risk that a ceasefire does not bring peace and in reality puts other European countries and Ukraine in an even more dangerous situation, because Russia might use a ceasefire – if it is on the wrong terms – to mobilize, restart and attack a new country, the Prime Minister reiterates in another interview, this time on Danish TV2.

Recurring rhetoric

Many observers have long pointed to the EU’s liberal establishment’s strong disapproval of the possible end of the war in Ukraine, and the suspicion and rejection of the Trump administration’s new diplomatic approach. Instead, the recurring message is that Europe must prepare for further escalation and direct conflict with Moscow.

Those who reject diplomacy, like Frederiksen, tend to justify their opposition by claiming that Moscow cannot be trusted and that other countries risk being attacked after Ukraine if the war against Russia is not continued. The Western Bloc establishment media at large, including Sweden, takes a similar line, with headlines such as “After Ukraine – Sweden could be Russia’s next target” and Swedish politicians declaring that we “must prepare for war if we want peace” and “plan for the worst”.

Danes relieved as pro-Denmark Demokraatit wins Greenland election

Published 12 March 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Election winner Jens-Frederik Nielsen rejects US ambitions to take control of Greenland.

With all the votes counted, it is clear that the social liberal Demokraatit (Democracy) will be Greenland’s largest party with over 30% of the vote a landslide victory and more than a tripling from the 2021 election.

The party has historically been skeptical of Greenlandic independence and still stresses that this is something that must happen gradually and slowly – while maintaining close ties with Denmark.

There are 31 seats in the Greenlandic parliament, Inatsisartut, and Demokraatit is expected to win 10 of them.

The next largest party with 8 seats (24.7%) is Naleraq, a party that wants to see the fastest possible path to independence and whose leader, Pele Broberg, has repeatedly expressed support for increased US aid and protection.

Meanwhile, the leading government parties, the socialist Inuit Ataqatigiit and the social-democratic Siumut, fall sharply to third and fourth place respectively, losing half of their previous 22 seats. Finally, liberal-conservative Atassut takes two of the 31 seats in parliament, where 16 seats are needed for a majority.

Today, most Greenlandic parties advocate independence or increased autonomy in some form but the election result is still seen as a setback for the Americans, as the leader of the Democratic Party, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, has repeatedly expressed criticism of the Trump administration’s plans for the island.

Critical of US plans

Nielsen has, among other things, called Trump’s plans to take control of Denmark “a threat to Greenland’s political independence” and argued that the US supports Greenlandic independence for cynical and selfish reasons.

– Why does he support independence? It’s because he can go straight to us, without talking to Denmark, and we will be easily influenced.

The Greenlandic politician, who set a new record with his 4,000 personal votes, says it is important for Greenlanders to be “masters in their own house” and says he is ready to cooperate with all other parties.

We don’t want independence tomorrow, but we want a good foundation, he explained after his election victory.

Although government politicians in Denmark officially believe that it is up to the people of Greenland to decide on their own independence, observers say Danes are relieved by the election result and the fact that Naleraq did not become the largest party.

Significant autonomy

The Danish monarch is the head of state of Greenland and Denmark retains responsibility for defense and foreign policy, the judiciary and monetary affairs. At the same time, Greenlanders are recognized as a people in the sense of international law and have considerable autonomy, the basis of which is that they may take over competences from Denmark to the extent that they wish and can finance them.

In addition to the Inatsisartut parliament, where 31 members are elected every four years, Greenland also has two representatives out of 179 seats in the Danish parliament At the same time, unlike Denmark, Greenland is not a member of the EU.

Greenland has just over 56,000 inhabitants, more than 90% of whom live in the western part of the island, with around 18,000 in the capital Nuuk. In terms of surface area, at around 2.16 million square kilometers, Greenland is larger than Saudi Arabia as a country. Only a very small part is habitable.

Election results in Greenland:

  • Demokraatit (social liberals) - 10 seats, 30.26% of the vote.
  • Naleraq (pro-American Independence Party) - 8 seats, 24.77%
  • Inuit Ataqatigiit (socialists) - 7 seats, 21.62%
  • Siumut (Social Democrats) - 4 seats, 14.88%
  • Atassut (Liberal Conservatives) - 2 seats, 7.39%

DeepSeek banned in Danish parliament due to surveillance concerns

Published 12 March 2025
– By Editorial Staff

DeepSeek can no longer be used on devices within the Danish Parliament, according to the Folketing’s highest governing body. The ban is a precautionary measure due to a perceived risk of surveillance.

The Folketing’s Presidium, which is the highest governing body of Denmark’s legislative assembly, the Folketing, has previously recommended not to use the Chinese AI service on devices within the Folketing. The body is also responsible for the Folketing’s IT systems.

Now it has decided to drop the recommendations and instead completely ban the AI service on all devices within the Danish Parliament. The ban is described as being aimed at not giving DeepSeek any kind of access to the IT systems because of the risk of surveillance.

DeepSeek, a Chinese-developed chatbot and language model that works similarly to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, has quickly become one of the most downloaded apps and has attracted a lot of attention in the tech industry. Its success has prompted widespread reactions from businesses and governments alike, with Donald Trump, among others, calling the launch a “wake-up call” for US companies and saying it is now crucial for the US to “compete to win” in AI development.

The ban applies to all devices provided by the Danish Parliament.

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