Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Zebra escaped from zoo – found among herd of cows

Published 18 February 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The zebra ended its escape after joining a group of cows.
2 minute read

One of the three zebras that escaped from Jyllands Park Zoo last week remained at large for four days. Finally, it was found – in the middle of a herd of cows.

Three zebras escaped from Jyllands Park Zoo on Wednesday. Two were quickly found by staff, but the third was still on the loose.

On Saturday afternoon, livestock owner Anna Mørch went out to check on her cows. Everything seemed calm until she heard them bellowing unusually loudly. When she turned around, she was met with an unexpected sight – a zebra was standing and eating alongside her cows.

– I just wondered: Where did it come from? I have no idea, Mørch told Danish TVMV.

Mørch lives in the small town of Vorgod in western Jutland. In other words, the zebra had traveled about a mile from the zoo. She immediately called the zoo and announced that the missing zebra had been found.

My first thought was to just call, and it was only afterwards that I realized how strange it was to see a zebra standing there, she says.

Capturing the zebra proved to be a challenge. When zoo staff arrived, it sensed trouble and tried to escape. With a top speed of 65 kilometers per hour, quick action was required, but eventually the zebra was stunned with a tranquilizer gun.

Hoof broke the lock

The zebra, a mare, escaped with two others after a new stallion was introduced to the herd. During a fight, one of the zebra’s hooves hit the lock of the enclosure, opening the gate. The zoo has now installed a new, heavier lock.

– The entire fence has been inspected. All the gates have been checked and we have installed a new lock – a slightly heavier lock. It should not be able to happen again, says Sofie Hansen to the state channel DR.

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Welfare may be sacrificed as Denmark ramps up military spending

The new cold war

Published yesterday 13:47
– By Editorial Staff
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has pledged to invest billions of euros in upgrading the country's military forces.
3 minute read

Denmark is preparing to significantly increase its defense spending to meet NATO’s new targets – but the bill will be steep.

According to estimates from Aarhus University, the upgrade will require an additional 90 billion DDK (€12 billion) on top of current levels. The question now is where the money will come from – and what will have to be sacrificed in return.

This will be something that individual Danes will actually notice, Bo Sandemann Rasmussen, professor of economics at Aarhus University, told TV 2.

After a summit in Vilnius, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced that Denmark is ready to increase its defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP and allocate an additional 1.5 percent to other security-related activities such as cybersecurity, border protection, and coastal defense.

In total, five percent of the country’s gross domestic product would go to security – more than double the current target of two percent.

But according to the professor, this would require an additional DDK 90 billion (€12 billion) in the budget – money that can hardly be found in the so-called economic reform space.

It seems increasingly unlikely that we can count on covering 90 billion, he estimates.

Cuts in welfare?

Denmark has already significantly increased its defense spending since the war in Ukraine began, reaching around 2.4 percent of GDP in 2023 – equivalent to €9 billion. But to reach five percent, significantly more is needed – and that will have consequences.

The population is aging, which requires more resources for public services. If we want to maintain today’s level of service, we will probably need to find new sources of funding, says the economist.

He believes that the political choice now is between cutting public spending or raising taxes, for example by introducing a special war tax.

– It’s hard to see how we wouldn’t need a tax increase to reach 90 billion. After all, it’s a very large sum.

“Other things we can’t afford”

To put the figure into perspective, Denmark spent an equivalent of €21 billion on education and €2 billion on the police in 2023. A €12 billion upgrade is therefore equivalent to six times the entire police budget.

If the amount is lower than that, it may be more realistic to finance it, but then there are other things we cannot afford, explains Rasmussen.

A formal decision on the new defense targets is expected at the NATO summit in The Hague at the end of June. Until then, the question remains as to which areas of welfare will be cut back – and how much Danish households themselves will have to pay.

Demands from the US

It should be noted that Denmark is not the only NATO country currently spending billions on military buildup – investments that in many places are being financed by cuts in welfare.

The Trump administration is demanding that Europe and Canada take greater “responsibility” for the continent’s defense, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has declared that he wants member countries’ military budgets to amount to approximately five percent of GDP.

Two percent is a start, as President Trump has Trump has said, but it’s not enough, nor is three percent, nor is four percent. More like five percent, he emphasized earlier this year, calling on NATO countries to make “real investments”.

Denmark to ban junk food advertising to children

Published 29 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Junk food producers often use "influencers" whose content is aimed at a very young audience.
2 minute read

In a new bill, the Danish government wants to put an end to the advertising of soft drinks, chips and fast food to children under 15. This comes after two companies were criticized for using so-called “influencers” to market junk food to minors.

Last year, food companies Orkla and Danish burger chain The Burger Concept used “influencers” to promote chips and burgers.

For example, the chip brand Kims, owned by Orkla, promoted its chips through the “Kims Chips Battle”, which involved launching and promoting new chip flavors. Those paid to do the advertising were Morten Münster, Jas & Mika and Alexander Husum, who are all active on YouTube. What these “influencers” have in common is that they have a large number of younger followers,

The Danish Food Advertising Association found the ad to be inappropriate and in breach of industry guidelines on marketing as it was aimed at children.

“Must be stopped”

The Danish government now wants to ban junk food advertising aimed at children, reports Danish state broadcaster DR. The main focus of the legislation is on social media and digital platforms, as this is where children are most exposed.

– If you look at social media, you can see that there is a problem. Especially among influencers, a lot of time and energy has been spent on advertising to children and young people, and this must be stopped, says Morten Bødskov, the Danish Social Democrats’ minister for trade and industry.

Advertising junk food in public spaces will still be allowed, as long as it does not target children or use children in the advertising. Bødskov urges people to contact the Consumer Ombudsman if they are unsure, as fines can be high.

We already have rules in the Marketing Act, and the fines are quite high. That will also apply here, says Bødskov.

According to the Danish Cancer Society, almost 80% of all food and drink advertisements that children and young people are exposed to are for products with a high content of fat, sugar and salt.

Frederiksen condemns US leaders’ visit to Greenland: “Unacceptable pressure”

Published 26 March 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Frederiksen argues that Greenland neither wants nor needs the presence of US leaders at this time.
3 minute read

This weekend, Vice President JD Vance’s wife visits Greenland with US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

They have not received an invitation, neither from Greenland nor from Denmark – and Mette Frederiksen says it is “unacceptable pressure” and that President Trump is serious about his threats to take control of the giant island.

The US describes the visit as unofficial, but it comes shortly after Trump has repeatedly put pressure on Greenland and Denmark with his statements that the US wants to take over the island.

– This cannot be seen independently of the statements and reports that we have heard from the US side, from January until now, Frederiksen told TV2, arguing that “you cannot make a private visit with official representatives from another country“.

– This is clearly not a visit that is about what Greenland needs or what Greenland wants from visitors from outside now.

“He wants Greenland”

Trump administration officials themselves claim that this is a purely cultural visit and that they will attend a sled dog race, among other things.

However, Frederiksen does not give much credence to this explanation, and she points out that government negotiations are currently underway following the Greenlandic election earlier in March in addition, Greenlandic politicians have explicitly said no to foreign state visits at the moment.

– President Donald Trump is serious and means business. He wants Greenland, warns the Danish Prime Minister.

“We are allies”

Greenland’s head of government, Múte B. Egede, has said that the uninvited visit clearly shows a lack of respect for Greenland on the part of the Americans, and Frederiksen shares that view. She also emphasizes that Denmark and the US have a long history of close cooperation and that she continues to regard the country as an important ally.

– There is nothing but a desire on the part of both Greenland and Denmark to cooperate with the Americans. We are allies. We have a defense agreement on Greenland that goes back to 1951.

– But it is clear that when you organize a visit in this way and the Greenlandic politicians clearly say that they do not want the visit, you cannot interpret it as respectful, she continues.

Nordic for 1000 years

Greenland has been Danish since the early 1700s. First as a colony, then as a Danish county and today as an autonomous and largely self-governing region of the Danish realm. Already 1000 years ago, however, the island was discovered by Nordic adventurers which The Nordic Times also wrote about.

Today, the island is mainly populated by Inuit and the independence movement is strong on the island, with most parties believing that Greenland should be neither Danish nor American but with different views on how and at what pace sovereignty should be achieved.

In the recent election, the social liberal Demokraatit became the largest party much to the relief of many Danish politicians. While this party also wants Greenlandic independence, it believes that it must be achieved gradually and wants to maintain close ties and a good relationship with Denmark while taking a dim view of US ambitions to take it over.

LEGO announces collaboration with Pokémon

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

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.

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