Copenhagen Airport disrupted by drones, fund created for Greenland forced contraception victims, Løkke makes new statement on Palestinian statehood and more news from Denmark this Tuesday.
Copenhagen Airport shut due to ‘unidentified drones’ in airspace
Copenhagen Airport was closed last night after unidentified drones were observed nearby, causing around 15 flights to be diverted, police and airport officials told AFP.
“The airspace over Copenhagen airport has been closed since 8:30pm due to two to three unidentified drones. No aircraft can take off or land,” airport spokeswoman Lise Agerley Kurstein said.
She said around 15 flights had been diverted to other airports.
Copenhagen police meanwhile said “three or four big drones” had been observed flying over the airport.
“They are still flying back and forth, coming and going,” duty officer Anette Ostenfeldt told AFP at 10:45pm, adding that police were at the airport investigating.
She could not say if the drones were military or civilian devices.
The airport has now reopened but remains disrupted this morning with possible flight delays. Passengers are advised to stay updated via the airport’s website or their airlines.
Denmark creates fund for victims of Greenland forced contraception
The government yesterday announced the creation of a “reconciliation fund” to compensate women affected by a forced contraception programme in Greenland, two days before making a formal apology.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen will travel to the Danish autonomous territory’s capital Nuuk this week to take part in a ceremony to mark the apology, which she first officially offered in late August.
The Danish leader said in a statement Monday that in connection with the visit, she would discuss the creation of a “reconciliation fund” with her Greenlandic counterpart, “which can provide individual financial compensation to Greenlandic women.”
From the 1960s until 1992, Danish authorities forced around 4,500 Inuit women, around half of those of child-bearing age, to wear a contraceptive coil — or intrauterine device (IUD) — without their consent.
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Løkke sets conditions for Danish recognition of Palestine
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen yesterday set out five conditions for Denmark to recognise a Palestinian state, after earlier stating Denmark wanted to change its position on the question.
“It’s about getting the hostages released. It’s about disarming Hamas. It’s about ensuring that Hamas plays no role in the future governance of Gaza. And it’s about keeping the Palestinian Authority on the path of reform,” Løkke told broadcaster DR.
The fifth condition is that there must “be certainty that a future Palestinian state is demilitarised,” the Foreign Ministry later informed news wire Ritzau.
Løkke described the conditions as being “in line with a number of other countries.”
He added that Denmark “wants to recognise” a Palestinian state, but “it is up to the Palestinians to deliver what is required.”
Britain, Australia, Canada and Portugal on Sunday recognised a Palestinian state after nearly two years of Israel’s siege on Gaza, with France and Belgium following suit yesterday at the UN General Assembly.
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Employment climbs but Novo Nordisk job cuts on way
Employment in Denmark rose by 3,600 in July, but the longstanding trend could be brought to an end by announced job cuts at Novo Nordisk.
Official employment statistics in Denmark consistently set records for the highest ever number of people working in the country.
Monthly employment counts, released by national agency Statistics Denmark, commonly break records for the number of people working.
A growing population size and labour market shortage are two factors that play into the steadily growing employment number.
But the trend is showing signs of slowing and a major announcement by pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk could play a role in this, according to observers.