Denmark issues official apology to Greenlanders over forced contraceptions, Lego posts strong result, and the closure of Greenland’s airport are among the leading news stories in Denmark this Thursday.
Denmark apologises for forced contraceptions in Greenland
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen yesterday presented a long-awaited apology to the victims of Denmark’s forced contraception campaign in Greenland, lifting a key point of tension with its autonomous territory.
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.
The aim was to reduce the Inuit birth rate.
Many of the women were left sterile and almost all of them have suffered from physical or psychological problems.
Around 150 of them have sued the Danish state for violating their rights and demanded compensation.
“We cannot change what has happened. But we can take responsibility. Therefore, on behalf of Denmark, I would like to say: I am sorry,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said, in a statement.
The victims, who have sought an official apology for several years, welcomed her remarks.
“My clients are happy, it’s a big step,” Mads Pramming, the lawyer representing the 150 women told news agency AFP.
“Now it remains to be seen if the state will recognise its legal responsibility and offer compensation. Until that is done, I won’t be opening the champagne,” he said.
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Lego posts record sales and grows market share
Lego, the world’s biggest toymaker, posted record sales for the first half of the year and continues to gain market share despite global volatility, its chief executive told AFP.
“Over the last several years, we have been able to outgrow the market and take market share pretty consistently,” Niels Christiansen said in an interview.
“I don’t think we are at the end of it.”
In the first six months of the year, the global toy market expanded by 6.9 percent, with Lego’s share growing “at twice that rate”, Christiansen added.
In the January-June period, the maker of the colourful plastic bricks saw its net profit jump 10 percent from a year earlier to nine billion kroner ($1.39 billion).
Sales rose by 12 percent to a record 34.6 billion kroner, its sixth straight increase for a half-year period.
“There’s been challenges and there’s been volatility in the world, but I think our operating model and the dedication throughout has been really good,” Christiansen said.
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International flights suspended at Greenland airport
International departures have been temporarily suspended at Greenland’s Nuuk airport due to a lack of trained security staff, the Danish transport ministry said on Wednesday.
The company operating the site later said on Facebook that flights would resume on Thursday after security teams arrived from two Danish airports.
The shutdown came less than a year after a new runway opened at the airport to accommodate long-haul flights.
It allowed larger planes to land and take off, ending reliance on nearby Iceland for stopovers.
There is now a direct flight to New York twice a week, but Wednesday’s was cancelled, according to operator Greenland Airports’ schedule.
Danish transport ministry official Anders Windfeldt told AFP that ongoing training of staff responsible for monitoring international passengers did not fully meet requirements.
“We have issued Greenland Airports an injunction to comply with aviation safety rules at Nuuk Airport, where we have identified a number of insufficient safety measures,” he said.
International departures were “temporarily suspended until security personnel receive the necessary training and the airport is fully capable of adhering to its own procedures and security plan”, he added.
Domestic flights in Greenland were unaffected, the ministry said.
“Passengers concerned will be contacted directly by their airline with practical information and any changes to their itinerary,” the operator said.
‘Denmark only’ social media launched in bid to reclaim space from tech giants
New social media Meningspunktet has been launched in Denmark with its owner saying he wants to shift power over online discussion out of the hands of US tech giants.
“Our mission is to give a community and a safe public discussion back to the people. We want to be free of big tech,” founder Tue Oxenvad said in an interview with broadcaster DR.
The new app will link users to their local communities through a connection to the Danish municipality in which they live.
Unlike many other social media platforms,Meningspunktet will require users to verify their identity. This will be done using Denmark’s national digital ID, MitID.