There are a few major channels for reading Danish news in English.
The only genuine English-language newspaper is:
Two major Danish newspapers also have news in English:
The Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR), who has a major website on the Danish internet, has a news page too:
And for those interested in business, there is the financial orientated newspaper:
Today, June the 5th, is each year the day when the Danes celebrate their national constitution (in danish: Grundlov). It is the day when in 1849 King Frederik the 7th. signed the first constitution, thereby giving power to the people in stead of the aristocracy or king.
Even though it is not an official holiday (it used to be half a holiday from 1891 to 1977) you can expect celebrations especially during the second half of the day. As Grundlovsdag is the day when people celebrate the Danish democracy, there will be numerous political speeches by leading politicians held throughout the country. A lot of them will be in a natural setting where people (hopefully) can enjoy the weather and landscape while listening to the speech.
Many shops and, after 12 o’clock in the afternoon, also companies will be closed. But since there is no law made about the celebration of Grundlovsdag it is up to the companies to decide if they will, or can, give there employees an afternoon off.
In the Chinese Calendar, each year is named after a different animal. According to legend, a swimming competition between all the animals was held to define which animal would rule each year, but only twelve succeeded in finishing it. The sequence of the names of the years in the calendar was defined according to the order of arrival. 2009 was the year of the ox. That is the animal that kept swimming and its determination was going to make it to be the first to arrive, but the rat, that got a ride on the ox’s back, jumped in front of it in the end of the competition.
Meng Fan lives in Århus. Her you can see him singing the Chinese Opera. At the back, Julie Brink, from the Venskabsforbundet Danmark-Kina.
With this story, Julie Brink, Chairman of the Friendship Association Denmark-China (Venskabsforbundet Danmark-Kina), a non-governmental organization created in 1952 to promote friendship and understanding between China and Denmark, opened the Chinese New Year festivities in Århus. Organized by this Friendship Association, the festivities took place in the Music Hall on Sunday, January 25th, one day before the Chinese New Year started. The Chinese Calendar is determined by the lunar phases, so its beginning varies each year.
Agreements between Denmark and China
In 2007, agreements between the governments of Denmark and China were established. The first one was a Memorandum of Understanding between China and Denmark, and the second was a China-Denmark Agreement on Mutual Recognition of Academic Degrees in Higher Education.
In 2008, three cooperation agreements between Beijing Normal University and Aalborg University were established. To know more: Danish Government’s Strategy for Knowledge Based Collaboration between Denmark and China.
Apart from the traditional New Years speech by H.M. the Queen and the speech by the Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen (from the political party Venstre), we heard in the media this year that Lene Espersen from the governing conservative party (Konservative) and Helle Torning-Schmidt (From the opposition party Socialdemokraterne) published a speech on the internet as well. Naser Khader from the new and smaller party Liberal Allience has also announced a speech but it didn’t appear on his blog yet at the beginning of the evening of Jan 1st. Margrethe Vestager from the Radikale Venstre is said to publish a speech in the coming weeks (link to their homepage).
This must be the start of a new tradition and it gives those who master the Danish language an easy accessible and wider view of political life in Denmark.