Latest news with #Denmark
Bloomberg
42 minutes ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Greenland Awards Permit for Metal Critical to Defense Industry
Greenland has given permission to a Canadian mining company to explore for molybdenum, a metal critical to the production of steel, amid growing demand from the defense industry. The Arctic island and its mineral riches have this year become hot geopolitical topics after Donald Trump's persistent requests to take over the territory, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. At the same time, the European Union has identified Greenland as a strategic area of interest as the continent tries to become less dependent on the import of raw materials.
BBC News
an hour ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Gossip: Napoli send bid for O'Riley
Brighton have received a £25.6m offer from Napoli for Denmark midfielder Matt O'Riley, 24. (Sky Sports), externalWant more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip columnFollow the gossip column on BBC Sport
Bloomberg
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Russian Threat Looms Over Denmark's Democracy Festival
The warm scent of smoked fish and tangy rye bread drifted through the crowd as Denmark's crisis minister, Torsten Schack Pedersen, tied on a long apron and stepped behind a pop-up kitchen counter in Allinge on the Danish island of Bornholm. With his sleeves rolled up, he reached for tins of peppered kippers — his personal favorite, he eagerly admitted — and began crafting his take on a smørrebrød, Denmark's beloved open-faced sandwich. But the point wasn't just to showcase his culinary skills. Pedersen was demonstrating how to make a tasty meal using the shelf-stable ingredients every Dane is now advised to stockpile in case of a national emergency such as a power blackout or military engagement. The moment captured the mood — festive but shadowed by security concerns — underpinning this year's Folkemødet, Denmark's annual democracy festival on Bornholm, also known as 'sunshine island.' Each year, the Baltic outpost attracts tens of thousands of people to mingle with politicians, diplomats and business leaders, often seen here in sneakers and shades, beer in hand, chatting with regular folks. The atmosphere is like a street fair complete with DJ battles, policy quizzes and grilled sausages.
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘We danced and sang songs to pagan gods': readers' favourite midsummer trips
I enjoyed midsummer at a rented beachside cottage in the Skåne village of Bjärred, north of Malmö, with Swedish friends. We ventured to the local church to enjoy the dancing round a midsummer pole decorated with vibrant blue and red flowers, with many local residents adorned in intricately decorated flower crowns. After taking a dip in the Öresund strait along the long jetty with its bathhouse, we towelled off to indulge in deliciously sweet strawberries and sip Briska ciders into the late hours of We spent the afternoon paddling with one foot in the Baltic and the other in the North Sea at the top of Grenen, North Jutland, Denmark. Then, we headed southwards along the beaches and through the sand dunes to Skagen to enjoy the midsummer celebration at Vippyfyret, where many hundreds gathered, having travelled mostly on foot or by bicycle to experience an evening of music with songs and recital. Artists, composers and poets were among the throng round a great bonfire which was a sight to Jones Guardian Travel readers' tips Every week we ask our readers for recommendations from their travels. A selection of tips will be featured online and may appear in print. To enter the latest competition visit the readers' tips homepage - For an easy midsummer escape from Stockholm, Vaxholm is unbeatable. A fast ferry gets you to the archipelago's capital in under an hour. My tip is to spend the afternoon exploring the town, with its classic Falu-red wooden houses and gardens overflowing with flowers. But don't take the last ferry back. Instead, find a spot by the water and watch as the midsummer sun refuses to set, bathing the islands in golden, pink light for hours. It's a simple, accessible way to experience the magic of Sweden's endless daylight without straying far from the Last summer, while having a break in Valencia, I found out Spanish people mark 23 June as the beginning of summer by celebrating the festival of San Juan. For a few nights around the actual date of San Juan, bonfires, wine and music on the beaches seemed to go on until dawn. The local family I was staying with invited me to choose some old furniture to burn on a beach bonfire and helped me throw it on before we danced round the fire holding hands and singing songs to pagan gods to burn the evil of the previous year! We barbecued anchovies and sausages we had bought at Valencia's marvellous Mercado Central at midnight before throwing ourselves into the Med at 2am – a feelgood way to celebrate midsummer, full of food, friendship and fire!April I've really enjoyed Ride to the Sun – a 100-mile overnight bike ride from Carlisle to Edinburgh held on 21 June. It's inclusive, joyous, community-filled and fabulous. From the Moffat chippy queue to the midnight rave to the toasting of the sunrise on Cramond beach, it's the best way to spend the shortest We stumbled upon the midsummer Noche de San Juan in Cudillero in Asturias. Religious processions gave way to paganistic bonfires where people tossed mementoes of their year to forget. Next up were fireworks and a Brazilian samba troupe. Locals explained that the mayor could justify the expense because it was a prerequisite of getting re-elected. After midnight we headed to the beach for a party fuelled by calimocho (red wine and cola, don't ask). We retired at 8am for a breakfast of chorizo and fried eggs just as a live DJ started Sign up to The Traveller Get travel inspiration, featured trips and local tips for your next break, as well as the latest deals from Guardian Holidays after newsletter promotion Our midsummer stay in Le Pin, a hamlet in southern France between Bordeaux and Toulouse was rich with natural wonders, not always seen but very much heard. From shrieking swifts diving through the 19th-century market hall in nearby Auvillar to a turtle dove purring beside a rural road, it was this bird lover's idyll. We heard nightingale melodies throughout the day as well as after dark, and caught the calls of cirl buntings, hoopoes and black redstarts. And it wasn't just birds. One night, crickets and frogs provided a chirruping and croaking medley – a memorable midsummer nocturne. Sharon Pinner Hiring a bike and exploring Paris for Fête de la Musique was a brilliant way to spend an urban solstice. Every year on 21 June, the city turns into one big free festival, with stages of all sizes springing up outside famous landmarks and local neighbourhood bars. Beginning in the heart of the city to catch some psychedelic guitar outside the Centre Georges Pompidou, we then pedalled past brass ensembles outside jazz bars near Jardin du Luxembourg, classic French techno along the banks of the Seine and scuzzy metal bands in squares of the 13th arrondissement. Lizzy C In the golden light of midsummer, Serralunga d'Alba's rolling vineyards (about 35 miles south-east of Turin) come alive. Staying at Cascina Meriame, a working winery with panoramic views, I savoured barolo and barbaresco wines during intimate tastings led by passionate hosts. Evenings were spent watching the sun set over the Langhe Hills, a Unesco world heritage site, while enjoying local cheeses and nebbiolo wines. The nearby medieval castle added a touch of history to the serene landscape. For a tranquil midsummer retreat blending culture, cuisine and nature, this Piedmont gem is Ifan Morgan ap Dafydd We travelled to Grímsey from Akureyri for the island's summer solstice festival. Arriving early, we hiked to the marker sign and received official certificates to confirm we had crossed the Arctic Circle. Celebrations began at Krian, the only restaurant on the island, and continued well into the night at the schoolhouse. The drink flowed and there was a treasure hunt, dancing, traditional songs and homemade food. Families came together for picnics on the wildflower-covered hillsides, outdoor chess tournaments were played at midnight and, local or stranger, all were welcomed. It was truly
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Women are lagging behind on AI but they can catch up
Women are more likely than men to be in jobs at risk of being automated, but they are also 25 per cent less likely than men to have basic digital skills, separate studies show. The findings, from the International Labour Organisation and the UN respectively, highlight an urgent challenge for women across the world. The artificial intelligence -driven industrial revolution ought to offer a unique opportunity for everyone to shape the future of work, but many women are already behind. A 2024 Danish study of 100,000 workers found 'a staggering gender gap in the adoption of ChatGPT: women are 20 percentage points less likely to use ChatGPT than men in the same occupation'. The researchers found the gap persisted when people in the same workplaces were compared. So how can women keep up with AI developments – especially those who might feel too busy to take time off for training within a part-time schedule, or who may be in denial about AI's all-consuming importance? The challenges are understandable: it is hard to know where to start. READ MORE A useful resource is research company Charter's Guide to AI in the Workplace. Instead of focusing on ideas and AI's 'maybe' impacts, this report has case studies on how some prominent companies are working with staff to share AI best practice. But small employers don't have anything like these resources and, as the UK's Pissarides Review into the future of work and wellbeing points out, 'good impacts – including upskilling and the substitution of routine tasks – cannot be assumed and must be proactively shaped'. So how can you use AI yourself, even when there is no corporate, or even team-level, push for change? The best advice I have seen is from Slack , the workplace collaboration platform, which recommends setting aside time for experimentation and learning. It is also good to be curious about AI, more generally. My recent reading includes 'AI will change what it is to be human. Are we ready?' by economist Tyler Cowen and Avital Balwit of AI software developer Anthropic. [ Are fears of an AI slash and burn of white-collar roles well founded? Opens in new window ] I am also experimenting. I asked the FT's ChatGPT Enterprise to tell me what is holding women back in adopting AI. It pointed to a 2024 study on women and generative AI by Deloitte, the consultancy. The researchers expected 'the proportion of women experimenting with and using gen AI for projects and tasks will match or surpass that of men in the United States by the end of 2025'. So it is not all doom and gloom. Caution is still good. As noted last month, generative AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude may sometimes demonstrate how 'the potential biases of those working at AI companies can seep into their models'. An FT reporter ran a series of questions about AI bosses through different chatbots, and each model was far more favourable about its own leader. Women make up just a third of the AI workforce, according to world Economic Forum figures. But that should give us all the more reason to learn more about large language models and AI-powered agents – and start to influence how to build knowledge in our own organisations. You will know the saying that 'AI is not going to take your job – someone using AI will'. That sounds reassuring for anyone who has mastered AI and validates those who are experimenting. Unfortunately, like many things in the AI spin cycle, even this idea may be outdated. Sangeet Paul Choudary, a tech author and adviser, says this idea is 'true, but utterly useless'. In his Substack newsletter, he says the statement 'directs your attention to the individual task level – automation vs augmentation of the tasks you perform – when the real shift is happening at the level of the entire system of work'. That difference takes some processing but is a useful way to see the bigger picture. If you have yet to use generative AI, don't panic. Time is on your side. Consultancy McKinsey has found that, despite the hype, only 1 per cent of leaders say their companies are 'mature' on AI deployment. The other 99 per cent? That's where the rest of us work. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2025
