SOCIETY / BUSINESS

Sweden: Swedish Royal Family cancels engagement due to coronavirus outbreak

NordenBladet – The Swedish Royal Family has cancelled a grand reception dinner due to the coronavirus outbreak. The dinner was due to take place on Wednesday evening, with 150 guests in attendance.

A statement from the Royal Court read: “For the sake of invited guests, the representation dinner scheduled for Wednesday, March 4, will be postponed. In recent days, a number of cases of infection from the new coronavirus have been discovered in Sweden. The public health authority estimates that the risk of detecting cases of covid-19 in Sweden is high, but that the risk of general dissemination in the country is low.

“In anticipation of the continued development of events, Their Majesties, as hosts, choose to postpone the planned representation dinner at the royal palace on Wednesday 4 March. This is done with regard to invited guests.”

The King & Queen’s representation dinners are large and very formal events. Invitations to the 150 guests were sent out six weeks ago.

The representation dinners are usually attended by representatives from the diplomatic corps, the Swedish parliament, the government, as well as representatives from the world of science, culture, sports and business. The dinner is usually held in the gallery of Karl XI at the royal palace in Stockholm. Previous menus have consisted of lightly smoked duck breast with shallot crisp, and roasted Swedish pork tenderloin with broken duck.

The coronavirus outbreak was confirmed to have spread to Sweden when the first COVID-19 case was confirmed on 31 January 2020. A woman in her 20s who had recently visited Wuhan in China tested positive for the disease.

On 26 February, following the large COVID-19 outbreak in Italy and Iran, multiple infection clusters originating from these two countries arrived in Sweden. A number of individuals in Västra Götaland, Jönköping, Stockholm, Uppsala tested positive and were admitted to the infectious disease units in the respective counties. As of 1 March 2020, there have been 14 confirmed cases in Sweden.

Featured image: The King & Queen of Sweden (Bengt Nyman/CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons)

Denmark: Princess Marie meets climate activist Vanessa Nakate as she ends trip to Uganda as Patron of DanChurchAid + PHOTOS!

NordenBladet – On 29 February, Princess Marie met with young climate activist, Vanessa Nakate during her humanitarian trip to Uganda as Patron of DanChurchAid. Vanessa Nakate called out the Associated Press when she was cropped out of a photo with other young climate activists including Greta Thunberg at the Davos Economic Forum last January. About the scandal, Princess Marie said: “I thought it was really stupid. I can’t imagine it was made on purpose, but they should have thought about it. I can tell you we heard about you, we heard your voice, we heard about you and you have a strong voice”.

During the meeting, Princess Marie also met other young climate activists Leyna, Bonita, and Karen. Leyna, who is eight-years-old, sang a song for the Princess. Bonita, who is 15-years-old, gifted Princess Marie two children books she wore about climate change with the first chapter being appropriately titled ‘A Royal Friendship’. Karen, 11, read a poem titled ‘My Beautiful Field’ which is about her beautiful field who is going to disappear because of climate change. At the end of the poem, Karen says, “You and I will probably find a solution,” which made Princess Marie very emotional. Princess Marie, Vanessa, Leyna, Bonita and Karen also planted a mango tree that Princess Marie was gifted the day before.

About her meeting with Princess Marie, Vanessa Nakate said: “The Princess told me she thought it was really unfair that I was cut out, and it was very, very good for me to hear that someone like her actually knew I existed. She also told me that I was very powerful and very inspiring regardless of what had happened.”


After the meeting, Princess Marie attended an official reception hosted by the Danish Ambassador to Uganda Nikolaj A. Hejberg Petersen in his official residence.

On 1 March, Princess Marie attended her last official event in Uganda as she met with the Uganda Women Network which works with DanChurchAid to provide education for women with the aim of educating and supporting women’s opportunities to participate in both local and national political work.

Before leaving the country, Princess Marie joined DanChurchAid Country Manager, Peter Bo Larsen for a small press conference. About her trip, Princess Marie said: “This is a very welcoming country. People are very kind.[…] I’ve met very very strong and inspiring women. That really touched me a lot.”

She also talked about how climate change has a huge impact in Uganda: “Climate change is all around the world, you know, it’s affecting everybody. The only thing I can tell you is, coming here I really saw the impact, especially for the farmers. You never know when it’s going to rain, you can’t know when you harvest, you can’t plan anything. This is a matter of life and death, you need to be able to eat. I think this is a problem all around the world, but here it’s a problem that we need to address today.”

Princess Marie then flew back to Paris to get back to her children who she ‘missed very much,’ as she told members of the Danish media present in Uganda with her. She also admitted that she was a little bit scared by the reports on the coronavirus that she had been hearing from Denmark and France, especially as the threat grew more serious in France and some schools were closed.

Photos: 3x Bax Lindhardt / DanChurchAid

World Economic Forum, Davos 2020: Yuval Noah Harari: How to Survive the 21st Century – The rise of the useless class

NordenBladet – Prof. Yuval Noah Harari (43) takes to the Congress Hall stage at the World Economic Forum annual meeting to speak about how nuclear war, ecological collapse and technological disruption pose an existential threat to human civilization. Directly after, he explores the challenges of the 21st century and how to address them before it is too late with Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, moderated by Orit Gadiesh.

Historian Yuval Noah Harari offers a bracing prediction: just as mass industrialization created the working class, the AI revolution will create a new unworking class.

The most important question in 21st-century economics may well be: What should we do with all the superfluous people, once we have highly intelligent non-conscious algorithms that can do almost everything better than humans?

This is not an entirely new question. People have long feared that mechanization might cause mass unemployment. This never happened, because as old professions became obsolete, new professions evolved, and there was always something humans could do better than machines. Yet this is not a law of nature, and nothing guarantees it will continue to be like that in the future. The idea that humans will always have a unique ability beyond the reach of non-conscious algorithms is just wishful thinking. The current scientific answer to this pipe dream can be summarized in three simple principles:

1. Organisms are algorithms. Every animal — including Homo sapiens — is an assemblage of organic algorithms shaped by natural selection over millions of years of evolution.

2. Algorithmic calculations are not affected by the materials from which the calculator is built. Whether an abacus is made of wood, iron or plastic, two beads plus two beads equals four beads.

3. Hence, there is no reason to think that organic algorithms can do things that non-organic algorithms will never be able to replicate or surpass. As long as the calculations remain valid, what does it matter whether the algorithms are manifested in carbon or silicon?

True, at present there are numerous things that organic algorithms do better than non-organic ones, and experts have repeatedly declared that some things will “for ever” remain beyond the reach of non-organic algorithms. But it turns out that “for ever” often means no more than a decade or two. Until a short time ago, facial recognition was a favorite example of something that babies accomplish easily but which escaped even the most powerful computers. Today, facial-recognition programs are able to identify people far more efficiently and quickly than humans can. In 2004, professor Frank Levy from MIT and professor Richard Murnane from Harvard published research on the job market, listing those professions most likely to undergo automation. Truck driving was given as an example of a job that could not possibly be automated in the foreseeable future. A mere 10 years later, Google and Tesla can not only imagine this, but are actually making it happen.

In fact, as time goes by, it becomes easier and easier to replace humans with computer algorithms, not merely because the algorithms are getting smarter, but also because humans are professionalizing. Ancient hunter-gatherers mastered a very wide variety of skills in order to survive, which is why it would be immensely difficult to design a robotic hunter-gatherer. Such a robot would have to know how to prepare spear points from flint stones, find edible mushrooms in a forest, track down a mammoth, coordinate a charge with a dozen other hunters and use medicinal herbs to bandage any wounds. However, a taxi driver or a cardiologist specializes in a much narrower niche than a hunter-gatherer, which makes it easier to replace them with AI. AI is nowhere near human-like existence, but 99 percent of human qualities and abilities are simply redundant for the performance of most modern jobs. For AI to squeeze humans out of the job market it need only outperform us in the specific abilities a particular profession demands.

As algorithms push humans out of the job market, wealth and power might become concentrated in the hands of the tiny elite that owns the all-powerful algorithms, creating unprecedented social and political inequality. Alternatively, the algorithms might themselves become the owners. Human law already recognizes intersubjective entities like corporations and nations as “legal persons.” Though Toyota or Argentina has neither a body nor a mind, they are subject to international laws, they can own land and money, and they can sue and be sued in court. We might soon grant similar status to algorithms. An algorithm could then own a transportation empire or a venture-capital fund without having to obey the wishes of any human master. Before dismissing the idea, remember that most of our planet is already legally owned by non-human intersubjective entities, namely nations and corporations. Indeed, 5,000 years ago much of Sumer was owned by imaginary gods such as Enki and Inanna. If gods can possess land and employ people, why not algorithms?

So what will people do? Art is often said to provide us with our ultimate (and uniquely human) sanctuary. In a world where computers have replaced doctors, drivers, teachers and even landlords, would everyone become an artist? Yet it is hard to see why artistic creation would be safe from the algorithms. According to the life sciences, art is not the product of some enchanted spirit or metaphysical soul, but rather of organic algorithms recognizing mathematical patterns. If so, there is no reason why non-organic algorithms couldn’t master it.

In the 19th century the Industrial Revolution created a huge urban proletariat, and socialism spread because no other creed managed to answer the unprecedented needs, hopes and fears of this new working class. Liberalism eventually defeated socialism only by adopting the best parts of the socialist program. In the 21st century we might witness the creation of a massive new unworking class: people devoid of any economic, political or even artistic value, who contribute nothing to the prosperity, power and glory of society. This “useless class” will not merely be unemployed — it will be unemployable.

In September 2013, two Oxford researchers, Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael A. Osborne, published “The Future of Employment,” in which they surveyed the likelihood of different professions being taken over by computer algorithms within the next 20 years, and they estimated that 47 percent of US jobs are at high risk. For example, there is a 99 percent probability that by 2033 human telemarketers and insurance underwriters will lose their jobs to algorithms. There is a 98 percent probability that the same will happen to sports referees. Cashiers — 97 percent. Chefs — 96 percent. Waiters — 94 percent. Paralegals — 94 percent. Tour guides — 91 percent. Bakers — 89 percent. Bus drivers — 89 percent. Construction laborers — 88 percent. Veterinary assistants — 86 percent. Security guards — 84 percent. Sailors — 83 percent. Bartenders — 77 percent. Archivists — 76 percent. Carpenters — 72 percent. Lifeguards — 67 percent. There are, of course, some safe jobs. The likelihood that computer algorithms will displace archaeologists by 2033 is only 0.7 percent, because their job requires highly sophisticated types of pattern recognition and doesn’t produce huge profits and it is improbable that corporations or government will make the necessary investment to automate archaeology within the next 20 years.

 

Of course, by 2033 many new professions are likely to appear — for example, virtual-world designers. But such professions will probably require much more creativity and flexibility than current run-of-the-mill jobs, and it is unclear whether 40-year-old cashiers or insurance agents will be able to reinvent themselves as virtual world designers (try to imagine a virtual world created by an insurance agent!). And even if they do so, the pace of progress is such that within another decade they might have to reinvent themselves yet again. After all, algorithms might well outperform humans in designing virtual worlds, too. The crucial problem isn’t creating new jobs. The crucial problem is creating new jobs that humans perform better than algorithms.

Since we do not know how the job market would look in 2030 or 2040, today we have no idea what to teach our kids. Most of what they currently learn at school will probably be irrelevant by the time they are 40. Traditionally, life has been divided into two main parts: a period of learning, followed by a period of working. Very soon this traditional model will become utterly obsolete, and the only way for humans to stay in the game will be to keep learning throughout their lives and to reinvent themselves repeatedly. Many, if not most, humans may be unable to do so.

The coming technological bonanza will probably make it feasible to feed and support people even without any effort from their side. But what will keep them occupied and content? One answer might be drugs and computer games. Unnecessary people might spend increasing amounts of time within 3D virtual-reality worlds that would provide them with far more excitement and emotional engagement than the drab reality outside. Yet such a development would deal a mortal blow to the liberal belief in the sacredness of human life and of human experiences. What’s so sacred about useless bums who pass their days devouring artificial experiences?

Some experts and thinkers, such as Nick Bostrom (TED Talk: What happens when our computers get smarter than we are?), warn that humankind is unlikely to suffer this degradation, because once artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence, it might simply exterminate humankind. The AI would likely do so either for fear that humankind would turn against it and try to pull its plug, or in pursuit of some unfathomable goal of its own. For it would be extremely difficult for humans to control the motivation of a system smarter than themselves.

“Artificial intelligence is getting smarter by leaps and bounds — within this century, research suggests, a computer AI could be as “smart” as a human being.”

Even preprogramming an AI system with seemingly benign goals might backfire horribly. One popular scenario imagines a corporation designing the first artificial super-intelligence and giving it an innocent test such as calculating pi. Before anyone realizes what is happening, the AI takes over the planet, eliminates the human race, launches a campaign of conquest to the ends of the galaxy, and transforms the entire known universe into a giant supercomputer that for billions upon billions of years calculates pi ever more accurately. After all, this is the divine mission its Creator gave it.

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Yuval Noah Harari (born 24 February 1976) is an Israeli historian, philosopher, and a professor in the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is the author of the popular science bestsellers Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2014), Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (2016), and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (2018). His writings examine free will, consciousness, intelligence and happiness.

Harari writes about the “cognitive revolution” occurring roughly 70,000 years ago when Homo sapiens supplanted the rival Neanderthals, developed language skills and structured societies, and ascended as apex predators, aided by the agricultural revolution and accelerated by the scientific method, which have allowed humans to approach near mastery over their environment. His books also examine the possible consequences of a futuristic biotechnological world in which intelligent biological organisms are surpassed by their own creations; he has said “Homo sapiens as we know them will disappear in a century or so”.

Yuval Noah Harari was born in Kiryat Ata, Israel, in 1976 and grew up in a secular Jewish family[3] with Lebanese and Eastern European roots in Haifa, Israel. Harari is gay and in 2002 met his husband Itzik Yahav, whom he calls “my internet of all things”. Yahav is also Harari’s personal manager.They married in a civil ceremony in Toronto in Canada. The couple lives in a moshav (a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms), Mesilat Zion, near Jerusalem.

Harari says Vipassana meditation, which he began whilst in Oxford in 2000, has “transformed my life”. He practises for two hours every day (one hour at the start and end of his work day), every year undertakes a meditation retreat of 30 days or longer, in silence and with no books or social media, and is an assistant meditation teacher. He dedicated Homo Deus to “my teacher, S. N. Goenka, who lovingly taught me important things”, and said “I could not have written this book without the focus, peace and insight gained from practising Vipassana for fifteen years.” He also regards meditation as a way to research.

Harari is a vegan, and says this resulted from his research, including his view that the foundation of the dairy industry is breaking the bond between mother cow and calf.As of January 2019, Harari does not have a smartphone.

Harari is interested in how Homo sapiens reached their current condition, and in their future. His research focuses on macro-historical questions such as: What is the relation between history and biology? What is the essential difference between Homo sapiens and other animals? Is there justice in history? Does history have a direction? Did people become happier as history unfolded?

Harari regards dissatisfaction as the “deep root” of human reality, and as related to evolution.

In a 2017 article, Harari argued that through continuing technological progress and advances in the field of artificial intelligence, “by 2050 a new class of people might emerge – the useless class. People who are not just unemployed, but unemployable.” He put forward the case that dealing with this new social class economically, socially and politically will be a central challenge for humanity in the coming decades.

Harari has commented on the plight of animals, particularly domesticated animals since the agricultural revolution, and is a vegan. In a 2015 Guardian article under the title “Industrial farming is one of the worst crimes in history” he called “[t]he fate of industrially farmed animals one of the most pressing ethical questions of our time.”

Harari summed up his views on the world in a 2018 interview with Steve Paulson of Nautilus thus: “Things are better than ever before. Things are still quite bad. Things can get much worse. This adds up to a somewhat optimistic view because if you realize things are better than before, this means we can make them even better.”

Harari wrote that although the idea of free will and the liberal values helped consolidate, it “emboldened people who had to fight against the Inquisition, the divine right of kings, the KGB and the KKK”, it has become dangerous in a world of a data economy, where, he argues, in reality there is no such thing, and governments and corporations are coming to know the individual better than they know themselves and “if governments and corporations succeed in hacking the human animal, the easiest people to manipulate will be those who believe in free will.” Harari elaborates that “Humans certainly have a will – but it isn’t free. You cannot decide what desires you have… Every choice depends on a lot of biological, social and personal conditions that you cannot determine for yourself. I can choose what to eat, whom to marry and whom to vote for, but these choices are determined in part by my genes, my biochemistry, my gender, my family background, my national culture, etc – and I didn’t choose which genes or family to have.”

 

Photo: Yuval Noah Harari (YouTube)

Sweden: Crown Princess Victoria attends People and Culture convention in Eskilstuna

NordenBladet – On 5 February, Crown Princess Victoria attended the People and Culture Convention in Eskilstuna. The People and Culture Convention is organised for the public and private sectors, media, associations, academia and citizens with the aim of highlighting the importance of art and culture in the development of democracy and society. It is the third edition of the convention, and this year, Crown Princess Victoria is their patron. The convention is held for four days to coincide with the People and Culture day on 8 February and has over 125 programme points with talks, debates, and seminars.

During the event, Crown Princess Victoria made a speech where she explained the importance of art, culture and education in today’s society saying: “In a time when we are offered simple answers, we need to safeguard our ability to ask questions. Art, education and culture strengthen that ability. It helps us understand ourselves – and each other. That is why it is so important that this opportunity exists for everyone. No matter where you live in the country, how old you are or where you come from.“

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Crown Princess Victoria also praised the convention: ” It is an important contribution. And I am happy to be the patron of the meeting place that is People and Culture. I think conversation forums like this are necessary: ​​As a platform for exchanging experiences and perspectives. But also to gain power and energy to continue working.” When asked why she accepted to become the patron of the convention, Crown Princess Victoria said she thought it was important to promote culture.

Crown Princess Victoria also had the opportunity to visit some of the seminars and meet with other people attending the convention to discuss their art like Helena Åberg from Sörmland’s Museum. During the opening ceremony, Crown Princess Victoria watched performances by violinist Kreeta-Maria Kentala, member of the Swing Quartet Jouko Kyhälä and dancer Anthony Lomuljo as well as Flen World Orchestra.

Photo: Crown Princess Victoria ( Erika Gerdemark/Kungahuset.se)

Norway: King Harald on his health: ”better and better”

NordenBladet – On Tuesday, His Majesty presented the National Association for Public Health Research Prizes for 2020. Ulrik Wisløff received the National Association for Public Health’s Heart Research Award today. This year’s winners of the Dementia Research Award was Anders Fjell and Kristine Walhovd.His Majesty the King handed out the awards on behalf of the organization which he is protector of. The awards ceremony took place at the Norwegian Theatre in Oslo.

During the event, the King made a short comment on his health. Despite a huge press attendance only the TV-channel TV2 went so far to ask the King a question. TV2’s reporter asked the King “How is it with Your Majesty’s health?”. The King looked on the reporter, smiled and replied: “Things are going better and better”.

Photo: King Harald during the awards ceremony on Tuesday (Liv Anette Luane / The Royal Court)

Denmark: Crown Prince Frederik accepts new patronage. His Royal Highness has agreed to become patron of HCØ2020

NordenBladet – Crown Prince Frederik* of Denmark has accepted a new patronage. His Royal Highness has agreed to become patron of HCØ2020**, the Danish nationwide celebration of the 200th anniversary of the discovery of electromagnetism, according to the Danish Royal House in a statement on Tuesday (07.01.2020).

The 200th anniversary of the discovery is celebrated this year under the name HCØ2020 with a number of exhibitions, new teaching materials, lectures and debates, and the Crown Prince has agreed to become patron for the entire anniversary year.

Crown Prince Frederik (51) has long been strongly interested in science and technology. Despite this, the Crown Prince does not have any natural science education, only political science. The Crown Prince is expected to attend a number of events related to his new patronage.

The Danish heir to the throne is already a protector of a number of foundations and organisations. Aarhus Student Singers, The Blood Donors in Denmark, Danish-Chinese Business Forum, The Danish Hunters’ Association, Danish Military Sports Association, The Greenlandic Company, The Foreign Policy Society, Danish Railway Museum, Save the Children and the Maritime Safety Council are just some of the groups that have the royal support of Crown Prince Frederik.

The purpose of HCØ2020 is to promote technical and scientific education across all ages. Likewise, the initiative must help increase interest in science and the future of technology. HCØ2020 is highlighted through a wide range of dissemination efforts, which include 12 signature projects covering the three main areas of the initiative: teaching, culture and science.

In 1820, the Danish physicist and chemist Hans Christian Ørsted discovered electromagnetism. It was a natural science event that enabled the development of modern society. Ørsted’s discovery that electric current causes magnetism spurred the Englishman Michael Faraday to try to do the opposite, to convert magnetism into electricity. Eleven years after Ørsted’s discovery, Faraday succeeded in inducing an electric current with the help of magnetism. Hans Christian Ørsted is also known as the first man ever to make aluminium in 1825.

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* Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, Count of Monpezat, RE, SKmd (Frederik André Henrik Christian; born 26 May 1968) is the heir apparent to the throne of Denmark. Frederik is the elder son of Queen Margrethe II and the late Henrik, Prince Consort.

Frederik was born at Rigshospitalet the Copenhagen University Hospital in Copenhagen, on 26 May 1968, to the then Princess Margrethe, oldest daughter of Frederick IX and heir presumptive to the Danish throne, and Prince Henrik. At the time of his birth, his maternal grandfather was on the throne of Denmark and his matrilineal great-grandfather was on the throne of Sweden.

He was baptized on 24 June 1968, at Holmens Kirke, in Copenhagen. He was christened Frederik after his maternal grandfather, King Frederick IX, continuing the Danish royal tradition of the heir apparent being named either Frederik or Christian. His middle names honour his paternal grandfather, André de Laborde de Monpezat; his father, Prince Henrik; and his maternal great-grandfather, Christian X. Frederik’s godparents include Count Etienne de Laborde de Monpezat (paternal uncle); Queen Anne-Marie of Greece (maternal aunt); Prince Georg of Denmark; Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg (his maternal grandfather’s first cousin’s daughter; Baron Christian de Watteville-Berckheim and Birgitta Juel Hillingsø.

He became Crown Prince of Denmark when his mother succeeded to the throne as Margrethe II on 14 January 1972.

Frederik attended primary school at Krebs’ Skole during the years 1974–1981, from 1974–1976 as a private pupil at Amalienborg Palace, and from the third form at Krebs’ Skole. In the period 1982–1983, he was a boarder at École des Roches in Normandy, France. In 1986, Frederik graduated from the upper secondary school of Øregaard Gymnasium.

His mother tongue is Danish. In addition he is fluent in French (his father’s language), English, and German.

In 1986 he began a course in Political Science at Aarhus University. This included a year at Harvard University (1992–1993) under the name of Frederik Henriksen, studying political science. He then took up a position for three months with the Danish UN mission in New York in 1994. In 1995, he obtained his MSc degree in Political Science from Aarhus University. He completed the course in the prescribed number of years with an exam result above average, thus becoming the first royal to obtain a master’s degree. His final paper was an analysis on the foreign policy of the Baltic States, which he had visited several times during his studies. The prince was posted as First Secretary to the Danish Embassy in Paris from October 1998 to October 1999.

In the Council of State on 8 October 2003, Queen Margrethe gave her consent to the marriage of Crown Prince Frederik to Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, an Australian marketing consultant whom the prince had met while attending the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Their wedding took place on 14 May 2004 at Copenhagen Cathedral, Copenhagen.

The couple have four children: Christian (born 15 October 2005); Isabella (born 21 April 2007), Vincent (born 8 January 2011), and Josephine (born 8 January 2011).

**  About HCØ2020. In 1820, Hans Christian Ørsted discovered electromagnetism when he saw a compass needle move when moving a live wire over it. H.C. Ørsted’s discovery of the connection between electricity and magnetism is one of the world’s largest scientific discoveries. A discovery that has enabled the development of modern society and is to be celebrated.

The celebration of the 200th anniversary of H.C. Ørsted’s discovery of electromagnetism takes place through the nationwide dissemination initiative HCØ2020, which, through a wide range of activities, spread throughout 2020, highlights the importance of electromagnetism, science, technology and curiosity to our society.

H.C. Ørsted’s discovery of electromagnetism was a natural science event in 1820 that enabled the development of modern society. Even today, electromagnetism continues to play a major role in our daily lives, where it is everywhere around us.
In the future, electromagnetism also plays an essential role as researchers continue to work on the basis of H.C. Örsted’s pioneering discovery. Among other things, in the development of better batteries, so we can store green energy until we need it. For example, when the sun is not shining or knowledge is not blowing.

H.C Ørsted’s now 200-year-old discovery is therefore both today and in the future an important part of our daily lives, as well as the work of researchers and entrepreneurs in solving the world’s challenges and thus driving the green transition.

Featured image: Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark (NordenBladet)

Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II joined by her younger sister Princess Benedikte for a special anniversary

NordenBladet – Denmark’s Queen, Margrethe II*, was accompanied by her younger sister, Princess Benedikte**, as she oversaw the beginning of commemorations of a major anniversary for their country. The two royals attended a special concert marking the centenary of the reunification of South Jutland with Denmark.

The gala evening was hosted by the Danish government as events for the 100th anniversary get under way. The performance, which included music and dance, took place at the Royal Theatre in the heart of Copenhagen.

Queen Margrethe (79) and Princess Benedikte (75), both dressed in patriotic red, were presented with flowers as they arrived at the theatre. They then took their seats in the Royal Box for the show which featured performances from children’s choirs as well as a world premiere of a special German-Danish pas-de-deux.

South Jutland is the modern Danish name for part of what, for centuries, was known as the Duchy of Schleswig. In the 19th century, two wars were fought over Schleswig which culminated in Prussia defeating Denmark and taking control of the area. Following the First World War, Danish authorities asked for a referendum over the future of the area. The area now called South Jutland chose to be part of Denmark and the reunification took place in 1920.

Commemorations will take place throughout 2020 with special events planned for February and March to mark the centenary of the referendum itself. The most high profile celebrations will come in July to mark exactly 100 years since King Christian X rode, symbolically, across the border between Denmark and South Jutland to show they were now one again.

Queen Margrethe and her family are expected to play a major part in the ongoing commemorations.

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* Margrethe II (full name: Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid; born 16 April 1940) is Queen of Denmark, as well as the supreme authority of the Church of Denmark and commander-in-chief of the Danish Defence. Born into the House of Glücksburg, a royal house with origins in northern Germany, she was the eldest child of Frederick IX of Denmark and Ingrid of Sweden. She became heir presumptive to her father in 1953, when a constitutional amendment allowed women to inherit the throne. Margrethe succeeded her father upon his death on 14 January 1972. On her accession, she became the first female monarch of Denmark since Margrethe I, ruler of the Scandinavian kingdoms in 1375–1412 during the Kalmar Union. In 1967, she married Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, with whom she has two sons: Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim.

** Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg RE, SKmd, D.Ht. (Benedikte Astrid Ingeborg Ingrid, born 29 April 1944) is the second daughter and child of King Frederick IX and Queen Ingrid of Denmark. She is the younger sister of the reigning Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II, and the older sister of Queen Anne-Marie of Greece. Princess Benedikte often represents her elder sister at official or semi-official events. She and her late husband, Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, have three children. Princess Benedikte is currently 11th in the line of succession to the Danish throne.

 

Featured image: Denmark’s Queen, Margrethe II (NordenBladet)

Denmark: Danish royals attend first New Year reception of 2020 + VIDEO!

NordenBladet – The Danish Royal Family has attended their first reception of 2020. Queen Margrethe was joined by Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, Prince Joachim, Princess Marie, and Princess Benedikte at Christian VII’s Palace in the Amalienborg Palace complex last night. The annual reception was in honour of the Danish government, Parliament, members of the Royal Court and official Denmark.

Others in attendance included Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Finance Minister Nicolai Wammen, Minister for Defence Trine Bramsen, Minister for the Environment Lea Wermelin, Supreme Court President Thomas Rørdam, and Mayor of Copenhagen Municipality of Frank Jensen.

Guests dined on pheasant with apple and pickled mushrooms, deer fillet “Crepine”, cabbage, French fries and pepper sauce, baked Brillat-Savarin, truffle and frisée salad, Charlotte a la Russe, and blackcurrant from Marselisborg Palace. Tables were decorated with flowers that “mainly consist of white roses, eucalyptus, silver-grey tillandsia as well as carnations and snowflake-like bridal veils, which together remind the guests of the cold winter months,” according to the Royal House.

Music was provided by The Royal Life Guards Music Corps.

Another reception will take place tonight and on Friday night.

Video: Den kongelige familie ankommer til nytårskur- og taffel 2020 (Det danske kongehus)

Denmark: Crown Prince Family of Denmark sends Christmas greetings

NordenBladet – The Crown Prince Family of Denmark have sent their Christmas greetings to the Danish people through a new photo and video released by the Royal House.

In the video, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent, and Princess Josephine are decorating a Christmas tree together. They are also seen petting and feeding the horses in the stables and later having a snack together as a family.

The video ends with a message from the Crown Prince Family, “With the wish for a very Merry Christmas.”

The photo of the family was taken in the barn behind Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen where they had decorated the Christmas tree and fed the horses.

The stables with the decorated Christmas tree are open to the public, and visitors will be able to see the tree when they visit. It is open every day from 13:30 – 16:00 except Monday.

Photo & video: Kongehuset

Norway’s financial authority (Finanstilsynet): Household debt continues to rise

NordenBladet – Norway’s financial authority (Finanstilsynet) is worried about new figures showing how Norwegians’ household debt remains high and keeps rising. The most vulnerable are both young first-time home buyers with large mortgages and senior citizens who’ve borrowed against their equity.

The annual figures released by the regulators now show total debt as a portion of gross annual income at 342 percent. That’s 8 percentage points higher than in 2018, while there’s also been a sharp increase in household debt that’s more than four times household income. Relatively new regulations hold banks to a maximum of five times, and regulators worry there are far too many bumping right up against that.

High housing prices and a strong desire for home ownership in Norway have fueled the rising debt levels. Even though the government tightened lending requirements by demanding downpayments of at least 15 percent on purchase of a home (capping mortgages at 85 percent), total debt is rising and that’s not healthy, experts claim.

‘Alarming’
“The rise in debt exposure for first-time buyers is alarming,” Ola H Grytten, a professor at Norway’s prestigious business school NHH (Norges Handelshøyskole) in Bergen, told newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN). He noted that it’s rising three times faster than purchasing power, “and that can’t last.”

Concerns are also rising over how debt continues to rise among Norwegians over age 65, most of whom are retired and on relatively fixed incomes. While there’s been a rise in those taking out “senior-” or home-equity loans to supplement income for travel or other recreational pursuits, Thea B Kloster of Finanstilsynet ties much of the seniors’ rising debt level to parents and grandparents helping the family’s younger generation buy a home instead of renting.

The greatest concerns, however, are swirling over the young borrowers who can get hit by interest rate increases and who don’t usually have much financial reserves in the form of savings. Very few Norwegians opt for higher fixed-rate loans in Norway. Those under age 25 have an overall debt-equity ration of 387 percent, according to the new report.

Big mortgages too common
Grytten worries that it’s become too common to take up large, multi-million kroner mortgages. “There’s a danger that borrowing up to the maximum is becoming the norm,” Grytten said.

Norway is now tied with the Netherlands in having the highest household debt among the OECD countries, exceeded only by Denmark, where more buyers opt for fixed-rate loans and aren’t as exposed to interest rate hikes.

“We’re a nation of gamblers who haven’t locked in our interest rates,” editorialized newspaper Dagsavisen. “We’re optimists, or else bloody naive.”

Featured image: Norwegians’ desire to own their own homes means that especially first-time buyers get off to a rocky start with high household debt levels. Seniors also have a rising degree of debt. (Pexels)