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Queen Margrethe II: Danish monarch announces abdication live on TV

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Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II has surprised the nation by announcing her abdication in a New Year TV address after 52 years on the throne. The 83-year-old monarch, the world’s only reigning queen and Europe’s longest-serving current monarch, will formally step down on January 14, passing the throne to her son, Crown Prince Frederik.

Unlike the British royal tradition, there will be no formal crowning ceremony for Crown Prince Frederik, who is 55. Instead, his accession will be announced from Amalienborg Castle in Copenhagen on the day. He will become King of Denmark, head of state in the constitutional monarchy, and also assume these roles in Greenland and the Faroe Islands. His Australian-born wife, Princess Mary, will take on the title of Denmark’s Queen Consort.

Queen Margrethe revealed that her decision to abdicate came after a period of reflection following back surgery in early 2023. She expressed gratitude to the Danish public for their support over the years. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also thanked the queen for her lifelong dedication and tireless efforts for the Kingdom.

Queen Margrethe, a popular figure in Denmark, was not expected to abdicate, and many Danes anticipated her remaining on the throne until her death. Affectionately known as Daisy, she attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and both queens celebrated their respective jubilees in the same year.

Crown Prince Frederik, known for his environmental passion, is set to guide Denmark into the future. His wife, Princess Mary, an Australian lawyer, will become Denmark’s Queen Consort. The Danish royal family, facing challenges of modern society, has decided to streamline its members, resulting in a public rift last year when Prince Joachim’s children were stripped of their royal titles. The transition marks a moment of mixed celebration and sadness for Denmark as they bid farewell to Queen Margrethe and welcome the new era under Crown Prince Frederik’s reign.

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Greenland Women Pursue Compensation for Involuntary Birth Control

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A group of 67 women from Greenland is pursuing compensation from the Danish government for the involuntary birth control program that took place in the 1960s. This program aimed to limit birth rates among the indigenous population and involved fitting at least 4,500 women, including teenagers, with contraceptive coils. While an official inquiry is scheduled to conclude in 2025, these women, some now in their 70s, are seeking compensation immediately, with each woman requesting 300,000 kroner (£34,880; $42,150).

Greenland, which is now a semi-sovereign territory of Denmark, was under Danish colonial rule until 1953. The extent of the involuntary birth control campaign came to light last year through a podcast by Danish broadcaster DR. Records from the national archives revealed that between 1966 and 1970, intrauterine devices (IUDs) were implanted in these women, some as young as 13, without their knowledge or consent.

The Greenlandic government estimates that by the end of 1969, 35% of women in the territory who were potentially able to bear children had been implanted with an IUD.

A commission jointly established by the Danish and Greenlandic governments to investigate this program is not expected to release its findings until May 2025. Psychologist Naja Lyberth, who initiated the compensation claim, emphasized the urgency of taking action now, as the affected women are aging and experiencing health complications related to the IUDs. Some of the devices were inappropriately sized, leading to severe health issues and even infertility.

Lyberth accused the Danish government of the time of wanting to control Greenland’s population size to reduce welfare costs. She asserted that it is evident that the government violated human rights and caused serious harm to these women. The group’s lawyer, Mads Pramming, has submitted a claim to Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s office, anticipating a potential court battle if the government refuses compensation pending the commission’s results.

Last year, Denmark issued an apology and compensation to six Inuit individuals who were separated from their families in the 1950s as part of a strategy to establish a Danish-speaking elite within Greenland.

Greenland, the world’s largest island and northernmost landmass, has a population of approximately 57,000. While it has its own flag, language, and prime minister, it continues to be under Danish control in terms of currency, justice system, and foreign and security affairs.

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Greenlandic Inuit seek explanations for Danish birth control controversy

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A formal agreement between Denmark and Greenland to begin a two-year study into historical birth control procedures used on Inuit Greenlanders by Danish doctors for many years has been reached. In the 1960s and 1970s, many of Inuit women and girls had intrauterine devices (IUDs), sometimes known as coils.

It is a method of birth control that is implanted inside the uterus to prevent conception. Naja Lyberth was one of the women and young girls who received an IUD. Following a standard school medical exam in the 1970s, a doctor instructed Naja, who she estimates to have been around 13 at the time, to go to her neighbourhood hospital to have a coil placed.

“I didn’t really know what it [was] because he never explained or got my permission,” says Naja, who at the time was living in Maniitsoq, a small town on Greenland’s west coast.

“I was afraid. I couldn’t tell my parents,” she says. “I was a virgin. I had never even kissed a boy.”

Now 60, Naja is one of the first to speak out about what happened.

“I can remember the doctors [in] white coats, and maybe there was a nurse. I saw the metal things [stirrups] where you should spread your legs. It was very frightening. The equipment the doctors used was so big for my child body – it was like having knives inside me.”

According to Naja, her parents’ consent was not obtained, and her classmates were also taken to the hospital, but they chose not to discuss it because “it was too frightening.”

To enable women to express their shared experiences and support one another in overcoming the trauma, she created a Facebook community. Over 70 ladies have already signed up.

An IUD may have been implanted in Greenland between 1966 and 1970 for up to 4,500 women and girls, or almost half of all fertile females, according to records discovered for the podcast Spiralkampagnen (“coil campaign”). But the practises persisted until the middle of the 1970s.

Unknown is how many of these cases lacked informed consent or adequate justification.

Girls as young as 12 were among those impacted, and several have made public complaints about not receiving adequate information. Some women who are unable to conceive believe the coil is to blame.

Naja says, “I get so many messages from women. “It appears that the more issues the girls have with this coil, the younger they were. It’s really sad.”

When Arnannguaq Poulsen was 16 years old, she had a coil placed on Danish soil rather than on Greenland. In 1974, she was attending a boarding school on the island of Bornholm for Greenlandic kids.

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International Relations News

Greenland is not for sale !! Trump cancels Denmark visit

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The US president Donald Trump has recently cancelled his visit to Denmark as Mette Frederiksen, the president of Denmark said Greenland was not for sale to the US.

The country is rich in its natural resources, like coal and uranium and Trump had an interest in buying Greenland.

Trump’s visit has been scheduled on on 2 September, after being invited by Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II.

He was expected to attend a series of bilateral meetings and meet with business leaders, and Ms. Frederiksen had underscored the importance of the session, calling the United States “Denmark’s most important and strongest ally in NATO.”

After this Trump has shown his interest in buying Greenland, which is an autonomous Danish territory.

Expressing his interest in buying Greenland, Trump said on Sunday, “Well, a lot of things can be done. Essentially, it’s a large real estate deal.”

In his Twitter, president Trump wrote that as Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen, “would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland,” they would meet “another time.”

The cancellation of Trump’s visit to Denmark has been officially confirmed by a White House spokesman.

The Danish Broadcasting Corporation, DR, reported that the Danish royal house also confirmed it had been informed of the cancellation.

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