Latest news with #Danes
Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
video preview of Easter Road showdown
Record home crowd dreaming of more Sunshine on Leith joy in crucial clash Sign up to our Hibs football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Hibs have produced some spectacular scenes at Easter Road in the past year, as David Gray's team climbed from the foot of the table to finish third in the Scottish Premiership. Tomorrow night against Midtjylland, they have the chance to add to their reputation as crowd pleasers. The prize for beating the Danes is a place in the third qualifying round of the Europa League, where they'd face Norwegian side Fredrikstad. The losers from this tie will drop into the Conference League, where they'll almost certainly be pitted against Partizan Belgrade. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Easter Road itself will be a crucial factor in how things pan out after last week's 1-1 draw, with the lack of travelling fans - Midtjylland expect to bring just a few hundred - allowing Hibs to open up most of the away end. That means they'll have a RECORD home attendance of over 18,500 on the night.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- Time of India
Top 10 countries that drink the most coffee per capita
Think you're a coffee lover? The Nordic countries are already five cups ahead of you, before noon. While most of us are nursing one or two cups a day, people in Finland are basically running on coffee. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now And it's not just a stereotype. It's science, stats, and survival. According to , Finland leads the world with a jaw-dropping 11.78 kilograms of coffee per person per year. That's about four cups a day. Not far behind are Sweden, Iceland, and Norway, proving that in the north, coffee isn't a treat, it's a lifestyle. So if you thought your daily brew was impressive, wait until you see which countries made the top 10 list. Spoiler: the colder the climate, the stronger the coffee game. The top 10 most caffeinated countries in the world (per capita) Rank Country Coffee Consumption (kg/person/year) 1 Finland 11.9 2 Norway 9.8 3 Iceland 9 4 Denmark 8.8 5 Netherlands 8.4 6 Sweden 8.2 7 Switzerland 7.9 8 Belgium 6.8 9 Canada 6.5 10 Austria 6.2 Top 10 countries that consume the most coffee Finland – 11.9 kg per person Finland isn't just winning in education and happiness indexes, they're also the undisputed global champs of coffee. The average Finn drinks about four cups a day, often more. Coffee is served at home, work, funerals, and yes, even after dinner. At this point, it's less of a beverage, more of a lifestyle. Norway – 9.8 kg per person Norwegians may love their nature and hiking, but not without a strong brew in hand. Whether you're in Oslo or the middle of a fjord, coffee is always brewing. Filter coffee is the norm here, and the caffeine game? Strong and steady. Iceland – 9.0 kg per person With barely four hours of daylight in winter, Icelanders don't just drink coffee, they rely on it for survival. Coffee here isn't just for warmth, it's for socialising, storytelling, and staying awake through the aurora borealis. Denmark – 8.8 kg per person Welcome to the home of hygge, where comfort is everything and coffee is essential. Danes treat coffee like a warm hug in a cup. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Always black, always brewed fresh, and usually served with cake. Honestly, they're doing it right. Netherlands – 8.4 kg per person Dutch people love their coffee straight-up and strong. Forget triple-shot caramel froth nonsense, this is a nation that respects the bean. Whether it's a quick koffie break or a long chat, coffee is always part of the plan. Sweden – 8.2 kg per person Enter the sacred Swedish tradition of fika, a daily coffee and pastry ritual that's more of a cultural event than a casual break. Work meetings pause, friends gather, and everything stops for coffee. Productivity? Somehow even better with a cinnamon roll in hand. Switzerland – 7.9 kg per person Precise, punctual, and polished, Swiss coffee culture is all about quality. They prefer espresso-style drinks and take their coffee seriously. Bonus points: you'll rarely find bad coffee in Switzerland. Everything tastes like it was brewed by a watchmaker. Belgium – 6.8 kg per person Sure, they're known for waffles and chocolate, but Belgians also know their way around a cup of joe. Coffee is a staple of both daily life and dessert time, usually served with a little sweet treat because, well, it's Belgium. Canada – 6.5 kg per person Canada may be chilly, but their coffee culture is warm and thriving. From massive Tim Hortons cups to indie café culture in Toronto and Vancouver, coffee fuels everything from hockey games to harsh winters. Yes, they say 'sorry' a lot, but never for needing caffeine. Austria – 6.2 kg per person In Austria, coffee isn't rushed, it's an experience. With a café tradition dating back centuries, Austrians take their time, sip slowly, and pair their coffee with deep conversations and even deeper cakes. You don't just grab coffee here, you dress up for it. What's fueling the caffeine in these countries? A few things stand out across the top 10: Long winters and chilly weather = more hot drinks, more often. Strong café culture, especially in cities like Helsinki, Oslo, and Amsterdam. Social rituals like Sweden's fika or Finland's kahvitauko (coffee break) are actually part of the workday. Also, these aren't latte-heavy cultures. Black coffee rules. It's not about sugar or foam, it's about staying warm, alert, and connected. If you thought your 2-cup-a-day habit was serious, meet the Finns, who treat coffee like a national sport. These rankings show how deep coffee runs in daily life, especially in the north. So whether you drink it for warmth, focus, or comfort, just know: somewhere in the world, someone's on their fifth cup... and it's probably snowing outside. Also read|
Telegraph
10 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
How Denmark raised its retirement age without sparking protests
Planning an early retirement? You're out of luck if you live in Denmark. The Nordic country recently raised the state pension age to 70, a change that will kick in by 2040. The new legislation means that Danes are on track to become the oldest workers in Europe. It is just the latest in a series of increases after the Scandinavian country linked its retirement age to life expectancy in 2006 and legislated that it should be reviewed every five years. The welfare agreement of 2006 attempted to protect the country's finances and set pensions spending on a sustainable path. Without action, there were concerns that the cost of the state pension could spiral out of control as Danes lived longer but paid the same amount of lifetime taxes. It could be a glimpse into Britain's future. Here, the state pension age is currently 66 and scheduled to gradually rise to 68 by 2046. But calls are growing louder for the retirement aged to be raised further and faster. Without action, the cost of the expensive triple lock on pensions will balloon and force either higher taxes or cut backs elsewhere. 'I don't think we can really afford to [wait to the 2040s], to be frank,' Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, told The Telegraph last week. 'If there is a sudden economic miracle, then it might change that. But it does not look to be happening any time soon.' Liz Kendall, the Work and Pensions Secretary, announced a review into the state pension age last week in an effort to address the problem. 'There's kind of cross party consensus that ... we need to increase the state pension age to deal with the rising cost of the state pension system,' says Heidi Karjalainen, an economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Such changes are controversial. In 2023, Jeremy Hunt, the then chancellor, shelved plans to lift the state pension age after a slump in life expectancy left ministers struggling to justify the change. In France, attempts to raise the retirement age have bought people out onto the streets in the thousands. Raising the retirement age to 70 has not led to fiery demonstrations on the streets of Copenhagen, however. The increase 'hasn't come as a surprise to anyone' given the 2006 legislation, says Damoun Ashournia, the chief economist at the Danish Trade Union Confederation. Denmark is one of nine OECD countries that currently links the retirement age to average life expectancy, effectively maintaining a fiscal brake on pension spending. The Nordic nation legislates that an average of 14.5 years should be spent in retirement. For every year increase in life expectancy in Denmark, the retirement age also rises by one year. Wouter De Tavernier, a pensions economist at the OECD, says the link prevents governments having to rerun difficult political debates every five or 10 years and helps countries maintain financial stability with their pensions system. 'It avoids having to restart the same discussions over and over again, and therefore making long term financial sustainability dependent on political decisions and political calculations about what might or might not be popular in the elections.' Yet even in Demark, there are limits. 'When we ask workers, the vast majority, 75pc, are against this increase,' says Ashournia. 'They worry that they won't be able to work until the retirement age, when we increase it by such an amount.' Karjalainen says asking people to retire at 70 is as much a psychological challenge as it is an actual problem. It is a new decade and one that feels far older to most people. 'I think the higher the state pension age goes, just kind of psychologically, people think of someone aged 65 and someone aged 70 as kind of very different types of people,' she says. However, it is not just about what voters will bear. There are physiological differences between 65 and 70. For instance, in the UK the rate of dementia stands at 1.7pc for those aged 65 to 69 years old but climbs to 3pc for 70 to 74-year-olds. 'We can't just keep increasing the retirement age forever, because it becomes unrealistic for workers to work for so long,' says Ashournia. The Danish Trade Union Confederation now wants the 2006 agreement to be softened, with the retirement age only rising by nine or 10 months for every year the life expectancy increases. Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's prime minister, has conceded that the policy may be at its limit. 'We no longer believe that the retirement age should be increased automatically,' she said in August last year. 'You can't just keep saying that people have to work a year longer.' Britain's costly dilemma In the UK, the bigger concern in policy circles is whether the Government can afford not to make people retire at 70. Spending on the state pension is only forecast to grow as a result of the costly triple lock, which guarantees annual increases by the highest of either average earnings growth, inflation or 2.5pc, whichever is highest. The UK is estimated to have spent 4.9pc of its GDP on the state pension for the 2024/25 financial year. On the current trajectory, the cost is forecast to reach 6.3pc of GDP by 2054/55. A 2023 independent report into the state pension age carried out by Baroness Rolfe recommended that the government should cap pension spending at 6pc of GDP to prevent overspending. It recommended raising the state pension age to 69 to ensure financial sustainability. However, a later retirement age raises questions about fairness. While the average life expectancy in the UK stands at 78.8 years for men and 82.8 years for women, there is significant variation across the country. Men in Blackpool and Glasgow city have some of the lowest rates of life expectancy in the UK, at 73.1 years and 73.6 years respectively. Any move to bring the state pension age in line with Denmark is likely to be met with significant pushback in the UK. Yet De Tavernier believes retirement at 70 will eventually reach Britain if life expectancy continues to rise. 'I think the discussion is more about in which time frame this will happen, and how do you get there? Do you get there by politics deciding on a time frame? Do you get there by linking a retirement age to life expectancy?' he says. The nation's pensions are heading towards a 'big fiscal challenge' that needs to be addressed, says David Sinclair, the chief executive of the International Longevity Centre. 'The fact that our politicians are too scared to talk about what retirement is like, and how we might need to be supporting work longer, and how we might need to be healthier, just feels like an utter failure of our entire political classes.' Ashournia says 'the vast majority' of Danish Trade Union Confederation members 'want to be working until the retirement age [and] even longer, if possible.' 'But today, two thirds retire prior to the retirement age because they cannot continue, or they choose to retire because they have saved sufficient funds. So the challenge for us is: how do we ensure that workers are able to continue to work until the retirement age – that's under the current retirement age, which is 67 today. 'When we increase the retirement age in the future, this problem is just going to be become bigger.'
Daily Record
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
I know how Martin Boyle can become Hibs double hero but beware a Midtjylland reaction
It's a massive chance for the capital club to take a step towards the league phase with the Easter Road blockbuster Wouldn't it be great if Martin Boyle becomes both a Hibs centurion and a European hero at once? The Australia livewire is sitting on 99 goals in green and white with the chance to hit the ton in style in tomorrow's Europa League qualifier. Boyle is the one man Midtjylland will not want to see charging at them again when the sides meet for the return leg in Leith with the score balanced at 1-1. The 32-year-old's blistering pace caused chaos in Denmark and he was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet after VAR ruled out his strike. Stick one in the channel and Boyle's after it in a flash. He gives Hibs a brilliant out ball and he's not just about pace these days either – he's bulked up, holds it in better now and gets the team up the pitch when they need it most. He's a big-game player too. You've seen it over the years, in so many big games, that he pops up with the goal And there would be nothing better than bagging the winner in a European tie in front of a packed Easter Road. His 100th goal is coming. It's only a matter of time but I hope it is against the Danes as I'm backing Hibs to go through. It will be tight but I can see them progressing with a 2-1 win. Hibs did brilliantly over in Denmark, even if the game did not quite go as expected. You might have thought there would be more chances, maybe a few more goals, but it turned into a tight battle. Looking at Midtjylland's record over the last few seasons – getting to the knockout stages last term – I thought they were pretty poor on the night. I don't know if that was the heat or because it's so early in the season but you'll see a better Midtjylland team tomorrow night Neither side created much in the first leg. It was scrappy and bitty, which suited Hibs just fine. The second half was littered with yellow cards, stoppages and scuffles, which knocked the home side right out of their rhythm. So to come away with the tie 1-1 was a brilliant result. David Gray would have bitten your hand off before the game to bring that back to a packed home game with a real chance of going through. It was a really disciplined defensive display from Hibs. The back three stood tall all night, barely gave Midtjylland a sniff and dealt with most things that came their way. Behind them, keeper Jordan Smith looked assured and calm. Never flustered, he was always in control. It was the kind of solid, no-nonsense performance you need in Europe. Midtjylland didn't impress much on the night – they were there for the taking. But make no mistake, they will be better at Easter Road. You expect a big reaction. A special mention goes to Dylan Levitt, who was tremendous and showed real quality on the ball all night. Plenty of Hibs fans were not convinced when he arrived two years ago but he turned it on in the second half of last season. In the first competitive game of this one, he was right up there again as one of Hibs' top performers. Over in Denmark, Hibs sat deep in a low block and Midtjylland did not have the creativity to break them down. It will be a different story when the side are reunited. With more than 20,000 fans roaring them on, Hibs will be expected to go for it. The first goal could be massive. Get it, get the crowd going and it's game on. I've played on a big European night at Easter Road — AEK Athens, years back — and when that place is bouncing, it drives you on. It can make all the difference. It's always difficult to juggle European games with domestic football but hopefully Hibs have the opportunity to do so over the next few months. They also face a tough test in their Premiership opener on Sunday as Hibs make their way to Dens Park. There's already pressure being piled on Dundee boss Steven Pressley, which seems daft given how early it is and how they've actually started. But do not expect Hibs to show any sympathy. Tomorrow could go the distance – extra-time, even penalties – but Hibs have the squad, the strength and the depth to handle both fronts and start the league campaign with a bang. I remember thinking last year that Gray might not survive the trip to Dens. That match in November finished 4-1 and it felt bleak. But it shows just how far this team have come. What they can't afford to be now is complacent because if they are, Dundee will punish them.
Condé Nast Traveler
a day ago
- Condé Nast Traveler
17 Best Things to Do in Copenhagen, From Designer Shopping to Harbor Swimming
There are plenty of varied and fascinating things to do in Copenhagen. One of the wonders of Copenhagen is its ability to mix tradition with the new. The Danes are, quite rightly, proud of their heritage, yet possess an unmistakable appetite for daring new projects and experiences. With its ground-breaking food scene and glittering waterways, Copenhagen is still the epicenter for Scandi cool. The city is so much more than Tivoli, rye bread sandwiches, and The Little Mermaid—once you've seen, tasted, or experienced those, there are a raft of lesser-known things to enjoy. Here are the best things to do in Copenhagen to have the most fun in this brilliant, forward-thinking capital. Read our complete Copenhagen travel guide here, which includes: How we choose the best things to do in Copenhagen AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron Every review on this list has been written by a Condé Nast Traveler journalist who knows the destination and has visited that activity. When choosing things to do, our editors consider landmarks and experiences that offer an insider's view of a destination, keeping authenticity, location, service, and sustainability credentials top of mind.
