Latest news with #Scandinavia
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
CONFIRMED: Nicklas Bäckström Is Back In Sweden
Swedish center Nicklas Bäckström, 37, has signed a contract to play for Brynäs, the SHL club announced at a press conference on Monday morning. The contract is for one year plus an option.
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Novo Cuts Forecast After Weight-Loss Drug Sales Fall Short
Novo Nordisk A/S slashed its financial forecast in a surprise update that cited lagging sales of its weight-loss drug Wegovy, as the company loses ground to Eli Lilly & Co. in the obesity market. The shares plunged. Novo now sees this year's sales growing 8% to 14% and operating profit expanding 10% to 16%, based on constant exchange rates, according to an unscheduled release from the Danish drugmaker on Tuesday. That compares with its previous growth forecasts of as much as 21% and 24%, respectively.
Washington Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Foreign couples flock to Denmark to get married. Copenhagen wants to save room for locals
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Facing complex bureaucracy at home in Poland, Magdalena Kujawińska and her Colombian fiancé Heinner Valenzuela traveled to Copenhagen to become husband and wife. 'We realized that it's not that easy to get married in Poland,' the 30-year-old Kujawińska said as the couple waited for their 10-minute ceremony at the Danish capital's 19th-century City Hall. 'You need a certificate that you are not married,' she said. 'We tried to get it from Colombia, but it's only valid for three months, and it couldn't get to Poland from Colombia in three months. It was just impossible for us.' The couple, who live in Krakow, had been engaged for more than three years when Kujawińska heard about Denmark's relatively relaxed marriage laws from a colleague. Working with an online wedding planner, the couple prepared the necessary documents. 'And in four days, we had the decision that the marriage could be done here,' a smiling Kujawińska said. Couples who don't live in Denmark, both mixed- and same-sex, are increasingly getting married in the Scandinavian country — prompting some to dub Copenhagen the 'Las Vegas of Europe.' The head of the marriage office at Copenhagen City Hall, Anita Okkels Birk Thomsen, said that about 8,000 wedding ceremonies were performed there last year. Of those, some 5,400 of them were for couples in which neither partner was a Danish resident. 'That's almost double what we saw five years ago,' she said. 'They come from all over the world.' But the city sees a downside to that: demand for ceremonies at City Hall now far exceeds the number of slots available. Mia Nyegaard, the Copenhagen official in charge of culture and leisure, said in a statement to The Associated Press that the 'significant rise' in the number of foreign couples getting married in the capital 'poses challenges for Copenhagen-based couples wishing to get married.' Local authorities plan to take action. Nyegaard said about 40% of wedding slots available at City Hall will be reserved for Copenhagen residents starting from the end of October. While booking a slot there is the most obvious way to get married in the city, arranging a ceremony with a private registrar is also an option, and that won't be affected. Copenhagen lawmakers will look after the summer break at what else they can do to relieve overall pressure on wedding capacity in the city. Denmark's marriage laws are liberal in several ways. In 1989, the country became the world's first to allow the registration of same-sex civil unions. The legalization of same-sex marriage followed in 2012. For unions of all kinds, Denmark — unlike many other European countries — doesn't require a birth certificate or proof of single status to obtain a certificate that grants the right to get married in Denmark within four months. Officials might, in cases where divorce papers don't show clearly that a divorce has been finalized, ask for a civil status certificate. Applications to Denmark's agency of family law cost 2,100 kroner ($326), and couples are issued with a certificate within five working days if they satisfy the requirements. Non-resident couples can travel to Denmark and get married with just a valid passport and, if required, a tourist visa. 'We get that thing like, 'Are you sure we do not need a birth certificate?' And we go, 'Yes,'' said Rasmus Clarck Sørensen, director of Getting Married in Denmark. Clarck Sørensen, a Dane, began the wedding planning business with his British wife back in 2014. 'In the last 20, 30 years, people just meet more across borders,' he said. 'Marriage rules are often made for two people of the same country getting married.' 'They kind of piled on patches onto marriage law, and a lot of people get trapped in those patches,' he added. His online company's 'Complete Service' package, priced at 875 euros ($1,014), includes help gathering all the necessary documents, processing the certificate application and organizing the date of the ceremony. The business says it helped over 2,600 couples last year. Copenhagen, easily Denmark's biggest city with the country's best transport links, is the most popular location and so far appears to be the only one struggling with demand. Any changes to the city's rules will come too late to bother newlyweds Kujawińska and Valenzuela, who are now busy planning a celebration in Poland with family and friends. 'It means a lot for us because we've been waiting a lot for this,' Kujawińska said. 'We're really happy.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Concerned About Aluminum in Vaccines? Here's What the Research Shows
Real-world data from 1.2 million children offers strong reassurance. If you've ever paused at a vaccine ingredient list or felt confused while reading a vaccine insert, you're not alone. One ingredient that often sparks questions is aluminum, specifically aluminum salts used in some vaccines to help the immune system respond more effectively. But does the aluminum in vaccines pose a real risk to children's health? A new study out of Denmark, which tracked more than 1.2 million children over 24 years, offers strong reassurance: aluminum exposure from routine childhood vaccines was not linked to higher rates of autism, ADHD, asthma, or autoimmune disease. What is aluminum doing in vaccines? Aluminum salts aren't preservatives. They're adjuvants, something that helps certain vaccines work better by boosting the immune response. They've been used safely in childhood vaccines for decades. A real-world study with real-world relevance The concern about aluminum in vaccines isn't new. It's been used safely for decades in many non-live vaccines, like DTaP and Hib, to help the immune system respond better. The amount a child gets can vary a bit depending on which brand and version of a vaccine is used. That natural variation is actually what made this study possible. Researchers followed over 1.2 million children, tracking how much aluminum each child received from vaccines by age 2 (ranging from 0 to 4.5 mg total). Then, they followed up through age 5, and for some age 8, to see whether aluminum exposure was linked to (50 different conditions): Autoimmune disorders like type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and celiac disease Allergic conditions like asthma and eczema Neurodevelopmental diagnoses like autism and ADHD So, what did they find? Even when kids received more aluminum, their rates of these conditions didn't go up. In fact, kids who received more aluminum had slightly lower rates of some diagnoses, like autism and ADHD. That doesn't mean aluminum protects against anything. It just that it's not harmful at the levels used in childhood vaccines. And here's a key point: for many of the outcomes studied, the data was strong enough to rule out even small or moderate increases in risk. What about concerns or limitations? Some people will likely still have concerns about the study, and it's worth being transparent about the questions that come up, even when the data is strong. No study is perfect or 100% generalizable. Here's what critics might argue, and some thoughts on rationale. It's not a randomized controlled trial (RCT). True, it's an observational study, not the 'gold standard' for proving causality. But an RCT would mean intentionally withholding vaccines from children, which would be unethical. This study used naturally occurring differences in vaccine aluminum exposure, which is the next best, and most ethical, option. Some confounders might have been missed. Always a possibility. But, the study controlled for a lot: income, preterm birth, birthweight, maternal conditions, and more. But no study can control for everything. Still, the patterns were consistent across subgroups and time periods, which helps strengthen confidence in the results. Diagnoses came from health registries, not medical record review. That's true, but Denmark's health registries are considered high quality, and any misdiagnoses or under-reporting would likely be spread evenly across all groups, meaning it wouldn't skew the results. Denmark isn't the U.S. That's fair. But both countries vaccinate against the same diseases, using many of the same vaccine components, just with slightly different schedules and formulations. The underlying science and biologic principles are the same. What this study actually adds This study doesn't tell us that aluminum is good. It doesn't claim to end the conversation forever. But here's what it does offer: Reassurance grounded in data, not dismissal. Parents have asked smart questions for years. This isn't about 'just trust us,' it's about finally having large-scale, high-quality data to help answer those questions with clarity and care. Real-world relevance. This isn't a theoretical model or a lab experiment. It's 1.2 million real children, followed over 24 years, across a variety of vaccine exposures, and the results were consistent. Stronger evidence than ever before. While past studies raised concerns based on small samples or extreme exposures, this one helps fill a major gap: what happens when kids get routine aluminum-containing vaccines, as recommended, in actual pediatric care settings? The answer: no increased risk for autism, ADHD, allergies, or autoimmune conditions. Here's what's key to understand: This is exactly why large, real-world cohort studies, like the new Danish one, matter so much. They track actual vaccine use, actual outcomes, and actual kids. Bottom line And maybe most importantly? This keeps the focus where it belongs: informed, compassionate decision-making. Not panic. Not pressure. Not shame. If you've ever paused at a vaccine ingredient list, wondered about aluminum, or felt caught between headlines and your instincts, this study is for you. It doesn't shut the door on questions. But it opens the door wider for answers that are actually backed by evidence. Looking for more details on the study, concerns about past research, and how aluminum in vaccines differs from other exposures? You'll find it all in this PedsDocTalk Newsletter.
Zawya
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Zawya
Eritrean Community Festival in Scandinavian Countries Concludes
The 27th annual Eritrean Community Festival in the Scandinavian countries, held from 24 July in Stockholm, concluded with a vibrant expression of national unity and patriotism. The festival featured seminars, a photo exhibition showcasing national development programs and the activities of the Eritrean community in the Scandinavian countries, children's and youth programs, exhibitions by villages representing Eritrea's ethnic groups and national organizations, as well as cultural and artistic performances by a cultural troupe from Eritrea. Speaking at the concluding event, Mr. Mohammed-Ali Mohammed-Seid, Chargé d'Affaires at the Eritrean Embassy, said the yearly Eritrean Community Festival is an event that promotes national identity and values. He commended the members of the coordinating committee for organizing the colorful national event despite various challenges. Ms. Tsigereda Berhe, Secretary of the National Holidays Coordinating Committee, stated that the success of the festival reflects the strong participation and commitment of the Eritrean community, as well as the noble Eritrean culture of sharing and mutual support. The festival was attended by over 28,000 nationals from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland, as well as from various European countries and the United States. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.
