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I’m a bit “nostalgic for the future” myself.
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Kosovan, not Danish, soldiers. Photo: Visar Kryeziu / AP
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1. Denmark to Danish women: You’re in the army now
Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, announced on Wednesday that, starting in 2026, Danish women would be conscripted into the military.
The move will make Denmark only the third European country — along with Norway and Sweden — to mandate that some women serve in the military. The list isn’t long, but countries outside of Europe that conscript women include Israel, North Korea, Sudan, and Venezuela.
While making the announcement, Frederiksen said the government wants to achieve “full equality between the sexes.”
Denmark also announced it’s lengthening the time that conscripted troops must serve — from four to 11 months — and increasing its defense budget by almost $6 billion in the next five years.
The announcements come as Europe prepares for the possibility of Russian aggression spreading across the continent. Sweden and Finland, which were both recently admitted to NATO, have joined the organization’s largest military exercise since the Cold War.
Read more on Blue Marble: Why is Sweden telling its citizens to prepare for war?
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2. Chuck Schumer says Netanyahu has ‘lost his way’ and calls for elections after war
On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for new elections in Israel to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “once the war starts to wind down.” He also said Netanyahu has “lost his way” and is an “obstacle to peace.”
“The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after Oct. 7,” he said in his remarks on the Senate floor. “The world has changed — radically — since then, and the Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past.”
Schumer has been a longtime supporter of Israel and is the highest-ranking Jewish lawmaker in U.S. history.
During his remarks, he also said it would be a “grave mistake” for Israel to reject a two-party solution.
Related: How much financial assistance has the US given Israel?
In other Israel-Gaza news:
- South Africa will arrest citizens for fighting with Israel in its war in Gaza, said the foreign minister, Naledi Pandor, earlier this week at a Palestinian solidarity event. Pandor also said that those with dual South African-Israeli citizenship could be stripped of their South African citizenship if they fight in or alongside Israeli forces.
- Jews in North America have donated nearly $800 million to Oct. 7 recovery efforts, “a fundraising drive on a scale unseen for 50 years,” according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
- An Israeli tank killed Reuters reporter Issam Abdallah on Oct. 13 in Lebanon despite being “clearly identifiable” as a journalist, a U.N. investigation has found.
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3. ‘Meet me in the club,’ says the UN
Taking molly and dancing well past dawn at Tresor or Berghain is now protected by the United Nations.
Sort of.
On Wednesday, UNESCO announced it was adding Berlin’s techno scene to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
“The decision will help us ensure that club culture is recognized as a valuable sector worthy of protection and support,” said Lutz Leichsenring, a member of Berlin’s Clubcommission.
What exactly is intangible culture?, you might ask. True to its name, intangible culture consists of nonphysical culture like performing arts, national dances, festivals, and popular dishes or cooking practices. Italian opera, Slovenian beekeeping, and Peruvian ceviche, for example, are all on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
I highly recommend perusing the full list on the UNESCO site.
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In other news
- Russian “elections” will begin on Friday and run through the weekend, with no doubt over who the country’s president will (continue to) be. [The Washington Post]
- Three activists who organized an annual vigil in Hong Kong remembering the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre were denied a bid on Thursday to overturn their conviction. The trio had been charged under a Chinese national security law for refusing to give information to authorities about their activist group. [Associated Press]
- After weeks camping out on the outskirts of the city, thousands of farmers were allowed to enter New Delhi Thursday to demonstrate in favor of guaranteed price minimums for crops and other demands. [Associated Press]
- A Japanese high court ruled on Thursday that denying same-sex marriage to couples is unconstitutional and violates their right to equality and freedom of marriage. Same-sex marriage is currently illegal in Japan. [Associated Press]
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Say that again
“The lesson here is that radio, as a form of media, is still relevant and very important in seeking justice,” said Lekan Otufodunrin, executive director of Nigeria’s nonprofit Media Career Development Network. Radio shows have become a popular — and effective — venue for those who can’t access Nigeria’s justice system to air their grievances and get problems solved. [Reasons to Be Cheerful]
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‘Fascist regimes are always obsessed with young people’
A historian examines how military propaganda works its influence on Russian teens.
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What we’re listening to
Musician and producer extraordinaire Brian Eno once described Kraftwerk as sounding “nostalgic for the future.”
The electronic band formed in 1970 in Düsseldorf, Germany, and created its own genre of highly mechanized music that it called “robot pop” — fully embracing synthesizers, vocoders, and drum machines.
While I don’t know that many people who actually listen to Kraftwerk itself, the group’s influence can be heard in countless acts, from Joy Division to Afrika Bambaataa, Donna Summer to Daft Punk.
In case you’ve never listened to the band, this video for “The Robots” from 1978’s “The Man-Machine” will give you a good idea of the band’s sound and style.
—Laura Adamczyk, staff writer
Thanks for reading. We’ll see you tomorrow.
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