Copenhagen - Danish midfielder Thomas Gravesen has decided to retire, he said in published remarks Tuesday.

"I have had fantastic years abroad, and there are many I want to thank," Gravesen said in a statement published by the Vejle Amts Folkeblad newspaper.

"If I had the chance, I would have done it again," he added.

Recently, there had been speculation that Gravesen would make a comeback with his former club Vejle Boldklub.

"I am 32, and turn 33 in March, so before age and health decide it for me, I wanted to call it quits myself," Gravesen said.

Copenhagen - Over a third of Danish internet users have created a profile on the social networking site Facebook, giving Denmark a top position, a Danish newspaper reported Monday.

Currently, some 1.8 million out of the 5.5 million Danish nationals, or 34 per cent are registered on Facebook. This percentage puts the country past Canada where 33 per cent of the population had registered a profile as of the beginning of 2009, the Berlingske Tidende newspaper said.

The newspaper cited a a survey by IT company Komfo, which concluded that an unusually high proportion of Danish Facebook users were middle-aged or elderly.

Copenhagen  - European Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia and French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde debated the benefits of the joint European currency, the euro, at a Danish parliamentary hearing on Thursday.

While a long-standing member of the European Union, Denmark has not introduced the euro though the government and main opposition parties are discussing a possible referendum. The hearing was part of that overall process.

Copenhagen - Danish banking shares opened higher on Monday after the announcement that the government and opposition had agreed on a new banking package.

The package worth 100 billion kroner (17.8 billion dollars) was unveiled late Sunday and aimed to prevent "businesses and citizens getting caught in a credit squeeze," the government said.

Copenhagen - A Danish freighter and its crew of 13 were Friday freed after being held for 68 days by pirates off the coast of Somalia.

An undisclosed ransom secured the release of the CEC Future, Per Gullestrup, head of the Clipper Elite Carrier shipping company, told Danish news agency Ritzau.

The vessel was seized on November 8 in the Gulf of Aden. It was on Friday heading to Oman under escort by a Russian warship. The crew were mainly Russian nationals.

Gullestrup said the ransom was placed in a container that was parachuted from a small plane to a spot identified by the pirates.

After picking up the ransom, the pirates counted the sum on the vessel.

Copenhagen - Denmark's central bank Thursday lowered its lending rate