Copenhagen- Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen is this week due to visit key European capitals, renewing speculation that he was aiming to secure support as future secretary-general of the defence alliance NATO.

Rasmussen has refuted such speculation in the past, saying he still had unfinished work in Denmark and was intent on seeking a fourth term as premier.

Last year, Rasmussen said he would have a busy schedule visiting foreign capitals to shore up support for a successful outcome of an international climate conference to be held in Copenhagen in December.

Copenhagen - The remains of what is believed to have been the world's oldest mute swan have been found in Denmark, researchers at Copenhagen University said Friday.

The dead ringed bird was discovered on December 25 near the town of Korsor on the island of Zealand by swan expert Pelle Andersen- Harild.

The leg ring was sent to the Copenhagen Bird Ringing Centre at the Zoological Museum at Copenhagen University where records suggested that the swan had been ringed on February 21, 1970, at Heikendorf near Kiel in northern Germany.

Copenhagen - A two-day conference hosted by Denmark on how to halt arms smuggling into the Gaza Strip opened on Wednesday, the Dutch foreign ministry said.

The meeting was organized in conjunction with the United States to review how international help could be offered to prevent weapons smuggling, legal issues as well as charting the routes used by smugglers. It includes officials from the United States, several European Union member states and Norway.

Preventing the flow of arms to Hamas-controlled Gaza was one of the conditions Israel demanded on ending its 22-day offensive on Gaza last month.

Dhaka  - The Danish minister for Climate and Energy will take a tour to Bangladesh costal districts Tuesday to see climate vulnerability of the South Asian country, officials said Sunday.

The Danish minister, Connie Hedegaard, is scheduled to be in Dhaka on a two-day official visit beginning on Monday.

She will discuss with her Bangladesh counterpart Mustafizur Rahman about Dhaka's preparedness for the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen, where world leaders will meet to agree on a new treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol in December.

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.