Stockholm/Copenhagen - The central banks of Denmark and Sweden on Tuesday said they have signed a swap agreement with the central bank of Latvia guaranteeing short-term loans of up to 500 million euros (675 million dollars).

The swap agreement allows Latvijas Banka to borrow euro against Latvian lats "when and if the need arises," the statement said.

The Swedish Riksbank said its share was 375 million euros.

Copenhagen - A Danish executive extradited from the United States on Tuesday admitted to allegations of fraud during a remand custody hearing at a Danish district court.

Stein Bagger, 41, was chief executive of the software company IT Factory and is alleged to have defrauded the group of some 182 million dollars and also falsified documents.

IT Factory was to have become co-sponsor of the CSC team of Danish ex-cyclist Bjarne Riis as of 2009.

Bagger's lawyer questioned the size of the sums during the court hearing on Tuesday, hours after Bagger's plane had landed, local media reported.

Copenhagen - A Danish navy vessel has rescued seven suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden, the Royal Danish Navy said Friday.

Copenhagen - Denmark's central bank Thursday shadowed an interest rate cut by the European

Copenhagen - Activists from environmental group Greenpeace Tuesday tried to board a ship loaded with coal between the main Danish islands of Zealand and Fyn.

The protest, staged in two dinghies, was timed to coincide with the UN climate change conference that opened Monday in Poznan, Poland.

The 300-metre long vessel was loaded with coal from South Africa and was headed for Aabenraa where Danish energy group Dong Energy operates a coal-fired plant.

Greenpeace said it was "shameful" that Denmark each year imports some 8.3 million tons of coal, generating 19 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).

Copenhagen - The Danish navy was involved over the weekend in an operation against pirates of the coast of Somalia, a Royal Danish Navy spokesman said Monday.

Spokesman Jesper Lynge told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that the Danish Task Group onboard the Danish navy vessel Absalon "led an operation" after reports that a civilian vessel was being threatened by pirates.

The Danish Task Group currently leads the Task Force 150.

Absalon, with a 100-strong crew and a 50-strong task force, has since early September been deployed in the waters off Somalia, Lynge said.