The Week That Was, September 13th-19th 2021:

Posted on 19. Sep, 2021 in: TWTW

Coronavirus/ What happened last week:

The number of daily infections fell to 252 at the end of the week, the lowest daily rate for two months. The positivity rate of those tested hovered around 0.80 – 0.90% throughout the week. The number of people hospitalised by Covid fell below 100 for the first time in months

Around 70% of the population are fully vaccinated but some ethnic minorities continue to lag behind in the statistics – new National Serum Institute figures showed fewer than 40% of those from Somalia have been vaccinated, 40.75% of Lebanese, and 45.2% of Syrians.

The government’s own five-expert ‘corona group’ declined to rule out the possibility of a fourth, and even fifth, wave of the virus.

The National Serum Institute purchased 2.5m influenza doses, 900,000 more than last year to deal with a possible wave of the flu virus that was virtually non-existent last winter due to corona.

Denmark sold half a million of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine doses to New Zealand.

The State Prosecutor’s Office for Serious Economic and International Crime (SØIK), popularly known as the fraud squad, has received 331 reports, totaling DKK138m ($20m) regarding fraudulent claims for wage compensation under state-funded corona aid packages.

Politics/Economy:

Former prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen’s new Moderates Party (Moderatene) successfully collected the 20.182 voter declarations needed to get on the ballot at the next general election – Mr Rasmussen acknowledged that the party doesn’t yet have a political programme or candidates other than himself.

Denmark’s ambitious target of a 70% reduction in greenhouse gasses by 2030 is ’unrealistic’ according to energy expert Joachim Peter Tilsted, a doctoral student at the division for Environmental and Energy System Studies at Lund University in southern Sweden, who has calculated that greenhouse gasses would need to be reduced by 78% to live up to the 2015 Paris Agreement.

TV2 reported how terrorist group al- Qaeda issued a video in July entitled ‘An Unforgivable Crime’ targeting ‘enemies of Islam’ and specifically Denmark.

The government put together a cross-party majority for a bill that will ban prisoners serving a life sentence from entering into new romantic relationships with ‘killer groupies, after a TV documentary showed how a 17-year-old girl fell in love with 50-year-old ’submarine slayer’ Peter Madsen.

Inflation hit 1.8% in August, the highest level since December 2012 – according to the Nordic region’s biggest bank, Nordea, the recent increase reflects a more permanent upward shift in Danish inflation:

Foreign Affairs/EU:

Denmark’s Executive Vice President of the European Commission Margrethe Vestager said the long-term prospect of a European Defence Union could renew the discussion about Denmark’s defence opt-out.

Iraq is sending a delegation to Denmark to discuss the repatriation of criminal Iraqis facing deportation – Diary A. Majid, chargé d’affaires at Iraq’s embassy in Copenhagen, said in a mail to TV2: “If we can confirm that those detained are Iraqis and have been sentenced to deportation from Denmark, we will offer assistance because they are our citizens – where else can they go?”

Denmark has evacuated a total of 1.038 people from Afghanistan, the Danish Foreign Ministry said in its latest update, Thursday – 954, including local employees, interpreters and their families, have come to Denmark while the rest have been given shelter in other countries. Pakistan Radio reported how Foreign Minister Jesper Kofod thanked Pakistan for assisting its citizens after Taliban’s take over in Afghanistan.

Denmark suffered a new setback at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) – two months after the court ruled in favour of Dr. Mosalam Albaroud, a Syrian refugee who claimed his human rights were violated by strict Danish family reunification rules, Denmark lost a new, high-profile case surrounding the expulsion of criminal immigrants.

Denmark donated an extra DKK240m ($37m) to help humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries.

The Foreign Ministry is closely monitoring the situation of a Danish national accused of starting a wildfire in the US state of Colorado – Jesper Jørgensen has been detained in custody for more than 1,000 days but repeatedly found unable to stand trial after being diagnosed with delusional disorder following the 2018 fire that burned 149 homes.

Social Affairs:

The public’s collective debt to the state has grown to DKK142bn ($22bn) – 20% of the population, around 1.1m people, owe money in the form of unpaid taxes, VAT, speeding tickets, parking fines, TV licences, and student debt.

The trade union movement and employers’ organisations reached agreement on a mandatory new model that will see both parents share 22 weeks of paid parental leave.

The Socialist People’s Party (SPP) joined the call for the controversial Mohammed cartoons to become part of the school curriculum.

The third annual edition of the Digital Quality of Life Index (DQL) ranked Denmark 1st among 110 countries.

Animal rights activists expressed outrage after 1,500 dolphins were slaughtered in the Faroe Islands, part of the traditional ‘grindadráp’, an annual hunt held every year from June to November.

Copenhagen ranked high on British Time Out’s annual list of the world’s best cities – the Danish capital came in 4th, behind San Francisco (USA), Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Manchester (UK).

Business:

The booming housing market has cooled off and is now approaching pre-corona levels – ‘only’ 7,900 units were sold in August, 15% down on July and the second-lowest monthly figure this year.

Danish pension funds’ green investments have passed DKK 500bn and now make up 14 per cent of the sector’s overall assets.

Danish fish exports are facing a setback after seven Danish fish farms were hit by infectious haematopoietic necrosis (IHN) – the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (Fødevarestyrelsen) informed the EU Commission that Denmark is temporarily suspending its status as an infection-free country for fish.

Copenhagen restaurant Noma, ranked the world’s best for three years running from 2010 to 2012, picked up a coveted third Michelin star, Monday.

Mastercard agreed to purchase Danish company Aiia, a startup that delivers direct connections to 2,700 European banks.

And that was The Week That Was, September 13th – 19th 2021: To read all the above articles in full see: http://seven59.dk/archive (subscription required).