The Week That Was, January 2nd – January 7th 2018      

Posted on 07. Jan, 2018 in: TWTW

Politics/Economy:

In his traditional New Year speech to the nation, Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen highlighted the ongoing problems of immigration and integration and vowed to halt the growing parallel society in this country by tearing down ghettos. The Danish People’s Party (DPP) put forward its own proposals to crack down on areas designated as ghettos – an 8pm curfew on all youths under the age of 18, a ban on new mosques, more police on the streets of high-crime areas, and no celebration of Muslim festivals such as Ramadan in public institutions. Leading commentator, and former Conservative leader, Hans Engell questioned the legality of the ‘unusually harsh’ measures that he said would in all likelihood be unconstitutional.

New figures showed no more than 3,500 people applied for asylum here last year, the lowest since 2008, but it’s still far too many according to the Danish People’s Party (DPP) who called for more even more restrictions.

A Jyllands-Posten review of the 67 immigration restrictions passed by the government showed six have never been used and the authorities are unable to gauge the effect of a further 15.

New information released by the Ministry of Defence revealed that only 20 of the Danish Air Force’s new fleet of 27 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) will be based in this country, while 7 will be used for training purposes at the Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.

The Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA/Finanstilsynet) identified 830 politicians, leading civil servants, and ambassadors who are at risk of receiving bribes.

EU/Foreign Affairs

Foreign policy experts warned that Denmark could end up being marginalised in an EU and immigrant hostile group alongside the four Visegrad countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) and Austria.

The opposition summoned Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen to a consultation to explain what influence Israel and the lobbyist group NGO Monitor had on the government’s decision to halt aid funding to 14 Palestinian organisations this year.

Iran’s Ambassador to Denmark, Danny Annan, said the public protests in his country could be stopped if the government in Teheran gives the people renewed hope of a better economic future.

Social Affairs:

Queen Margrethe offered thanks in her New Year’s Eve speech to all those who’ve expressed their sympathy for the plight of her husband, Prince Henrik, who’s suffering from dementia, but also stressed the need for immigrants who can ‘add something different’ to Denmark – 40% of voters in a new poll said it’s time for the Queen to abdicate and allow Crown Prince Frederik to become King.

According to experts Denmark has some of the most restrictive conditions for citizenship in Europe – no other country imposes stricter requirements on language ability and the capacity to financially support oneself.

The Liberal Alliance suggested that pre-school children should be forced to pass a Danish language exam before they are allowed to enter 1st grade as its ‘concerning’ to see so many children from immigrant families lagging behind in school.

Health Minister Ellen Trane Nørby said there’s no need for further anti-smoking legislation even though thousands of people die in Denmark every year from tobacco-related diseases – a new study showed the number of smokers hasn’t changed for seven years.

A 25-year-old man was sentenced to two years in jail for killing two American student when his jet ski crashed into a tourist boat in Copenhagen harbor last summer.

A new University of Copenhagen report showed pollution from traffic and burning wood causes at least 2000 heart disease related deaths every year in Denmark.

To read all the above articles in full see:  http://seven59.dk/archive (subscription required)

Business:

Partially state-owned energy company Ørsted, formerly known as DONG, is facing a legal battle to protect its new name – the great, great, great grandchildren of inventor Hans Christian Ørsted, who discovered electromagnetism in 1820, have sued the company for registering their name as a trademark without permission.

Canadian medical marijuana maker Aurora Cannabis Inc signed a partnership deal with Danish tomato and pepper producer Alfred Pedersen & Son to produce and sell cannabis in Europe.

Economists warned that a drastic fall in the price of pork, pigs, and dairy products is a sign the agricultural sector could be heading for recession.

Maersk Drilling signed a deal to carry out drilling work on fields offshore Ghana.

Royal Dutch Shell announced the termination of plans to sell its Danish refining business to local firm Dansk Olieselskab for an estimated DKK500m.

And That Was The Week That Was, January 2nd – January 7th 2018: To read all the above articles in full see: http://seven59.dk/archive (subscription required)