The Week That Was, August 2nd – 9th 2020:
Coronavirus/ What happened last week:
The government delayed the planned increase in public gatherings from 100 to 200 following the recent spike in COVID-19 infections.
Danish People’s Party (DPP) founder Pia Kjærsgaard urged the government to impose a lockdown on the country’s ghettoes following a disproportionate increase in the number of covid-19 infections amongst ethnic minorities.
A comparison of the number of new corona cases in Europe over the past 14 days showed Denmark is 13th out of 30 countries with 13.3 infections per 100,000 residents, just behind Germany (11.1 per 100,000) but far behind Hungary in 1st place with only 1.9 per 100,000.
Sweden’s reluctance to mirror Denmark and lock down society has achieved only limited economic benefits - a Copenhagen University research showed consumer spending in Sweden fell only 4 percentage points less than in this country while the mortality rate was far higher.
The Foreign Ministry advised against all non-essential travel to Spain - Danes already there can continue their holiday but will be urged to take a test when they arrive home.
Politics/Economy:
A bilateral police training agreement between Denmark and China set the alarm bells ringing at Christiansborg (parliament) - former foreign minister Inger Støjberg said she failed to see what Denmark gets out of the deal ‘apart from allowing Chinese officials to enter by the back door.’
The ‘Islamification of Denmark’ was high on the agenda of the Danish People’s Party’s (DPP) summer conference where controversial MP Morten Messerschmidt was appointed deputy leader, replacing Søren Espersen who stepped down. Kristian Thulesen Dahl denied speculation about political differences with Mr Messserchmidt and said he expects to be party leader for a long time yet.
The Danish People’s Party’s (DPP) immigration spokeswoman, Pia Kjærsgaard, said the repatriation scheme needs an overhaul after it was revealed that five U.S. nationals have been given money by the Danish state to return home.
The Danish military’s spy agency - Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste (FE) - is under investigation by the Oversight Board (TET), the intelligence community’s ’watchdog’.
Despite a Defence Ministry ban on striptease shows at military bases the head of the Royal Danish Navy Frogman Corps was caught on video enjoying a lap dance from a stripper.
Foreign Affairs/EU:
The Foreign Ministry made an emergency donation to Lebanon of DKK12m ($1.9 million) following the two explosions that rocked Beirut, Tuesday - the Danish Emergency Management Agency (Beredskabsstyrelse) agreed to send 600 chemical protection suits.
Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod strongly condemned a new report by the pro-government Turkish think-tank SETA that characterised Denmark as a ’country that legislates against Muslims.’
88 surveillance cameras purchased from a Chinese security company banned in the U.S. have been installed on the Danish Navy’s two biggest warships, stoking fears of snooping.
Two Danish naval ships joined an Arctic training exercise alongside the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, the Canadian armed forces, the Royal Dutch Navy and the French navy.
Social Affairs:
The number of asylum seekers arriving in Denmark has fallen to a 20-year-low - only 830 migrants have applied for asylum so far this year, mainly due to the corona crisis, compared to 2,716 in 2019 and 21,316 in 2015 at the height of the refugee crisis.
The government will only accept 200 UN quota refugees this year, all from Rwanda, even though money was appropriated in the 2020 budget for 50 - Integration Minister Mattias Resfaye said there are still too many integration problems in Denmark to consider accepting more.
15 of the so-called ‘Godhavns Boys’ who were beaten, abused and subjected to medical experiments when placed in a children’s home on Bornholm between 1946-76 are suing the state for DKK4.5m.
The prestigious Tour de France's Grand Depart from Copenhagen, scheduled for summer 2021, has been pushed back a year to 2022 to avoid a clash with Euro 2020 matches in the capital.
Business:
A new survey showed more than 1 in 3 Danish companies believe government red tape and bureaucracy is a barrier to their efforts to increase turnover and grow the busine
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) entered into a joint venture to develop offshore wind projects off the coast of Hokkaido, in Japan.
Copenhagen Airports (CPH) announced plans to lay off 650 full-time employees due to the reduced passenger traffic amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Novo Nordisk, the world's 6th largest pharma company, posted Q2 profits far exceeding analysts’ forecasts.
A new study by ATV – the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences – revealed that, in terms of research and patents, this country isn’t even in the top-30.
And That Was the Week That Was, August 2nd – 9th 2020: To read all the above articles in full see: http://seven59.dk/archive (subscription required).
The government delayed the planned increase in public gatherings from 100 to 200 following the recent spike in COVID-19 infections.
Danish People’s Party (DPP) founder Pia Kjærsgaard urged the government to impose a lockdown on the country’s ghettoes following a disproportionate increase in the number of covid-19 infections amongst ethnic minorities.
A comparison of the number of new corona cases in Europe over the past 14 days showed Denmark is 13th out of 30 countries with 13.3 infections per 100,000 residents, just behind Germany (11.1 per 100,000) but far behind Hungary in 1st place with only 1.9 per 100,000.
Sweden’s reluctance to mirror Denmark and lock down society has achieved only limited economic benefits - a Copenhagen University research showed consumer spending in Sweden fell only 4 percentage points less than in this country while the mortality rate was far higher.
The Foreign Ministry advised against all non-essential travel to Spain - Danes already there can continue their holiday but will be urged to take a test when they arrive home.
Politics/Economy:
A bilateral police training agreement between Denmark and China set the alarm bells ringing at Christiansborg (parliament) - former foreign minister Inger Støjberg said she failed to see what Denmark gets out of the deal ‘apart from allowing Chinese officials to enter by the back door.’
The ‘Islamification of Denmark’ was high on the agenda of the Danish People’s Party’s (DPP) summer conference where controversial MP Morten Messerschmidt was appointed deputy leader, replacing Søren Espersen who stepped down. Kristian Thulesen Dahl denied speculation about political differences with Mr Messserchmidt and said he expects to be party leader for a long time yet.
The Danish People’s Party’s (DPP) immigration spokeswoman, Pia Kjærsgaard, said the repatriation scheme needs an overhaul after it was revealed that five U.S. nationals have been given money by the Danish state to return home.
The Danish military’s spy agency - Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste (FE) - is under investigation by the Oversight Board (TET), the intelligence community’s ’watchdog’.
Despite a Defence Ministry ban on striptease shows at military bases the head of the Royal Danish Navy Frogman Corps was caught on video enjoying a lap dance from a stripper.
Foreign Affairs/EU:
The Foreign Ministry made an emergency donation to Lebanon of DKK12m ($1.9 million) following the two explosions that rocked Beirut, Tuesday - the Danish Emergency Management Agency (Beredskabsstyrelse) agreed to send 600 chemical protection suits.
Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod strongly condemned a new report by the pro-government Turkish think-tank SETA that characterised Denmark as a ’country that legislates against Muslims.’
88 surveillance cameras purchased from a Chinese security company banned in the U.S. have been installed on the Danish Navy’s two biggest warships, stoking fears of snooping.
Two Danish naval ships joined an Arctic training exercise alongside the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, the Canadian armed forces, the Royal Dutch Navy and the French navy.
Social Affairs:
The number of asylum seekers arriving in Denmark has fallen to a 20-year-low - only 830 migrants have applied for asylum so far this year, mainly due to the corona crisis, compared to 2,716 in 2019 and 21,316 in 2015 at the height of the refugee crisis.
The government will only accept 200 UN quota refugees this year, all from Rwanda, even though money was appropriated in the 2020 budget for 50 - Integration Minister Mattias Resfaye said there are still too many integration problems in Denmark to consider accepting more.
15 of the so-called ‘Godhavns Boys’ who were beaten, abused and subjected to medical experiments when placed in a children’s home on Bornholm between 1946-76 are suing the state for DKK4.5m.
The prestigious Tour de France's Grand Depart from Copenhagen, scheduled for summer 2021, has been pushed back a year to 2022 to avoid a clash with Euro 2020 matches in the capital.
Business:
A new survey showed more than 1 in 3 Danish companies believe government red tape and bureaucracy is a barrier to their efforts to increase turnover and grow the busine
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) entered into a joint venture to develop offshore wind projects off the coast of Hokkaido, in Japan.
Copenhagen Airports (CPH) announced plans to lay off 650 full-time employees due to the reduced passenger traffic amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Novo Nordisk, the world's 6th largest pharma company, posted Q2 profits far exceeding analysts’ forecasts.
A new study by ATV – the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences – revealed that, in terms of research and patents, this country isn’t even in the top-30.
And That Was the Week That Was, August 2nd – 9th 2020: To read all the above articles in full see: http://seven59.dk/archive (subscription required).
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