Last Week in Denmark (23.07 - 30.07) Episode 28 Year 3
Tour de France fever; Quran burnings and extreme weather conditions
Editor HQ
This edition arrives at an odd time, as I will be traveling tomorrow from my yearly “pilgrimage” to Romania. In the next edition, we return to the normal publishing time of noon on Sunday. P.S The language editions are also returning next Sunday :)
Sneak-peek at the merchandise line: Thanks to your feedback, we have found the direction towards a collection-worthy merchandise line. Enjoy a sneak-peek into the art made by Julie Smith-Belton.
Danish Politics HQ
The political arena
Most of the politicians in Denmark have been on vacation this week, and for the ones that remained, only two subjects mattered: climate change due to the extreme weather conditions plus the fires in Rhodos, and the relationship with the Islamic world.
It is clear that once the Danish Parliament reconvenes, there will be an even bigger focus on the green transition. Several political parties want more action and faster results.
The burning of the Koran in Denmark and Sweden triggered a wave of anger in the Islamic countries towards the Nordic countries. The last time the relationship got so bad was in 2005-2006, when drawings of the prophet got published in Danish media. What to expect? Boycott of goods from Denmark.
Last time, Danish diplomacy managed to rebuild the relationship with the Islamic world. The Danish foreign minister has already called the “burnings of the Koran” a “shameful act”, in an effort to start rebuilding. In my opinion, the only country that stands to gain from this conflict is Russia, so it should make you think about the real motives of the “agitators”.
Danish Economy HQ
Interest rate increases again: The Danish National Bank decided to increase the interest rate by 0.25 percent. According to a senior economist from Dansk Erhverv, this is either the last increase or there will be one more.
As a reminder, a higher interest rate means it is more expensive to borrow money from the bank. Also, if you have a variable loan, you have to pay more in interest. On the other hand, if you have a lot of money in your account, you should look for a bank willing to pay you a good interest rate.
Daily Life in Denmark HQ
Remember to sort the textile waste: Most municipalities in Denmark now require that you separate your textile waste from other waste. Check here to find out what the situation is in your municipality.
Each municipality had to choose one solution from the four available: (a) separate container for each household for textile waste; (b) bag for textile waste that is attached to the side of the existing containers (x) bag for textile waste that is inside the cardboard/paper container; (d) common textile waste containers for several houses
Clothes, shoes, belts, and bags that others can still use should not be thrown in the textile waste. They should be recycled. You can see on this map the nearest location.
10 years around the world without flying: Torbjørn Pedersen left Denmark in 2013 with one mission - to visit every country in the world without flying. After a decade, he returned home victorious, becoming the first human to visit every country in the world, without flying and in one stretch. Now he is planning to write a book about the experience and give lectures at events.
Tour de France fever: After winning the most important cycling competition in the world for two years in a row, there is clearly a cycling fever among the people in Denmark. Most of the cycling clubs are experiencing a huge increase in membership - more people want to participate in cycling competitions. If you want to join one, just google “cykle klub and the name of your city” and you will find it.
While it can be an expensive hobby, you should be aware that clubs offer loan bikes, clothes, and shoes for newcomers, so you can at least try it for a while.
Beware of fake online shops: We live in the early AI age, and it has become easier than ever to create an online shop that looks like it’s from Denmark. Unfortunately, many of them are scams, as you either will never receive the product or you will receive something else than expected. The situation has been noticed by the Consumer Ombudsman (Forbrugerombudsmanden - the authority you can address in case you get cheated) and advises consumers to check the websites before buying.
Check for a CVR number, an address in Denmark, a valid phone number - You can always check the number here
Afterwards, it wouldn’t hurt to take a look at Trustpilot or even search on Google “Is (insert name of website) a scam?”
Healthcare with Punitha Kumar
More young Danes are being diagnosed with an eating disorder, Statistics Denmark and the Health Data Agency has revealed.
In 2022,
6,132 people between the ages of 15 and 24 were diagnosed with either anorexia, bulimia, compulsive overeating, or other eating disorders.
17,669 Danes suffered from a serious eating disorder and had to be treated at a hospital.
4,000 inquiries about eating disorders were received by the Danish National Association for Eating Disorders and Self-Harm.
Association director Laila Walther said children as young as 10 years old have contacted the association to express their unhappiness and shame regarding their body weight and appearance. Eating disorders can be triggered by, among others, bullying, loneliness, divorce, or abuse. If you or someone you know is experiencing a life-endangering relationship with food, contact the association helpline at: 7010 1818 or visit Foreningen Spiseforstyrrelser og Selvskade for more info.
Patients in Region Midtjylland must wait up to three weeks before they can be referred to private healthcare services, DR revealed. Upon filling out an online form, the region’s patient office needs to respond within 30 days if the patient can be referred to such services. But, the region’s Hospitals Committee chairman, Purnima Erichsen said the three-week waiting period was due to the current summer holidays. She said regular waiting times were usually between one and two weeks. The region has also come under fire for longer waiting times, as it is the only region that asks patients to fill out the form. All other four regions attend to inquiries via phone call, with Region Nordjylland’s waiting time pegged at 30 minutes.
Education
AI bachelor education: There is a high demand for employees with AI skills on the Danish job market. To respond to this need, Aalborg University and the University of Southern Denmark have created bachelor programs where you can study to become an AI expert. Other universities are also preparing similar programs for the next school year.
Companies are already preparing to offer the students from the two new bachelor's programs opportunities to work together on various projects.
61.382 enrolled students for the fall 2023 higher education intake: 2% more than last year. The most popular programs are pedagogy (3986 students); nursing (3351 students); civil engineering (3297); engineering (2928); business (2500); teaching (2253); social work (2075); finances (1921); marketing (1801) and medicine (1784).
Climate
Earth is getting hot… just not in the way you would imagine: You have seen the news, or you probably experienced it yourself during your holidays; it’s getting really hot outside. It got so hot in July that it broke the record of being the month with the highest temperatures ever recorded on our planet.
48.9 degrees Celsius in the Death Valley (USA) at night time - the highest night temperature ever recorded.
The month of “June” was also the hottest June ever recorded.
The ocean currents that distribute heat and cold between North Atlantic and the tropics might collapse soon (somewhere between 2025 and 2057) according to two Danish scientists. What does that mean for Denmark? A drop of 10 degrees in the average temperature. The weather will resemble more of Canada or Novosibirsk.
We enjoy mild weather in Denmark, thanks to the “Greenland Pump” or the ocean currents that distribute heat and cold. If they collapse, we will have to welcome extreme winters starting from October until June.
Culture, Religion and Royals with Cicek Eris
More major sports and cycling events in Denmark: The Ministry of Culture has announced a clear objective - we need to host important sports events in Denmark. In that direction, they will be going to Glasgow (Scotland) in August to observe the World Cup in Cycling before submitting a bid to host it next time.
Danish film history at the Venice International Film Festival: For the first time in 33 years, a feature film from Denmark has been selected for the main competition at the Venice International Film Festival. The movie is called “The Bastard” directed by Nikolaj Arcel.
The movie is set in the mid-1700s in Denmark, during the reign of King Frederik V. The king wanted to tame the wild heath of Jutland and one soldier Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen) decided to give it a try. The heath would either bring him the wealth and honor he had long seeked… or get the better of him.
Sports with Jelimir Vlastici
The glory of Tour De France goes to Denmark… again: For the second consecutive year, Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard clinched victory at the Tour de France, culminating in the iconic Champs-Élysées finish on Sunday. Following his triumphant victory, Jonas was met on Wednesday with a heartwarming hero's welcome in Copenhagen. The Danish cyclist's remarkable achievement at the prestigious cycling event has sparked immense pride and excitement among his fellow countrymen.
European Union HQ
This category covers interesting happenings from other EU member states, EU candidate countries and EFTA countries (Norway, Iceland, Switzerland)
Denmark gets one extra seat in the European Parliament: Next year, between 6th and 9th June, we will have the European Parliament elections. The member states are currently negotiating the size of the 2024 European Parliament - should it be increased to 716 members or 720 members (from 705 today) to follow the demographic changes. Denmark stands to obtain a new mandate (from 14 to 15) regardless.
As a citizen of the European Union living in Denmark, you have the right to vote for the European Parliament. You can choose to vote for either candidates from your home country or candidates from Denmark.
Who can count to 176 in Spain? In the aftermath of the Spanish National Elections, it is difficult to predict who will be prime minister. The conservative party (PP) had a really good election (33% - 12,2% more than last time) coming in first place. The social-democratic party (PSOE) managed to maintain its support despite governing Spain during the difficult pandemic times (31,7% - 3,7% more than last time). As you can see, the two main parties obtained relatively similar results, which makes it very difficult for either of them to count to 176 (which is the minimum number of seats to have a majority).
The good news is that the nationalist party VOX had a bad election (losing 19 seats compared to last time) and therefore cannot play a major role in deciding the future government.
Most likely, the social democrat Pedro Sanchez will continue to be prime minister. However, he depends on all the regional parties from Basque Country, Catalonia, Galicia and Canary Islands to support him. This means further concessions from Spain towards the autonomy / independence of those regions.
57 Muslim countries are meeting to discuss the Koran burnings in Sweden and Denmark: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which has 57 members, will meet next week to discuss a common reaction to the Koran burnings in Sweden and Denmark. The meeting has been requested by Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
Announcement Board
This section is curated by Cicek Eris. If you have events you want us to include here please send an e-mail to denmarkhappenings@gmail.com. You can check out her newsletter about cultural events in Denmark here.
Odense, 22nd August, 17:30-19:30: Would you like to learn about the past of the fairytale city? Then join this historical tour, and hear tales about Vikings, poets and royals in the past. The trip will take one hour around the historic quarter of Odense.
>In my opinion, the only country that stands to gain from this conflict is Russia, so it should make you >think about the real motives of the “agitators”.
That is exactly how the propaganda works