Denmark’s parties to discuss bringing Afghan translators home

Denmark’s government is set to meet on Monday with representatives of the other political parties to discuss how to help Afghan who worked for the Danish armed forces and foreign office in Afghanistan, and who face reprisals if the Taliban now overruns the cities and towns where they live.

“The Liberal Party is ready to enter into an agreement with the government as soon as possible on what is to be done for the local staff and interpreters who have helped Danish forces during the war,” said Lars Christian Lilleholt, the negotiator for the centre-right Liberal party. 

“Denmark must take responsibility for the people who have helped us,” said Andreas Steenberg from the Social Liberal Party. “We must make sure that no people are killed because they themselves or their spouse have helped the Danish soldiers and the Danish interests in Afghanistan.” 

Of the parties, only the Danish People’s Party has ruled out offering those who have helped Denmark the chance of moving to Denmark, with the legal spokesperson for the party, Peter Skaarup, saying any help must take place on Afghan soil, and not in Denmark. 

The Liberal party has said that help should be given on an individual basis, and has not given any indication of how many Afghans can be resettled, although it is open to some Afghans being moved in Denmark. 

Rainy start to the new school year 

Rainstorms are expected across Denmark up until the middle of this week, meaning many children will be sent out in their rainwear from their first week back. 

“There is a low-pressure region now is located near Scotland which is moving to the northeast of Denmark, and which is bringing a wind from the southwest with cool air and many showers,” Martin Lindberg, a meteorologist with Danish state forecaster DMI, told Ritzau.

Rain showers on Monday may bring thunder and hail, he said. On Wednesday, the weather will change for the better with sunshine and 26C temperatures on Friday. 

Daily infections in Denmark under 1,000 for a whole week

In the 24 hours up until 2pm on Sunday, 821 people were registered as newly infected with coronavirus, meaning new infections have started between 1,000 since Saturday July 30th, Denmark’s state infectious diseases agency SSI has reported.  

The number of people being treated in hospital has risen by 13 to 80. 

Rising number of vaccinated in Denmark infected with coronavirus

So far 3,702 fully vaccinated people in Denmark have been registered as infected with coronavirus, equivalent to 0.12 percent of fully vaccinated people. At the same time, 17,532 people have been infected who have only had their first jab, equivalent to 10,8 percent of all coronavirus infections. 

Denmark’s SSI infectious diseases agency said in a statement that the numbers show impact of the more infectious Delta-variant.

“This is due both to the fact that more people have been vaccinated for the first time and that the first jab provides less protection against the Delta variant, which has become dominant in July,” said the agency’s academic head Tyra Grove Krause. “That’s why it’s important that even fully vaccinated people who have symptoms, or who have been in contact with an infected person, still get tested.” 

Denmark’s New Right party wants to abolish state broadcaster and slash 100,000 public sector jobs

Denmark’s populist New Right party has published a radical new manifesto that calls for state broadcaster DR and state train operator DSB to be abolished, and for more than 100,000 jobs to be trimmed from the public sector. 

The manifesto — called Planen for et mere borgerligt Danmark, or “The plan for a more right-wing [also perhaps more civil] Denmark”, seems designed to accentuate the differences between the libertarian New Right and the Danish People’s Party, which, while also critical of DR, is otherwise in favour of state enterprise and generous welfare for Danish people.

 The Danish People’s Party’s leader Kristian Thulesen Dahl called the plan “a frontal assault on the welfare state”.