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TODAY IN DENMARK

Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Thursday

Find out what's going on in Denmark today with The Local's short roundup of the news in less than five minutes.

Three new '3D' painted crossings in Aarhus aim to increase safety for pedestrians.
Three new '3D' painted crossings in Aarhus aim to increase safety for pedestrians. Photo: Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix

Denmark looks unlikely to hit Covid-19 vaccination target 

Although it has one of the highest Covid-19 vaccination rates in Europe, it is unlikely Denmark will hit its own target of inoculating 90 percent of people over the age of 12 by October 1st.

As of today, 87 percent of eligible people (over 12 years old) in the country have received at least a first dose of a vaccine, around 150,000 people short.

Unemployment continues to shrink 

Unemployment levels have been falling throughout the period following the post-lockdown reopening, and the trend shows no sign of slowing.

The number of people out of work fell by 5,600 to a total of 101,300 between July and August, according to seasonally-corrected data from Statistics Denmark.

That brings unemployment to its lowest number since January 2009.

READ ALSO: Why does Denmark have so many job vacancies? 

Meanwhile, economic growth exceeds expectations

The very same lifting of lockdown which kicked unemployment into a downward trend has also been credited with putting rocket fuel in the burners of the economy.

An estimate for economic growth during the second quarter of this year has been raised after an earlier projection proved too low, revised Statistics Denmark figures show.

GDP is now estimated to have grown by 2.8 percent in the second quarter. The earlier estimate was 2.3 percent.

New climate plan ‘unacceptable’: critics

Critics including researchers and parliamentary allies say new a climate action plan presented by the government yesterday fails to address the most acute climate needs by setting down a plan to reach 2025 targets, newspaper Dagbladet Information writes.

Although the plan is the government’s first to set out a specific roadmap for Denmark’s climate action, the lack of answers on 2025 targets could leave the country with too little time to hit shorter term goals, according to experts.

Red Green Alliance party spokesperson Peder Hvelplund said the failure to live up to 2025 targets in the programme was “completely unacceptable”.

We’ll have detail on the contents of the government plan in an article today.

New 3D crossing in place in Aarhus

Pedestrians in Aarhus can now ‘float’ their way over a new crossing painted to appear three dimensional to oncoming cars and bicycles.

The first of three such crossings to be trialled in the city was installed yesterday on the Mejlgade street.

Read more in our earlier report.

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TODAY IN DENMARK

Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Monday

'Arne' pension cheaper than feared, police claim Christiania residents sell cannabis, super hospital opens, and a rainy week on the way. Here's some of the news from Denmark on Monday.

Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Monday

Early ‘Arne-pension’ less expensive than feared 

Denmark’s finance ministry believes that the so.called Arne-pension, which allows people who start work at a young age to retire earlier, will be cheaper for the Danish state than expected in the years up until 2030. 

According to the Ekstra Bladet newspaper, the government is likely to spend 1.4 billion kroner less than expected in 2023 alone, as more workers than expected opting to retire at a normal time despite being eligible. 

The ministry told the newspaper it expects to save 10.8 billion between 2022 and 2030 on what had initially been expected. 

The Arne pension allows people to retire up to three years early depending on how many years of work they have done. 

Danish vocab: oprindeligt – originally 

Half the cannabis stalls in Christiania run by residents: police

Police in Copenhagen estimate that roughly half of the cannabis stalls operated in ‘Pusher Street’, the open drug market in Christiania, are run by residents of the famed ‘freetown’ commune. 

“We recognise that officially Christiania distances itself from the brutality in Pusher Street, but it nevertheless seems hypocritical when we can ascertain that some of the residents are involved, and there are children under the age of 13 selling hash,” said Tommy Laursen, who leads the police’s efforts to stamp out the organised hash business. 

Hulda Mader, a spokesperson for Christiania, blamed the police’s attempts to shut down Pusher Street had led to increased criminalisation. 

“Intensive efforts made by the police last year have meant that the hashish market has gone from bad to worse,” she said. 

Danish vocab: hyklerisk – hypocritical

New ‘super hospital’ opens outside Copenhagen two years late

The new so-called ‘super hospital’ that was supposed to open two years ago in Køge, a satellite town of Copenhagen, took its first 80 patients on Sunday. 

The new building, Wing R, which opens on Sunday, contains both surgical and medical departments for highly specialised treatment, as well as 200 private rooms spread over eight floors.

Hospital director Niels Würgler Hansen told TV2 that the hospital’s ability to provide specialised treatment will prevent patients from having to travel to the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen. 

Despite the delays, the project stayed within budget. 

Danish vocab: forsinkelser – delays

Rainy week ahead in Denmark 

Get your anoraks and rubber boots ready. Denmark is expected to see heavy rainstorms every day for the first half of this week, clearing on Thursday for a dryer and sunnier Friday. 

“It looks like it will be a relatively grey week with a lot of rain,” Erik Hansen, the meteorologist on duty at Denmark’s Meteorological Institute, told Ritzau on Monday morning. 

But it will be much warmer, with temperatures of between 7C and 12C, with a lot of fog on Monday. 

Danish vocab: en ganske våd uge – a pretty wet week

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