National Round-up: Mette Frederiksen hits out at global asylum system

Elsewhere, Danes are more frequently online, women are increasingly missing breast scans and Ed Sheeran made Danish history

In a speech at the United Nations General Assembly on September 24, PM Mette Frederiksen levelled criticism at the global asylum system.

According to Frederiksen, the contemporary system is not equipped to tackle the challenges being faced, but rather helps promote issues such as human trafficking.

She went on to announce that her government will work towards better solutions that will eventually bring “safe and neat” migration.

Many topics on the table
Aside from her criticism, Frederiksen also had something to say about the recent donations of vaccination.

She plans to double the amount of doses given to the international vaccination initiative. This will bring Denmark’s total donation count up to six million doses.


Danes more frequently online
According to the annual media report by the Culture Ministry, digital media usage in Denmark increased in 2020. People streamed 1 hour and 16 minutes a day, an increase of 27 minutes compared to the previous year. Alongside this finding, there’s also evidence of social media domination in digital advertisement. The three giants LinkedIn, Google and Facebook handled 42 percent of ads in 2020.

Danish actress youngest ever to win big in San Sebastian
16-year-old Flora Ofelia Hofmann Lindahl was recently awarded the prize for ‘best lead’ in the San Sebastian Film Festival. Probably best known for her role in the DR series ‘Ulven kommer’,  Lindahl was given the award in Spain for her performance in ‘Den som er i himlen’, which will be in Danish cinemas from January 6.

Church maintenance yields medieval remains
During  ongoing renovation work of Stroby Kirke, archaeologists recently found medieval graves beneath the church floor. Nils Engbert from Copenhagen’s National Museum explained it was not unusual to bury priests in this manner. The scientists found seven caskets with human bones in them. The church, however, is still expected to reopen in the upcoming year.

Ed Sheeran about to make Danish history
After tickets for Ed Sheeran’s upcoming show in 2022 in Amager selling out in just minutes, three additional dates were quickly added. The event subsequently sold out its 100,000 tickets in 100 minutes, which makes Sheeran the first artist ever to perform in front of more than 150.000 people in Denmark in one tour.

Many AWOL from breast cancer scans
According to numbers from southern Denmark region, 16 percent of women failed to turn up to their breast cancer preventive care in the first half of 2021. Compared to 2018, this is an increase by 7 percent. Poul-Erik Svendsen, who is head of health department in the region, said that this was not only a regional problem, but a national tendency. Svendsen highlighted how crucial routine check ups were for early detection of cancer cells.




  • Diplomatic tensions between US and Denmark after spying rumors

    Diplomatic tensions between US and Denmark after spying rumors

    A Wall Street Journal article describes that the US will now begin spying in Greenland. This worries the Danish foreign minister, who wants an explanation from the US’s leading diplomat. Greenlandic politicians think that Trump’s actions increase the sense of insecurity

  • Diplomacy meets Westeros: a dinner with the King, Queen – and Jaime Lannister

    Diplomacy meets Westeros: a dinner with the King, Queen – and Jaime Lannister

    What do King Frederik X, Queen Mary, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and Jaime Lannister have in common? No, this isn’t the start of a very specific Shakespeare-meets-HBO fanfiction — it was just Wednesday night in Denmark

  • Huge boost to halt dropouts from vocational education

    Huge boost to halt dropouts from vocational education

    For many years, most young people in Denmark have preferred upper secondary school (Gymnasium). Approximately 20 percent of a year group chooses a vocational education. Four out of 10 young people drop out of a vocational education. A bunch of millions aims to change that

  • Beloved culture house saved from closure

    Beloved culture house saved from closure

    At the beginning of April, it was reported that Kapelvej 44, a popular community house situated in Nørrebro, was at risk of closing due to a loss of municipality funding

  • Mette Frederiksen: “If you harm the country that is hosting you, you shouldn’t be here at all”

    Mette Frederiksen: “If you harm the country that is hosting you, you shouldn’t be here at all”

    With reforms to tighten the rules for foreigners in Denmark without legal residency, and the approval of a reception package for internationals working in the care sector, internationals have been under the spotlight this week. Mette Frederiksen spoke about both reforms yesterday.

  • Tolerated, but barely: inside Denmark’s departure centers

    Tolerated, but barely: inside Denmark’s departure centers

    Currently, around 170 people live on “tolerated stay” in Denmark, a status for people who cannot be deported but are denied residency and basic rights. As SOS Racisme draws a concerning picture of their living conditions in departure centers, such as Kærshovedgård, they also suggest it might be time for Denmark to reinvent its policies on deportation

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