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Today in Denmark: A roundup of the latest news on Friday

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

Today in Denmark: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
A slight easing off of hot temperatures is forecast in Denmark this weekend. File photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix

Eight percent of new Danish coronavirus infections were picked up on trips to Spain

A total of eight percent of positive coronavirus tests registered in Denmark in the last week have been linked to the infected person’s recent travel to Spain, according to new data from the Danish Patient Safety Authority and reported by broadcaster DR.

Spain is currently classed as a yellow country under Denmark’s travel guidelines, with some regions green, meaning Denmark does not restrict travel to those countries for tourists from Denmark (although people coming from yellow regions are required to take a test on returning from their trip).

READ ALSO: What you need to know about Denmark’s latest travel rules

Spain currently has an infection rate three times higher than Denmark, DR writes. The Danish authorities update the colour coded travel guidelines for international countries and regions on Fridays. We’ll report any significant changes as they come in today.

Young Syrian allowed to stay in Denmark after authorities approve appeal

The Danish Immigration Service (Flygtningenævnet) yesterday reversed a decision to deport a young Syrian refugee to Damascus on appeal.

Aya Abu-Daher, a 19-year-old upper secondary school student who lives in Nyborg had her residence permit extended after the authority reversed on appeal a decision to withdraw her asylum status, which would have likely meant she would have been forced to move into a Danish expulsion or departure centre and await deportation.

Abu-Daher, whose situation gained considerable media attention after she was initially told she would not be allowed to complete her school exams, told newspaper Politiken yesterday afternoon she felt “reborn”.

The future of many other Syrian refugees in Denmark remains uncertain after the country withdrew asylum status from dozens of people. The country maintains that conditions in and around Damascus are safe to return refugees in some cases, a position disputed by experts and not taken by other EU countries.

READ ALSO:

Busy traffic expected as many in Denmark take summer holiday

Thousands of people across the country are today expected to hit the roads this weekend as they travel towards summer houses and holiday homes. That is because the statutory holiday for people in many sectors falls during the coming weeks.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about vacation in Denmark

The Danish Road Directorate (Vejdirektoratet) has encouraged drivers to consider the best times to set out in order to keep traffic smooth. Saturday is expected to be particularly busy, news wire Ritzau reports, with motorists heading across Zealand and Funen and south through Jutland.

Break in heat forecast this weekend

This week has seen some truly scorching, dry weather in Denmark, in stark contrast to the catastrophic images of flooding in Germany and Belgium in recent days.

The heat is forecast to ease a little this weekend, with national meteorologist DMI predicting between 20-25 degrees Celsius on Saturday and 18-23 degrees, with some cloud and wind, on Sunday. Friday will be hot at up to 30 degrees Celsius, although a little more breeze could be felt than in preceding days this week.

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TODAY IN DENMARK

Today in Denmark: A roundup of the latest news on Friday

Danish parties agree to raise abortion term limit, Novo Nordic, Maersk and Vestas post results, colder weather to return, and other news from Denmark on Friday.

Today in Denmark: A roundup of the latest news on Friday

Danish parties agree to raise abortion limit to 18 weeks 

Denmark’s government has struck a deal with four other parties to raise the maximum gestation period at which a foetus can be aborted from 12 weeks to 18 weeks, in the first change to Danish abortion law in 50 years. 

The government struck the deal with the Socialist Left Party, the Red Green Alliance, the Social Liberal Party and the Alternativet party. 

“In terms of health, there is no evidence for the current week limit, nor is there anything to suggest that there will be significantly more or later abortions by moving the week limit,” Sophie Løhde, Denmark’s Minister of the Interior and Health, said announving the deal. 

Danish vocabulary: abortgrænsen – abortion limit 

Colder weather to return on weekend 

Friday will be the last day in the current spell of 20C temperatures, with colder, rainier weather returning on the weekend.  According to the Denmark’s state forecaster DMI, a cold front will arrive in Denmark on Friday evening, bringing rain, colder temperatures of 7C-12C overnight and local thunderstorms. 

On Saturday, Sunday and Monday, temperatures will be between 13C and 18C, with rain in some places, with sunnier weather expected from Tuesday.  

Danish voabulary: en byge – a shower

Vestas, Maersk and Novo Nordisk report results

Novo Nordisk reported soaring profits, Maersk falling ones, and Vestas, the world’s number one wind turbine maker, posted a loss, as Denmark’s biggest companies posted results for the first three months of the year. 

Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk reported more soaring profits Thursday on the back of its anti-diabetes and weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy. Its net profit reached 25.4 billion kroner ($3.6 billion) in the first quarter, a 28 percent jump from the same period last year, the company said in a statement.

Vestas said on Thursday it had swung to a 75-million-euro ($80-million) loss in the first quarter and warned “geopolitical volatility” would continue to cause uncertainty. Revenue fell 5.2 percent to 2.68 billion euros in the first three months of the year, compared to the same period a year earlier. Its net loss followed a net profit of 16 million euros in the first quarter of 2023. The value of its order backlog reached a record high €61 billion.

Maersk profits plummeted as Yemeni attacks closed off its vital Red Sea route, with the company reporting a net profit of $177 million in the first three months of the year, a 13-fold drop from the same period last year. 

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