The trial against Morten Messerschmidt (DF) has begun – The nurses are expanding their strike, again – Citizens’ services are being chimed down by Danish holiday tourists in countries ravaged by forest fires – Southeast Asia to the new epicenter of the pandemic
Dear reader
25 years after Poul-Erik Høyer’s triumph at the Olympics in Atlanta, Denmark once again has an Olympic champion in badminton: Viktor Axelsen, 27 years old and from Funen. Congratulations!
In addition, today we take a closer look at the trial against Morten Messerschmidt (DF), the nurses’ strike, which is expanding further, and Southeast Asia, which has become the new epicenter of the pandemic.
Welcome to Today’s Overview.
With the set numbers 21-15, 21-12, Viktor Axelsen played Chinese Chen Long and is Denmark’s first Olympic champion in badminton since 1996. Even the same opponent beat the Dane in the semifinals at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, where it ended with bronze for Denmark. So it was an Olympic rematch when the badminton player after his victory threw the racket today in Tokyo.
The case against the Danish People’s Party’s deputy chairman, Morten Messerschmidt, has begun today in the Court in Lyngby. Morten Messerschmidt is charged with fraud with EU funds and forgery. As one of the very first things in court, Messerschmidt pleaded not guilty to the charges, which the prosecution otherwise believes should trigger jail time. The case is one of the largest in recent Danish political history. It is extremely rare for politicians to be prosecuted for offenses in the Penal Code that could trigger jail time. For six years, Messerschmidt has been under suspicion. Get an overview of the case here.
The nurses are extending the strike once again with a further 315 nurses from 31 August. This is stated by DSR in a press release. The nurses selected are almost all from visitation wards or home nursing and are responsible for the transitions from hospital to municipality. Grete Christensen, chairman of DSR, believes that an escalation of the conflict is necessary. “As long as employers and politicians keep sticking their heads in the bush, we have no choice but to tighten the screw,” she says. The conflict has become a political issue. And therefore the nurses now have to wait for the politicians to return from summer vacation before something happens, writes journalist Michael Thykier in an analysis.
Concerned Danes who are close to the violent forest fires in Southern Europe contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Citizen Service. The countries of Turkey, Greece and southern Italy are affected by the forest fires caused by a heat wave from North Africa. In several places the temperatures exceed 40 degrees. There are still no reports of injured Danes at the destinations, says Frej Jackson, acting head of Citizen Service. “Follow the instructions of the local authorities and contact a travel company or hotel if you are in doubt about how to behave,” says Jackson, who encourages travelers to sign up for the Danish list and contact family members who may be concerned.
“The sick get no help and are let down by the government. Many are already dead “, says Nok Kulasri, 54 years old. She lives in Bangkok’s largest and poorest slum, Khlong Toei, where the corona virus has spread explosively in recent weeks. Now she, along with other volunteers, brings food out every day to the many infected. Thailand is far from alone with the violent spread of infection. Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar are also experiencing their worst outbreak of corona to date in the weeks with tens of thousands of new daily cases of infection, not only posing a huge health disaster but also showcasing how weak governments have made Southeast Asia the new epicenter of the pandemic.
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What is a ‘pagoda’? If you know the answer, then you are well on your way to becoming today’s bezzerwizzer.
