‘More than a game’: Euros delirium in Denmark despite UK travel setback

Nation with Hans Christian Andersen-inspired football song is hoping for fairytale win against England

People dancing on buses is not something you see every day in Denmark. Rule-abiding Danes tend to keep their celebrations low-key – but not this summer.

Football fans brought traffic to a standstill in Aarhus after Denmark beat the Czech Republic in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals and even scaled public transport to broadcast their euphoria and belt out another round of Re-sepp-ten – first a hit for Denmark’s national team at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. The anthem’s crowd-sourced lyrics are laden with Hans Christian Andersen imagery and feel particularly apt this year.

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Denmark roar past Russia to set up Euro 2020 last-16 clash with Wales

Few teams have ever deserved to make progress as much as Denmark did on a thrilling night in Copenhagen. Players who, just nine days ago, were traumatised to see Christian Eriksen suffer cardiac arrest in the middle of their first match produced a momentous performance on the same pitch, emerging as glorious victors over Russia to set up a last 16 showdown with Wales.

Mikkel Damsgaard and Yusuf Poulsen ignited celebrations before Artem Dzyuba put them on pause by converting a penalty and news filtered through that the group’s other match, between Belgium and Finland, was not going the way the Danes needed. But that changed as Group B reached a dramatic climax and Denmark confirmed second spot thanks to magnificent goals by Andreas Christensen and Joakim Mæhle.

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‘It was damn nice to see him smile’: Schmeichel cheered by visiting Eriksen

  • Denmark goalkeeper says seeing Eriksen ‘helped me a lot’
  • Players unhappy with Uefa’s approach to resuming game

The Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has said they will play their remaining games at Euro 2020 in honour of Christian Eriksen, after visiting his recovering teammate in hospital. The midfielder collapsed in the 42nd minute of the match against Finland on Saturday and was resuscitated on the pitch.

Related: View from Denmark: Eriksen is one of us and that’s why it hurt so much

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‘He was gone’: Christian Eriksen had cardiac arrest, Denmark doctor says

  • Midfielder resuscitated with defibrillator on pitch
  • Eriksen smiling in hospital, says Denmark coach

Christian Eriksen had a cardiac arrest and “was gone” before being swiftly resuscitated on the pitch, Denmark’s the team doctor, Morten Boesen, revealed on Sunday.

“He was gone,” Boesen said. “We started the resuscitation and we managed to do it. How close were we to losing him? I don’t know, but we got him back after one defib [defibrillation], so that’s quite fast.”

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Denmark 0-1 Finland: Christian Eriksen awake after collapse – as it happened

Finland took the points at the end of a match delayed following the first-half collapse and subsequent resuscitation of Denmark’s Christian Eriksen

Euro 2020 Group A: Joel Pohjanpalo scored the only goal of the game in a match that was completely overshadowed by the collapse and subsequent resuscitation of Christian Eriksen just before half-time.

Related: Finland’s win against Denmark overshadowed by Eriksen collapse

Thank you. It’s been a strange evening, dear Reader. Thanks for all your kind messages and Tweets, enquiring after my welfare and providing welcome translations. I am absolutely fine but as much as I’d love to make this all about me, I don’t think it would be approriate. There’ll be a match report along at some point but in the meantime I’ll leave you with this ...

#FIN fans: “CHRISTIAN”#DEN fans: “ERIKSEN”

❤️ pic.twitter.com/HKvhkoctGV

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Denmark passes law to relocate asylum seekers outside Europe

UN opposed bill for fear it would erode refugees’ rights and encourage other EU states to follow suit

Denmark has passed a law enabling it to process asylum seekers outside Europe, drawing anger from human rights advocates, the UN and European Commission.

Politicians in the wealthy Scandinavian nation, which has gained notoriety for its hardline immigration policies over the last decade, passed the law with 70 votes in favour and 24 against.

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‘Stark contrast’: how Covid pass is helping Denmark open up

The ‘coronapas’ has enabled places such as bars, restaurants and museums to welcome people back

Outside Forum, a concert venue turned coronavirus test centre in Copenhagen’s university district, the queue was starting to build up before a sunny Labour Day weekend.

As he waited, Casper Beckers, 25, was monitoring the WhatsApp group where the night’s festivities were being planned, starting with a board game bar, then cocktails.

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How continental Europe is emerging from Covid lockdown

Countries across Europe are starting to relax coronavirus restrictions as case numbers fall

Counting on an accelerating vaccination campaign to keep new infections in check, much of continental Europe has announced plans for a gradual exit from lockdown over the coming weeks as case numbers begin to fall. Here is where things stand:

Belgium (at least one vaccine dose administered to 25% of whole population) aims to permit outside dining in restaurants and bars again on 8 May, with a mandatory 10pm closing time and tables limited to groups of four. Non-essential shops and hairdressers reopened on Monday.

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EU states begin using single-dose J&J Covid vaccine

Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus jab rolled out after backing from European Medicines Agency

EU member states are starting to administer Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine after Europe’s drug regulator this week backed the single-dose shot, with several expected to impose age restrictions, as with the AstraZeneca jab.

Spain’s regional health authorities began using the shot on Thursday for people aged 70 to 79, two days after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced a possible link to a rare clotting disorder but stressed the shot’s benefits outweighed the risks.

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Denmark strips Syrian refugees of residency permits and says it is safe to go home

Government denies renewal of temporary residency status from about 189 Syrians

Denmark has become the first European nation to revoke the residency permits of Syrian refugees, insisting that some parts of the war-torn country are safe to return to.

At least 189 Syrians have had applications for renewal of temporary residency status denied since last summer, a move the Danish authorities said was justified because of a report that found the security situation in some parts of Syria had “improved significantly”.

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Older people more likely to catch Covid a second time

Study finds under-65s have about 80% protection from virus for at least six months but over-65s only 47%

Older people who have recovered from Covid cannot assume they are immune from a second attack, according to a new study that shows the under-65s are much less susceptible to reinfection.

The study carried out in Denmark found that the under-65s had about 80% protection for at least six months from catching Covid a second time. But the over-65s had only 47% protection.

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Denmark plans to limit ‘non-western’ residents in disadvantaged areas

Interior ministry’s proposed limit of 30% part of bill to crack down further on poor neighbourhoods

Denmark has announced plans to crack down further on disadvantaged neighbourhoods by reducing the number of “non-western” residents, scrapping the controversial term “ghetto” in its proposed legislation.

In the bill – a review of existing legislation on combatting “parallel societies” – the interior ministry proposed that the share of residents of “non-western” origin in each neighbourhood be limited to a maximum of 30% within 10 years.

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Europe’s caution over Oxford vaccine about more than the science

Analysis: the evidence for side-effects is scant but governments have other factors to consider

As France and Germany join Ireland, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands in suspending the use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine – even though the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization are advising people to continue taking it – the common refrain in European governments is that they are acting out of “an abundance of caution”.

There have been a handful of reports of blood clots in people recently vaccinated and also a rarer condition called thrombocytopenia, in which people do not make enough platelets. That can result in excessive bleeding. Deaths have been reported in Austria and Italy, which stopped the use of one batch of vaccine for fear it was contaminated. Meanwhile a further death from thrombocytopenia has been reported in Norway, as well as three hospitalisations.

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EMA says AstraZeneca vaccine can continue to be used during investigation

Several countries suspend inoculations but regulator says vaccine benefits outweigh its risks

The European Medicines Agency has said the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine can continue to be used during an investigation into cases of blood clots that have prompted several European countries to pause their use of the shot.

The EMA said 30 cases of “thromboembolic events” or blood clots had been reported among 5 million people who had received the jab in Europe so far. “The vaccine’s benefits continue to outweigh its risks,” the regulator said in a statement.

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Pollution fears over mink buried after Covid culling in Denmark

Signs of pollution detected at burial sites but no water contamination, says environmental agency

Mink carcasses that were buried hastily after a mass culling sparked by fears over a mutated coronavirus strain are causing pollution, Denmark’s environmental protection agency has said.

The government agency, which published results of a preliminary environmental study, added, however, that there was no risk of drinking water becoming contaminated.

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Denmark’s climate policies ‘insufficient’ to meet 2030 target

Report says country set to cut carbon emissions by 54% compared with 1990 levels, not 70% as planned

The Danish government’s efforts towards meeting the country’s ambitious target of reducing emissions by 70% by 2030 have been judged “insufficient” by the body tasked with monitoring its progress, with measures so far announced only likely to take it a third of the way.

In its first annual status report, the Danish Council on Climate Change said new laws, inter-party agreements and initiatives announced since the country’s climate law came into effect last June would reduce emissions by the equivalent of 7.2m tonnes of CO2 by 2030, which is only enough to reduce Denmark’s emissions by 54% compared with 1990 levels.

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‘The drum needed a blood sacrifice’: the rise of dark Nordic folk

Heilung jam with Siberian shamans and play with human bones, while Wardruna record songs submerged in rivers and on burial mounds. Now this vibrant undergound music scene is finding a wider audience

In 2002, holed up in an attic studio on the majestic Norwegian coast, Einar Selvik had a vision. He would create a trilogy of albums based on the 24 runes of the Elder Futhark, the world’s oldest runic alphabet. The multi-instrumentalist’s epiphany kicked off what is now one of the world’s most vibrant underground music scenes.

Calling on vocalists Lindy-Fay Hella and Gaahl, with whom Selvik had played in black metal band Gorgoroth, he created the band Wardruna and the first instalment of the trilogy arrived in 2009. It was called Runaljod: Gap Var Ginnunga (Sound of Runes: The Gap Was Vast) and had taken seven years to research, write and record. Each song told a story behind Nordic culture and traditions, via dark and ambient folk, played on ancient string and horn instruments, as well as animal hide drums.

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Denmark’s former immigration minister to face impeachment trial for anti-migrant policies

Parliament votes to try Inger Støjberg over 2016 order aimed at separating asylum-seeking couples

Denmark’s parliament has overwhelmingly voted to try a former immigration minister at the rarely used court of impeachment over a 2016 order aimed at separating asylum-seeking couples where one partner is under 18.

The 179-member Folketing voted 139-30 to try Inger Støjberg, who served in the previous government from June 2015 to 2019. The court will convene for the first time in 26 years.

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Daniel review – terrifying tale of an Isis captive

The family of a photojournalist held in Syria must raise a multimillion-dollar ransom after the Danish government refuses to negotiate

Over the last couple of decades, Danish cinema has increasingly proved to have a strong aptitude for emotive, nuanced drama and intelligent engagement, particularly through documentary-making, with conflicts abroad. This inspired-by-a-true-story feature, from journeyman director Niels Arden Oplev (who helmed the original Girl With the Dragon Tattoo film) skilfully combines those two strands to tell the story of Daniel Rye, a young Danish photographer who was captured by Isis in Syria in 2013.

Filmed in a wiggly, handheld fashion – such a signature of the Dogma 95 years it almost feels like a retro affectation – the plot tracks methodically through Daniel’s story, holding tight on the expressive face of Esben Smed, who rises to the physical challenges of the role. For starters, he has to convincingly pass as Rye when he was young enough to be a contender for the Danish gymnastics team, although presumably a stuntman performed most of the acrobatics we see.

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