Denmark

Danish political life has moved from policy to punishment as the defense minister faces internal party sanctions for what his critics call "time-cooking." The administrative row shares space with a grimmer map of the country's classrooms: new data identifies the most violent schools in the country following a week where a 14-year-old was forced to humiliate himself and two 17-year-olds were charged with a stabbing near a gymnasium.

The government's market-led approach to social services is also under scrutiny. A crisis center designed to protect the vulnerable allegedly functioned primarily as a profitable business, while the Venstre party's grassroots have stopped complaining about agriculture and started questioning the party's entire direction.

The economy is delivering the usual mix of contradictions. Real incomes and average salaries are up, but electric vehicle owners on fixed-price contracts are paying record electricity bills. Meanwhile, the royal family has invited the leader of a regime described by rights groups as brutal for a state visit, a reminder that diplomacy often ignores the guest list's reputation.