Jyllands-Posten reports that "obligatory military service will soon be a thing of the past." The number of young Danes who have opted to volunteer this year has been more than sufficient to fulfil the Danish army's annual quota of 6,500 new recruits. As it stands, the army holds an annual lottery to select 6,500 18-year-old men for an obligatory stint in uniform. However, the daily explains that the number of voluntary recruits has risen to record levels since the duration of military service was reduced from nine months to four months in 2005. The senior officer responsible for military recruitment, Bo E. Engelbreth, believes that many of the volunteers have been attracted by the strong media presence of the war in Afghanistan and NATO's anti-piracy campaign led by Denmark's Absalon command ship off the coast of Somalia. The economic crisis is also an important factor.
The leader of Greece’s leftist alliance SYRIZA is the new bright hope of Greek politics. Steering a course between pragmatism and the rhetoric of class warfare, he has unsettled Berlin, and not just those who back Angela Merkel's austerity policies. 
Europe’s economic woes have forced us to try to understand the secret Olympian world of global finance. But now that we pay more attention to bond yields and stability mechanisms, isn’t it clear that the experts up on their lofty peaks don’t know what’s going on either? 
This year’s Eurovision Song Contest is hosted by Azerbaijan, a country that is far from being a model democracy. An Estonian journalist takes a critical look at the deferential treatment enjoyed by the regime in Baku.