Social democrat's rant rocks Germany
"So that Germany doesn’t become even more stupid", headlines Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The paper has entered the fray in the controversy surrounding a book by City of Berlin's former financial chief, Social Democrat Thilo Sarrazin, Deutschland schafft sich ab ("Germany is self-destructing"). Currently a director at the German Federal Bank, Sarrazin blames, among others, Muslim immigrants for lacking "the desire to integrate" society while "costing the state too much", reports the FAZ. The paper criticises the indignant anti- Sarrazin reactions of several political leaders – including chancellor Angela Merkel -, denouncing the "hypocrisy" of turning a blind eye "to the problems of immigration". The Frankfurt daily reminds readers that "the majority of Germans share these views".
As Greece pimps its ancient monuments to bring in the tourists, lovers of cultural heritage are up in arms. But the country is only doing openly what the whole of Europe is: looting historic sites to drum up more ready cash. 
Asserting national values is central to the political project of the Hungarian PM. Since the start of the year, fifteen paintings, specially commissioned for an exhibition in the Castle of Buda, have been putting this ambition on show. 
The game has gone on for nearly two years: Athens pretends to comply with the demands of its creditors and partners, and they pretend to believe in Greece’s commitments. As the spectre of default comes nearer, however, the Greek bluff cannot go on much longer, writes an El Mundo editorialist.