Süddeutsche Zeitung gleefully reports that for many years the SBB (Swiss Railways) has distributed international train tickets in envelopes with a map of the globe on the back. “Only one day a Pole looked at it a little more closely and realised that not only was Poland was missing, but that Central Europe all the way to Russia had been annexed to Germany.” Somewhat reminiscent of the map of Europe in 1939. The Pole complained to the Polish embassy in Berne, which conveyed the information to the SSB, with an allusion to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. The SSB retorted that the map was taken from a photo of child’s beachball “available in any shop”. It subsequently withdrew the offending envelopes, however, apologising for its “lack of sensitivity regarding historical context.” One last detail. One other country was missing on the map – Switzerland.
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.