On October 22nd, the Church of Sweden (which counts around 73 % of the population as members) now recognizes homosexual marriage, legally authorized in the country since May 1st. This decision by the Bishops' Synod --which also approved a special liturgy-- comes after several years of debate, writes Dagens Nyheter. From 1 November, pastors wishing to do so, can celebrate the wedding of two people of the same sex in their church, and it will considered a civil union. "In Swedish society, traditions are relatively unimportant. What matters is acting for people's welfare", said Archbishop Anders Wejryd to the newspaper. On the same day, Germany's High Court established that gays with a registered civil union could not be treated differently to married couples. This shortly after it forced a company to pay retirement benefit to a homosexual couple. A decision, which according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, "could change our society in a fundamental way".
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.