A squad of 20 European Commission inspectors touches down in Prague on 25 November – and within an hour, headlines Lidové Noviny, “Brussels raids ČEZ headquarters.” The Commission suspects the Czech electric company of violating European rules on competition in the energy market. But the real reason for the blitz inspection, the Prague daily conjectures, might be “ČEZ’s rivalry” with the energy broker Czech Coal. If condemned for abuse of market dominance, ČEZ could be fined up to €720 million. And it is the Czech state, its main shareholder, that would have to foot the fine, Lidové Noviny points out. “Brussels has been called in to join the local fray,” remarks the paper, underscoring that the case is only one of a host of altercations between Czech political parties.
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.