“Euro crisis threatens to torpedo our recovery,” leads the Irish Independent, one day after rioting in Athens led to the deaths of three bank employees and as Greek and Irish government bonds fell sharply on international markets. With the Greek crisis now also raising questions about the viability of Eurozone countries Spain and Portugal on international markets, Ireland fears “contamination” spreading to its own shores. “The European Commission yesterday predicted the Irish economy would grow by 3 percent next year,” writes the Dublin daily, “in line with Government forecasts and a 15 percent improvement on its November forecast. That would be almost twice EU average growth and could keep the Government's four-year budgetary plan on track… But all of this could be undermined if the euro crisis is not resolved.” In December 2009, the Irish government passed one of harshest budgets in the history of the state, slashing social welfare provision and public sector pay in order to cut €4 billion of its public deficit, more than 12 percent of GDP.
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.