Pensions, political sleaze scandals, Roma…as expected, a turbulent back-to-work September lies in store for the French government, heralds Libération, headlining its coverage of mounting protest with “Temperature rising”. “Rampant social unrest,” reports the Parisian daily. “Just back from vacation, the French are called upon to rally tomorrow [Tuesday 7 September] against the pension reform plan […] spearheaded by a cabinet member [labour minister Eric Woerth suspected of a conflict of interests in the Bettencourt affair] who is dangling by a thread, amid a climate of general defiance.” On Saturday, 4 September, several thousands had already marched through Paris against the government’s “xenophobic” policies, particularly regarding the move to expel Roma from France.
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.