Público, 24 November 2010
"Full-scale assault on Spanish debt," headlines Público. With risk premiums on Spanish sovereign bonds at their highest level since 1996, "the cost of borrowing for the government in Madrid is double what it was a month ago." News that Spanish central government’s deficit was down by 47% from a year ago failed to restore positive market sentiment. "Now that the euro zone has officially acknowledged that Ireland is a second casualty, speculators are convinced that they can smell blood and large investors are pulling out their money," remarks the Madrid daily. "Spain is having to face up to very severe punishment, if it stumbles, or if it is unable to service its debt, it could bring down the euro."
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.