“Britain and EU clash on arms sales to China,” headlines The Times, on the third day of Chinese vice premier Li Keqiang’s visit to the UK. Although Catherine Ashton, the EU foreign affairs chief, has recommended reform of Europe’s embargo on selling arms to China, the UK remains firmly opposed, arguing that “Beijing’s poor progress on human rights and political freedoms meant the time was not right to reverse the blockade imposed after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.” Lady Ashton, backed by France and Spain, has warned that “political restrictions on arms exports have become a major impediment to further co-operation between European countries and China, especially in the field of security.” However, on his visit to 10 Downing Steet, Li Keqiang, tipped as a possible leader of China “steered clear of calling for an end to the weapons ban,” the London daily notes.
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.