New fuel is causing havoc in Germany. “Super E10? Nein, tanke” (No, thank you), leads Bild, playing on the word “Tanke” (service station). The tabloid explains why the introduction of the biofuel E10 on the German market in February is "madness". "E" means "ethanol", and "10" stands for the percentage of bioethanol in the fuel, up from the five percent previously. In bringing in the biofuel Germany has fulfilled the European objective to have biofuels account for 10 percent of total fuel consumption in Europe by 2020. But not all engines can burn this fuel, which has sparked a furious boycott by motorists. The government has deployed an industry representative to a “petrol summit” on Tuesday, hoping to save the day. But for Bild the matter is clear: harmful to engines, to the climate and to the rainforest, a guzzler of resources, expensive, and encouraging famines – E10 is a flop.
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.