In spite of the sudden departure of the EU-IMF-ECB troika on 2 September, and the fact that Greece does not fulfill the conditions imposed for international aid, "Gov’t insists it is still in control," headlines the English version of Athens daily Kathimerini. However, “The lies are over. Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has to choose between a rock and a hard place – "that is to say between "a red card from Greece’s foreign lenders" and "the old guard of PASOK," the socialist party that he currently leads.
"The EU and the IMF are asking for a clear sign that will demonstrate that Greece is doing everything it can to slash spending and this can be nothing less than mass sackings in the public sector," notes the newspaper, which points out that Papandreou may be forced to take on the core of his party "which, of course, could spell the end of his rule."
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.