What's new in the Czech Republic, or "Frontier Land" as it is dubbed in the MF DNES headline? Early general elections slated for 9 and 10 October, which were a source of tension between parliament and the country's constitutional court, have suddenly been cancelled. The perpetrator of this latest escalation in the political crisis, which was triggered by the overthrow of the government in the middle of the Czech presidency of the EU in April, is Jiří Paroubek. On 15 September, the leader of the social-democrat opposition blocked the adoption of a law to authorise the dissolution of parliament – an initiative that MF DNES describes as a "political backflip." Until now, Paroubek was adamant that an early general election was "in the country's best interest." In protest against the manoeuvre, former prime minister Mirek Topolánek has resigned from his position as member of parliament. "It is time for this country to move on from the likes of Paroubek and Topolánek," remarks DNES, which further adds that Czech voters will probably not go to the polls until June 2010.
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.