Eurotopics.net

A statue of the Swedish football star Zlatan Ibrahimović in Malmö was sawn off at the ankles and toppled by unidentified persons on Saturday night. The sculpture had already been vandalised on previous occasions. The Malmö-born footballer's announcement that he is becoming a shareholder in Stockholm's first division club Hammarby IF apparently triggered this latest attack. Was this the dangerous overreaction of angry fans or a welcome boost for Zlatan?

The Paris prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into child abuse against writer Gabriel Matzneff following the release of a book by publisher Vanessa Springora. In her book, Springora accuses Matzneff of forcing her into a sexual relationship when she was 14 and he was 50. In the past Matzneff made no secret of the fact that he was attracted to minors. What do the media have to say about the affair?

The Iranian general Qasem Soleimani was killed in Baghdad by a US airstrike on the night of January 2. The Iranian regime has threatened to retaliate, in response to which US President Trump has announced further strikes. All of Europe is now assessing the potential political consequences. Not all commentators believe the situation will escalate; some take a positive view of the situation.

The US government prepared and carried out the drone strike against Iranian general Qasem Soleimani without informing its EU and Nato allies. Commentators see Europe torn between loyalty to the Alliance and the desire to demonstrate its own political and diplomatic strength.

Zoran Milanović has prevailed against the incumbent president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović in the second round of the presidential election in Croatia. The candidate for the social democratic SDP won almost 53 percent of the vote against his rival from the conservative HDZ, who secured around 47 percent. What changes will this bring in the EU's newest member state?