Eurotopics.net

Swedish artist Lars Vilks has died in a traffic accident along with two police officers. He first came into the public eye in the wake of the controversy over Muhammad cartoons, when he drew the Islamic prophet as a dog in 2007. Vilks was the target of several assassination attempts and lived under police protection. In Sweden's press, the debate about freedom of expression is revived in the obituaries.

More than 600 journalists spent months evaluating information from a huge data leak. The publication of explosive information on offshore deals began on Sunday evening. Politicians, oligarchs, celebrities and criminal organisations are all implicated. The revelations are even more extensive than those of the Panama Papers in 2016. But will they change anything?

The ruling KO (Georgian Dream) party has won the municipal elections in Georgia after securing 46.7 percent of the vote, but suffered heavy losses. Mikhail Saakashvili, now a Ukrainian citizen, had returned to his native country unexpectedly to support the opposition shortly before the elections. His arrest a few hours after his arrival is causing considerable unrest.

The petrol and food shortages continue in the UK and have driven the inflation rate up to more than four percent. Many observers see the crisis as a consequence of Brexit, while Prime Minister Boris Johnson insists it is just part of a transition phase and the whole process will pay off in the end. Commentators continue their spirited debate about how best to deal with the situation.

The General Court of the European Union, one of the constituent courts of the European Court of Justice, has annulled two agricultural and fisheries deals between the EU and Morocco because they also include Western Sahara, which has been annexed by Morocco. Brussels cannot conclude such agreements without the consent of the Sahrawi people, the Court stated. What does the ruling mean for the future?