Eurotopics.net

A national football team many of whose players have migration backgrounds has brought the World Cup trophy back to France. But commentators take very different views about whether this victory can heal the country's social rifts.

A fact check carried out by the public TV broadcaster in Sweden has triggered a public outcry. The editing team, which normally focuses on checking the veracity of politicians' claims, had offered a fact check on the question of whether the Holocaust really happened. Swedish commentators are appalled.

In Cyprus journalists and politicians have criticised a glossary published by the OSCE which makes 56 proposals regarding how to deal with words and phrases deemed problematic in the context of the Cyprus conflict. Critics describe the glossary as an attempt to curtail freedom of expression and introduce a vocabulary that distorts historical facts. Cypriot journalists are at odds over the issue.

The EU and China are joining forces in the trade dispute with the US. At the EU-China summit they agreed to cooperate more closely in the areas of economic affairs and environmental protection. Commentators welcome this new unity but warn that Europe must not forget the human rights abuses in China.

Fifa President Gianni Infantino has hailed the football championship tournament that ended yesterday in Russia the best World Cup ever. Vladimir Putin announced that the world has finally realised that its image of Russia was skewed. But not all commentators are convinced the tournament was a major propaganda success for the Russian president.

Croatia's footballers have shown that they are good losers after their 2:4 defeat in the Fifa World Cup final. After their initial disappointment the team rallied and celebrated the success: never before has a Croatian national team reached the World Cup final, and the players have been commended for their team spirit and playing technique. The vice champion is therefore also getting its share of the journalists' attention.