Sep 23, 2026, 07:00 AM UTC

Former Slovenian national team players Aleš Čeh and Jan Mlakar have offered perspectives on their footballing paths and the state of domestic football ahead of the upcoming match between NK Maribor and Olimpija Ljubljana.

Čeh, who captained Slovenia during the national team's historic qualification period for major tournaments, reflected on transitioning from his playing days into coaching. Following his retirement from playing, he spent over a decade working as an assistant coach under Srečko Katanec, which included a seven-year stint managing in Asia.

Meanwhile, 27-year-old forward Jan Mlakar outlined his third return to NK Maribor. Despite being born in Ljubljana, Mlakar stated he was "never close to Olimpija" and expressed full confidence in Maribor's management. Commenting on Olimpija's recent domestic struggles, Mlakar noted that derby matches present an ideal venue for struggling clubs to rebuild momentum.

Sources: Delo, Siol.net

Fifty years after the 1974 Turkish military intervention in Cyprus, the island continues to grapple with the long-term legacy of mass displacement and demographic restructuring. The conflict triggered one of the largest population shifts relative to total population size, displacing thousands of Greek Cypriots to the south and Turkish Cypriots to the north.

Although the Third Vienna Agreement of August 1975 was negotiated to address urgent humanitarian needs and protect enclaved communities, the pact ultimately facilitated full population exchanges that formalized the island's division. Experts emphasize that these forced moves solidified the physical and political foundation for the present bizonal reality. Half a century later, the structural impacts of the 1975 agreement persist as a significant obstacle to island-wide peace and reunification efforts.

Sources: Phileleftheros

Historical assessments increasingly identify 1989 as the defining turning point for modern international relations. While European and Western perspectives focus heavily on the fall of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent disintegration of communist governments across Eastern Europe, parallel developments in Asia forged lasting global security and economic frameworks.

In Beijing, the suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square solidified the Chinese Communist Party's authoritarian leadership while opening pathways for state-directed economic growth. Simultaneously, the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan generated a power vacuum that precipitated decades of regional volatility. Experts argue that these intersecting events created distinct political paradigms, establishing the structural foundations for current geopolitical rivalries between Western democracies and rising autocratic powers.

Sources: Die Presse

Russia and Ukraine have engaged in a series of overnight aerial attacks, resulting in casualties and infrastructure damage. A Russian ballistic missile strike hit Kyiv, killing at least two people and injuring six, following an earlier drone attack on a British American Tobacco facility in northern Ukraine.

In turn, Ukrainian drones targeted several sites across Russia's Saratov and Samara regions. Local officials reported casualties in Saratov, while a fire broke out at the Kuibyshev oil refinery in Samara. Regional Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishev confirmed air defenses downed "dozens of unmanned aerial vehicles" targeting industrial locations.

Concurrently, U.S.-led NATO forces demonstrated heightened activity around the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, deploying American and Norwegian fighter jets, reconnaissance aircraft, and Polish ground units. NATO stated it is a "defensive alliance" that continually works to improve its operational readiness.

Sources: Investor.bg, Mediapool, Nova TV

European security alerts have intensified following warnings from Danish intelligence services that Moscow is preparing sabotage operations against industrial facilities across Europe. The alert coincides with German investigations into explosive devices discovered at Leipzig airport, where authorities identified two suspects linked to Russia, including one who obtained an Italian Schengen visa without physically entering Italy, according to security sources.

In response to the growing threat of hybrid warfare, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared that attacks on EU territory "will not be tolerated," promising a firm response.

Meanwhile, military escalation continues as Russia's Defense Ministry announced a targeted campaign against Ukraine's energy grid. Concurrently, Ukrainian forces expanded long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries, leading to domestic fuel shortages inside Russia.

Sources: Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica.