Sep 24, 2026, 07:00 AM UTC

Prominent Slovenian football figures Aleš Čeh and Jan Mlakar have reflected on their respective careers and personal perspectives regarding the domestic rivalry between NK Maribor and Olimpija Ljubljana.

Former national team captain Čeh discussed his transition into coaching after retiring as a player. He spent more than a decade as an assistant to head coach Srečko Katanec, including seven years working in Asia. While expressing strong affection for Olimpija and Austria's Grazer AK, Čeh emphasized his deep respect for Maribor.

Separately, 27-year-old forward Mlakar discussed his decision to return to Maribor for a third stint, reiterating that he was "never close to Olimpija." Mlakar expressed full confidence in club leadership under Zlatko Zahović and Darko Milanič, noting that derby matches offer struggling teams an opportunity to regain momentum.

Sources: Delo, Siol.net

Historical analyses continue to emphasize 1989 as the foundational year shaping 21st-century geopolitics. While Western accounts often highlight the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Soviet communism, analysts stress that contemporary global dynamics were equally forged by simultaneous events across Asia.

China's suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square solidified autocratic state control alongside rapid economic modernization. Concurrently, the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan destabilized Central Asia, creating ideological and security vacuums that resonated for decades. Together with Europe's political restructuring, these parallel developments ended Cold War bipolarity, laying the groundwork for today's multipolar systemic competition between democratic and autocratic governance models.

Sources: Die Presse

The U.S. Central Command has executed strikes against Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, including three commercial crude oil tankers, following Iranian ballistic missile launches at two American warships and sea-mining attempts. Military officials confirmed that all detected sea mines in the international shipping lane have been neutralized.

The escalation follows warnings from U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened severe retaliation against Iranian electrical grids and critical infrastructure if attacks on maritime traffic persist. Commenting on the military actions, Trump stated that "very little of Iran will be left" if Tehran continues its attacks.

Strategic analysts note that the confrontation reflects a broader evolution toward targeting energy supply networks and commercial fleets, driven by fifth-generation warfare tactics and drone technology.

Sources: Investor.bg, Mediapool, Nova TV

Czech child protection authorities recorded a twenty-year high of over 10,000 cases of child abuse and neglect last year, resulting in 3,616 children being removed from their homes. Experts caution that official data represents only a fraction of actual occurrences, with opinions divided on whether the surge stems from societal instability or heightened public awareness. Officials point to a structural lack of clear evaluation guidelines and specialized family support. Meanwhile, the Czech Ministry of Labour is wrapping up a seven-billion-koruna expansion of preschool care under the EU National Recovery Plan, though critics cite a lack of quality control standards. In Brussels, the European Commission proposed the EU KIDS Act to ban social media access for children under 13 and restrict accounts for those under 15.

Sources: Deník N, Hospodářské noviny, iROZHLAS, Respect, Seznam Zprávy

Cross-border attacks between Russia and Ukraine escalated following the departure of U.S. envoys from Kyiv. Russian ballistic missiles struck the Ukrainian capital, killing at least two people and injuring six, shortly after drone strikes hit a British American Tobacco facility in northern Ukraine.

In response, Ukrainian drone strikes targeted industrial facilities in Russia's Saratov and Samara regions, igniting a fire at the Kuibyshev oil refinery. Samara Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishev stated that air defenses intercepted "dozens of unmanned aerial vehicles" aimed at local enterprises.

Concurrently, media reports highlighted significant U.S.-led NATO military manoeuvres around Russia's Kaliningrad enclave involving American, Norwegian, and Polish forces. NATO described its actions as routine measures by a defensive alliance continuously improving its capabilities.

Sources: Investor.bg, Mediapool, Nova TV