Oct 4, 2026, 10:00 PM UTC

Former Slovenian national team captain Aleš Čeh and forward Jan Mlakar have provided insights into their footballing journeys and the rivalries within Slovenian football.

Čeh, an iconic figure from the national team's qualification era under Srečko Katanec, reflected on his transition into coaching. After spending more than a decade as Katanec’s assistant—including seven years working in Asia—Čeh highlighted his enduring affection for Olimpija Ljubljana and Austria's GAK, alongside his respect for NK Maribor.

Meanwhile, 27-year-old striker Jan Mlakar discussed his third return to Maribor's Ljudski vrt. Despite being born in Ljubljana, Mlakar clarified that he was never close to signing with Olimpija. Addressing the upcoming derby, Mlakar noted that while Olimpija currently faces internal difficulties, struggling rivals remain unpredictable opponents in derby encounters.

Sources: Delo, Siol.net

German security agencies have linked a failed August drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport directly to Russia's military intelligence service, the GRU. Reports indicate that an operative associated with the agency organized logistics for an explosive-laden drone targeting Ukrainian cargo aircraft, which failed to detonate due to a faulty fuse.

The incident is part of a broader pattern of state-sponsored hybrid warfare across Germany. Federal authorities are currently investigating over 100 cases involving railway sabotage, drone overflights near military sites, and digital disinformation campaigns designed to destabilize domestic cohesion. Furthermore, domestic intelligence services have cautioned that foreign actors may have prepared hidden arms caches within the country to facilitate future clandestine operations.

Sources: Correctiv, Der Standard, FAZ, ORF, Tagesschau

Historical analyses continue to emphasize 1989 as a foundational turning point for 21st-century global politics. While Western perspectives often prioritize the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of European communism, global historians stress that contemporary international dynamics were equally shaped by simultaneous events elsewhere.

In Asia, the Chinese leadership's crackdown at Tiananmen Square preserved authoritarian political control alongside rapid economic modernization, establishing a model that defines Beijing's current global power posture. Concurrently, the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan reshaped regional security and contributed to the ultimate dissolution of the Soviet Union. Together, these developments marked the end of Cold War bipolarity and laid the groundwork for today's multipolar international order.

Sources: Die Presse.

Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter has published an educational breakdown detailing the specific technical characteristics and defensive challenges of various aerial weapon systems utilized in the Russia-Ukraine war.

The analysis explains the operational distinctions between high-speed ballistic missiles, low-altitude cruise missiles, and uncrewed aerial vehicles. While ballistic missiles follow steep trajectories at extreme speeds to limit reaction times, cruise missiles maneuver close to the ground to bypass radar detection. Meanwhile, drones present a distinct threat due to their low cost and ability to be deployed in swarms to overwhelm air defense capacities.

Military experts emphasize that countering these diverse aerial threats requires an integrated, multi-layered air defense strategy capable of tracking targets across varying altitudes, velocities, and radar signatures.

Sources: Dagens Nyheter.