• Czechia Arrests 3 Over Arson at Drone Warehouse
  • Trump Insists Iran is 'Begging to Make a Deal'
  • Czech Police Detain Dozens in Match-Fixing Scandal
  • Iran War Deflects Attention From Ukraine
  • Thousands Protest in Prague Against New Government
Transgender women athletes banned from women's Olympic events

GENEVA (AP) – Transgender women athletes are now excluded from women’s events at the Olympics after the IOC agreed to a new eligibility policy on Thursday which aligns with U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order on sports ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Czechs won't meet NATO defense spending target under leader Babiš

PRAGUE (AP) – Czech Republic lawmakers on Wednesday approved a 2026 budget that falls short of a NATO target for defense spending, despite pressure from the United States and the country’s own president.

Lebanese fear another occupation as Israel threatens to use Gaza tactics

BEIRUT (AP) – As Israel trades fire with Hezbollah, calls for mass evacuations and sends ground troops deeper into Lebanon, its leaders have hinted at a long-term occupation modeled on the devastating conquest of much of Gaza after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

EU targets Snapchat over child safety and accuses porn sites of failing to block minors

LONDON (AP) – European Union regulators are investigating Snapchat over concerns the platform isn’t doing enough to protect kids and exposing them to risks such as increased vulnerability to child predators or recruitment by criminals.

Wall Street's 2025 bonuses reached unprecedented levels

The average Wall Street bonus rose to a record $246,900 in 2025 amid a surge in profits, New York state’s comptroller reported Thursday. The average bonus rose 6% – or almost $15,000 higher – from the previous year. Wall Street’s bonus pool reached a record $49.2 billion in 2025, up 9%, according to Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

Verdicts against Meta, YouTube validate concerns long raised by parents

For years, parents, teenagers, pediatricians, educators and whistleblowers have pushed the idea that social media is detrimental to young people’s mental health and can lead to addiction, eating disorders, sexual exploitation and suicide.

Trump insists Iran is 'begging to make a deal' after dismissing ceasefire plan

A day after Tehran dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump’s 15-point ceasefire plan, the American leader claimed that Iran was “begging to make a deal,” and that he wasn’t the one pushing for negotiations. Earlier Thursday, Trump told Tehran to ” get serious soon ” on negotiating a deal to end the war.

Lebanese fear another occupation as Israel threatens to use Gaza tactics

BEIRUT (AP) – As Israel trades fire with Hezbollah, calls for mass evacuations and sends ground troops deeper into Lebanon, its leaders have hinted at a long-term occupation modeled on the devastating conquest of much of Gaza after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

Iran and US posaitions harden as Tehran tightens grip on Strait of Hormuz

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Iran and the United States appeared at an impasse Thursday, with each side hardening its position over talks and setting the stage for another potential escalation in the Middle East war. Thousands more U.S. troops neared the region, Israel sent more troops into southern Lebanon to fight the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, and Tehran tightened its grip on the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Long before he became Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf went on a charm offensive for almost two decades, portraying himself as a hard-liner the West could do business with in the Islamic Republic. “I would like the West to change its attitude to Iran and trust Iran.”