English-language Prague and Czech political, civic and cultural news.
Chronological file / page 19
The United States has officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, ending decades of formal membership. Public health experts warn the move could weaken access to international outbreak intelligence and complicate coordination on vaccines and global disease surveillance.
↗Under Armour says it is investigating a data breach after reports indicated customer account information, including email addresses, may have been exposed at large scale. The company said there is no evidence that passwords or payment systems were compromised, but the incident highlights how leaked identity data can still fuel phishing and account-takeover attempts.
↗A sweeping winter storm has pushed across large sections of the United States, bringing dangerous cold, ice, and heavy snow that are snarling travel and prompting emergency warnings. Forecasters and local officials urged residents to limit travel, prepare for outages, and monitor rapidly changing conditions as the system shifts east.
↗A fatal shooting in Minneapolis involving federal immigration agents has triggered a wave of protests and political backlash. Demonstrators and local officials are demanding accountability and policy change, while Washington faces pressure over enforcement tactics, transparency, and oversight.
↗Netflix has revised its proposed Warner Bros. Discovery offer into an all-cash bid, aiming to reduce uncertainty and accelerate the path to a vote. The move comes amid competitive pressure in a high-stakes media consolidation fight that could reshape streaming, studios, and global content distribution.
↗Despite fresh claims of progress around international meetings, Russia is maintaining a hard line on potential Ukraine peace talks. Analysts and officials say the negotiating gap remains wide, with Moscow still pressing maximalist terms while Ukraine and allies look for security guarantees and territorial clarity.
↗With the Spurs playing at home Sunday, coach Mitch Johnson and guard De’Aaron Fox still had their eyes on the NFL’s conference title games, citing hometown and family connections.
↗A growing measles resurgence has spread to much of the United States, with public-health experts warning that declining vaccination rates could jeopardize the country’s measles-elimination status and set the stage for other preventable outbreaks.
↗The U.S. Senate voted 52–47 to advance a War Powers Resolution aimed at requiring congressional authorization for further military action against Venezuela, after a surprise raid in Caracas.
↗Verizon suffered a widespread U.S. outage on January 14 that interrupted voice, text, and data for many customers. Verizon later said it was caused by a software issue and that it was not a cyberattack.
↗A fatal shooting of a Minneapolis nurse by federal agents has triggered protests in multiple U.S. cities and intensified calls for limits on ICE operations, according to a roundup of developments published Sunday.
↗Capital One said it signed a definitive agreement to acquire Brex for $5.15 billion, a transaction expected to close in mid‑2026 subject to customary conditions.
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