Israel-Hizbullah ceasefire stalls as attacks resume; Czech defence spending miss noted

Israel and Hezbollah announced a ceasefire to begin Friday at 16:00 local time, but sirens sounded in northern Israel and at least twelve Israeli strikes hit south Lebanon after the truce was supposed to start.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said the country will not meet NATO’s 2% of GDP defence‑spending target this year, though he expects to meet it from next year. NATO secretary‑general Mark Rutte confirmed the shortfall.

European Union leaders in Brussels agreed to extend sanctions on Russia for a further 12 months, moving from the usual six‑month extensions and requiring unanimous approval of all member states.

Construction officially began on the second phase of Prague’s Metro Line D, linking Olbrachtova to Nové Dvory, a project valued at roughly 30 billion crowns.

Police forces in seven European countries, including the Czech Republic, carried out a coordinated operation against the Islamic State‑Khorasan (ISKP) network, arresting several suspects linked to the extremist group.