EU Budget Fight: EU leaders in Brussels kick off the next phase of talks on the bloc’s 2028–2034 long-term budget, with “frugal” net payers pushing for cuts while countries including the Czech Republic warn agriculture and cohesion funding could be squeezed as defence spending rises. Czech Clinical Research: Czechia is strengthening its position as a clinical trials hub: SÚKL reports 380 clinical trial applications filed via CTIS in 2025, with approvals/conditional approvals for most and 14 advanced-therapy studies, as the regulator says it has built a stable, transparent framework under the EU Clinical Trials Regulation. EU Industry & Climate Rules: EU diplomats outline a plan to grant extra “free CO2 permits” to industry this year, responding to pressure from countries including Italy, Poland and the Czech Republic over ETS competitiveness concerns. Czech Tech for Vision Systems: Pleora Technologies and imavix engineering announced GEV-Stream, a GigE Vision 3.0 transmit/receive solution aimed at deterministic, low-latency imaging pipelines for higher data-rate systems. Ukraine Support: At the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels, allies pledged over $4bn in new military aid, with air defence, drones and long-range ammunition highlighted. World Cup, Czech Angle: Mexico beat South Korea 1-0 to top Group A, setting up Czechia’s next World Cup match context after its earlier draw with South Africa, while Czech fans and teams remain a visible part of the tournament’s global draw.