Czech news in brief for September 19: Friday's top headlines

Inspectors found nearly nine kilograms of expired marinated meat used in food preparation at a KFC restaurant in Liberec, the State Agricultural and Food Inspection Authority (SZPI) said Friday. Operator AmRest faces fines for violating the Food Act. The discovery follows a journalist's report alleging widespread shelf-life falsification at KFC outlets. SZPI has conducted about 70 inspections this year, with nine violations found, though none previously involved spoiled or unsafe meat. Authorities say another key problem is the preparation of dishes from meat that smells or is spoiled. 

Mayors and Independents leader Vít Rakušan and Pirate Party chair Zdeněk Hřib on Friday rejected PM Petr Fiala’s call for voters to back his Together (Spolu) coalition as the only alternative to ANO. Rakušan stressed that forming a government requires 101 seats combined, regardless of which parties hold them. Hřib urged voters to choose freely, saying the Pirates can also reach beyond government supporters and help prevent ANO leader Andrej Babiš from taking power. Earlier in the campaign, Rakušan had announced that he had ambitions to become prime minister. 

Experts opened a sealed letter from first Czechoslovak president Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk on Friday at the Lány presidential manor. The five-page document, mostly in English on yellowed pages, reportedly dictated to his son Jan, includes funeral instructions and reflections: “I am sick, seriously sick. It’s the end, but I’m not worried. You will go on working… but you must be careful,” historian Dagmar Hájková regurgitated at the opening. The letter likely dates to summer 1934. It was confirmed to be real.

Ten Czech pilots completed their second training on special simulators at the F-35 training center in the U.S., the Czech Army said this early afternoon. Czechia is purchasing 24 F-35 aircraft to replace its Swedish JAS-39 Gripens, with the first jets ready in 2029 for U.S.-based training. The week-long course aimed to prepare pilots and familiarize them for future potential wars. "The training was conducted in a classified mode. However...it provided us with a comprehensive overview of the complex capabilities of the F-35 aircraft," said a pilot.

Belarussian state-owned news agency Belta reported Friday that a Czech diplomat has been declared undesirable and ordered to leave within 72 hours, in response to Prague expelling a Belarusian diplomat earlier. Czech officials confirmed the expulsion but declined further comment. Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ruslan Varankov said the move targeted advisers from the Czech and Polish services and described Prague’s action as politically motivated. Minsk summoned Czech chargé d’affaires Tomáš Kryl to inform him of the order.

The Together coalition narrowly led Czech student mock elections with 20.6% of votes, followed by the Pirates (19.7%) and Mayors and Independents (18%), organizers said Thursday. Only the Motorists (12.6%) and ANO (9.7%) also cleared the threshold. More than 90,000 students in 637 schools participated. Student elections, held since 2010, aim to foster civic engagement ahead of the Oct. 3–4 parliamentary vote.

Experts will examine the authenticity of Czechoslovak President Tomáš G. Masaryk’s reported final words before they are read on Friday at Lány. The letter, recorded by his son Jan Masaryk and sealed since 2005, will be opened by President Petr Pavel. Archivists say testing may take weeks before publication, to avoid misinterpretation of the statesman’s message, written shortly before his 1937 death.

Two Czech Gripens and nine British Royal Air Force Red Arrows jets flew in formation over Charles Bridge on Thursday to mark Czech Air Force Day and the end of World War II. The rare flyover drew crowds along the Vltava River before the aircraft continued to Ostrava for NATO Days. The last allied flyover of Prague was in March 2024 for NATO’s 25th anniversary.

President Petr Pavel welcomed American author Dan Brown to Prague Castle on Wednesday as the writer launched his new thriller, The Secret of Secrets. Set partly in Prague landmarks including the Klementinum and Old New Synagogue, the book is described as a “love letter” to the city. Fans queued overnight for copies. Brown also praised Prague as Europe’s “mystical metropolis” since the era of Rudolf II.