Czech news in brief for September 9: Tuesday's top headlines

President Petr Pavel will attend the opening of an envelope believed to contain the last words of Czechoslovakia’s first president, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, at the Lány presidential mansion next Friday, his office said. Masaryk’s great-granddaughter Charlotta Kotíková, along with representatives of the National Archives and Masaryk Institute, will also be present. The document was given to the archives in 2005 and may contain advice, family messages, or a critique of society.

Actor and martial arts star Chuck Norris will appear at the Weekend with a Legend event in Prague on Nov. 22-23, organizers announced Tuesday. The 85-year-old, known for being in the Walker and Texas Ranger films, will meet fans for photos and autographs at the House of Fun Prague in the large Máj Národní building. Tickets start at CZK 990. The event marks the tenth anniversary of VDN Promo, following previous editions featuring singer Marta Kubišová and action star Jean-Claude van Damme.

Motol University Hospital and Na Homolce will merge on Jan. 1, 2026, Health Minister Vlastimil Válek announced today. The merged facility aims to combine two top medical workplaces into a single unit, improving efficiency and generating savings. Motol, the country’s largest hospital, has an annual budget of more than CZK 15 billion, while Homolka specializes in complex procedures. Motol’s new oncology and simulation centres are supported by over CZK 4 billion in European subsidies.

Several Czech e-shops have been imitated by fraudulent Chinese websites over the past two weeks, defrauding thousands of customers, the Czech Trade and Tourism Association said Tuesday. Imitations include Sportisimo, Tescoma, and Super Zoo. Scammers use Facebook ads offering steep discounts to lure mobile users, then disappear after payments. Critics say responses have been slow despite criminal complaints being filed. The association expects that similar frauds will increase.

Social media giant TikTok said Tuesday it will tighten measures to protect election integrity ahead of October’s parliamentary vote in Czechia, where 2.4 million people use the platform monthly. The company monitors election-related content with global and local teams and works with Czech and European partners to counter misinformation and improve media literacy. In the first half of 2025, TikTok removed 98.8 percent of objectionable content, according to the company.

Czechia expelled a Belarusian diplomat accused of espionage and gave him 72 hours to leave, the Foreign Ministry said Sunday. The Security Information Service, working with Romanian and Hungarian intelligence, dismantled a Belarusian KGB network in Europe, uncovering a former Moldovan intelligence deputy accused of passing secrets. Eurojust said it coordinated the operation, which led to the suspect’s arrest in Romania for treason.

Healthcare unions staged a demonstration in Prague Monday over low wages, overtime and staff shortages, but Palackého Square remained empty of workers. Union leaders said exhausted employees stayed away, though video messages described long hours and second jobs. They demanded at least a 10 percent pay rise and more funding in the 2026 budget. The Health Ministry pledged reforms, citing rising medical student numbers and salary increases.

Czech Radiokomunikace has begun building the Prague Gateway DC, a CZK-2-billion data center on the capital’s outskirts, the company said Monday. Scheduled to open in 2027, it will offer over 2,000 server racks and 26 megawatts of power, making it among the largest in the region. Officials say it could join a proposed Czech AI gigafactory project, strengthening Europe’s supercomputing and artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Sabotage attacks on critical infrastructure in Europe have nearly tripled since 2023, a Czech security official said Sunday. Jan Padourek of the Interior Ministry warned Russia will keep seeking influence despite any ceasefire in Ukraine. Attacks range from arson to undersea cable damage and GPS jamming. He urged investment in resilience, stressing that security must be a shared responsibility of the state, society and individuals.

Czech scientists say beta-acids from hops can treat wounds infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including MRSA. Researchers at Hradec Králové University Hospital reported the extracts outperformed standard antibiotics in animal tests, aiding both infection control and healing. The study, published in Antibiotics, involved several Czech institutions and produced a patent. Scientists hope industry partners will help bring the natural treatment into clinical use.