Czech news in brief for February 7: Saturday's top afternoon headlines

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said Foreign Minister Petr Macinka mishandled text messages sent to a presidential adviser urging the appointment of Filip Turek as environment minister. Speaking on TV Nova, Babiš said he hopes tensions between the Motorists party and President Petr Pavel will ease. Pavel refused to appoint Turek, citing concerns over his conduct, and his office has referred the messages to police.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said he will remain active in the Stork's Nest (Čapí hnízdo) criminal case even if the Chamber of Deputies does not lift his parliamentary immunity. Speaking on Czech television, he repeated that the prosecution is politically motivated and said he has done nothing illegal. Police are seeking permission to continue prosecuting Babiš over alleged subsidy fraud linked to the Čapí hnízdo complex.

KFC operator AmRest confirmed that food in its Czech restaurants is safe following State Agricultural and Food Inspection (SZPI) checks. Last year, SZPI carried out 144 inspections, finding some deficiencies in about one-third of outlets, but no restaurant was closed for hygiene or safety reasons. KFC said most issues were minor, comparable to industry standards, and all corrective actions were promptly implemented, while SZPI may impose fines in some cases.

Czech speed skater Martina Sáblíková will not compete in Saturday’s 3,000-meter race after falling ill at the Winter Olympics. The 38-year-old said she has breathing difficulties and a fever and was advised not to start. Her doctor said she has an acute viral infection and the withdrawal is intended to protect her main event, the 5,000 meter race, scheduled for Feb. 12.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said the government plans to revive the New Green Savings subsidy program, which supports energy-saving home renovations, and will look for funding. He said the scheme reduced household costs and encouraged investment. Applications were suspended last year after funds ran low. Environment Minister Petr Macinka has said the program will need adjustments due to lower-than-expected revenue from emissions permits.