News

Monday is the last day on which people over 35 can enter the so-called second pillar of the government’s pension insurance scheme, thereby putting part of their pension funds into private insurance companies. So far the scheme has failed to meet expectations with only around 70 thousand people taking advantage of it. The opposition Social Democrats have said they will scrap the second pillar if they get to form the next government.

The quintuplets born to a young mother in Prague a month ago are reported to be doing well and have all gained weight. Doctors reported on Monday that three of them were ready to leave their incubators and the remaining two would follow suit in a couple of days. Their 23-year-old mother, who feeds them every three hours, is also reported to be in good health. If all goes well, the mother and babies could be released from hospital in mid-July.

A woman miraculouslyy survived a fall onto the rail tracks in front of an oncoming train in the Prague subway on Monday. The woman swayed and fell, despite a desperate attempt on the part of a by-stander to save her. She lay slumped on the tracks as the train pulled into the station and went over her. Amazingly the woman survived without a scratch and when two men pulled her out in an opening between two cars she dusted off her trousers and left, refusing medical aid or a breathalyzer test.

Caretaker Prime Minister Jiří Rusnok said that he is not planning to include the currently existing position of deputy prime minister for the fight against corruption and the ministerial position of the head of the government’s legislative committee, which is occupied by Petr Mlsny. In the Sunday Czech Television talk show Questions of Vaclav Moravec, Mr. Rusnok admitted that he does not have enough support in parliament for his future cabinet, but said that there is enough time to negotiate with MPs. On the same program, deputy chairman of the TOP 09 party, Miroslav Kalousek, said that the only support that Mr. Rusnok’s government can hope for is from the Communist or the Public Affairs parties. At the same time, his counterpart from the Social Democratic party, Zdeněk Škromach, retorted that he is not sure that the right-wing partners Civic Democrats and TOP 09 will have the necessary 101 votes in the lower house to confirm their own government, in case Mr. Rusnok fails.