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A Czech mother fighting for the return of her two sons in Norway, who the authorities took away from her and her former husband over alleged sexual abuse in 2011, will now see her children only twice a year for a total of 30 minutes. Although charges were never filed in the caase, the brothers have lived in separate foster homes since.

Thousands of elephants in Central Africa fall prey to ivory poachers every year. The Czech Republic is now making a small contribution to the fight against illegal trade in ivory. A specially trained Czech sniffer dog will be sent to over to Congo to help local customs officials detecting smuggled ivory. The project was initiated by the Czech NGO Save-Elephants.

Pexeso, the Czech answer to Memory, is turning 50. The game, ever popular with children and their parents, traditionally consists of 32 identical pairs of drawings to be matched up.

The Czech government on Monday approved measures which will give the country’s intelligence service greater powers in fighting terrorism and organized crime. It also released more money to equip Prague’s international airport with a face recognition system and other state-of-the-art security technology.

Doctors warn that in the past five years there has been an increase in the number of babies born with a neonatal abstinence syndrome as a result of their mother’s drug addiction. Hospitals and child centers across the country confirm this trend.

President Miloš Zeman stirred considerable controversy this week, suggesting that handicapped children in the Czech Republic would be better off not sharing classrooms with non-handicapped students. He made the statement against inclusive education at a rehabilitation institute in East Bohemia. His words provoked broad reaction, with many saying the stance clashed with progressive values.

The level of the crown has been a matter of public and political debate in the Czech Republic after it fell through the floor against the euro and dollar in recent days. Steadying words have firmed it a bit, but is it out of the turbulence?

The Czech government has agreed to take in around 70 refugees of the Syrian conflict, currently situated in Jordan. The decision, which was unanimously approved by the cabinet on Wednesday, has met with mixed reactions from opposition politicians – some say the country should do far more to help the victims of Syria’s civil war; others fear the economic and cultural burdens of taking in people from such a dangerous part of the world.

Czech lawmakers are due to begin debating a government draft bill proposing to curb the powers of the country’s head-of-state. Many argue the need to redefine the president’s role became an issue after the country opted for direct presidential elections, which gave the new head-of-state arguably more leverage in influencing key decision-making. Politicians both in government and in the opposition would like to see that changed.

The Czech Republic has some of the most liberal laws in Europe when it comes to smoking. Now, however, the country’s health minister is working on legislation that would ban cigarettes from all bars and restaurants. Previous efforts to introduce a ban have come to very little – but the minister says the time is now right for such a change.