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Although the short baby boom in the Czech Republic ended around 2010, parents are still having problems enrolling their children in kindergartens. Public institutions for pre-school have not been meeting the demand for a few years now, so some employers are coming up with their own solutions to help their staff members return to work from maternity leave.

With the crisis in Syria at the centre of international attention, the Czech Republic has joined calls for restraint, arguing for a political solution to the crisis and warning that a military strike could only make matters worse.

Over the last week it appeared more than likely that former president Václav Klaus – long one of the most dominant figures on the political right – was preparing a political comeback. The final decision, it seems, came down the wire: in a statement released on Wednesday Mr Klaus said he had given the matter serious consideration, making clear his decision – in the end not to run – was not at all easy.

Czech league titleholders Viktoria Plzeň have booked a spot in the Champions League this season after they defeated the Slovenian side Maribor 4:1 on aggregate in the competition’s final round of qualification. Plzeň have extended their respectable winning streak in the Champions League, advancing to the group stage for the second time in three years.

The Constitutional Court made a landmark ruling on Wednesday morning, which struck down the verdicts of three previous courts on the guilt of midwife Ivana Königsmarková. A leading home birth advocate Koningsmarkova was given a suspended two-year prison sentence, a hefty fine and a ban from her profession for delivering a baby with serious neurological defects during a home birth. For proponents of more liberal birthing regulations this can mean a big step forward, but whether the decision will actually advance the debate on home births remains

State Attorney Ivo Ištvan, who set in motion the corruption case that brought down the centre-right coalition government, but failed to get the three former MPs at the centre of the scandal in the dock, is not letting the matter rest. With fresh evidence in hand, he is pushing for the Supreme Court to define where parliamentary immunity begins and ends.

The month of August was nothing if not turbulent for the Czech National Theatre, which saw its new director recalled from his position on day one by the government, before uproar led to his hasty reinstatement. His return – and the guarantee the theatre will retain its independence – means most actors who quit in protest came back for the new season.

In a chilling echo of the past, Russian police on Sunday arrested a group of human rights activists commemorating the 45th anniversary of a 1968 protest against the Russian-led invasion of Czechoslovakia. Although the protesters were reportedly detained for taking part in an unsanctioned demonstration and soon released, the move has evoked widespread condemnation in Prague.

Police in a number of Czech towns and cities are gearing up for more anti-Romany protests at the weekend. Marches by the ultra-right in troubled areas will aim to tap into growing anti-Roma sentiment. Extremists are also trying to increase anger through slanderous articles on the internet.

Czech President Miloš Zeman is due to formally dissolve the lower house of Parliament on August 28, with an early general election likely to take place by the end of October. That gives political parties two months to reach their voters. Some of them are wasting no time and have already begun campaigning.