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In 7,460 cases of domestic violence since 2007, police in the Czech Republic banned aggressors from returning home for ten days, with or without agreement from the spouse. The legislation was introduced to protect victims of domestic violence and limit abuse behind closed doors. According to Bílý kruh bezpečí, helping victims of domestic violence, 2013 saw 1,128 bans over the first ten months, compared to a total of 679 in 2008 and a total of 1,405 last year. According to the organisation, police better assess cases than back in 2007, reaching for bans more often to try and aid victims, helping them gain some distance in volatile situations. The legislation was inspired by a similar law in neighbouring Austria.

A motorist who crashed on Saturday pursued by the police, is in serious condition in hospital and has not yet been charged. In the incident, the 32-year-old sped away from a gas station in Plzeň without paying but hit another vehicle at high speed with the police in close pursuit. The fellow passenger in his car, a 24-year-old female, was killed in the crash.

One person was killed and two were seriously injured in a car crash in the area of Tachov on Sunday. The fatal accident unravelled shortly after 10 am. The 63-year-old driver who lost his life had been trying to pass when he collided head-on with another vehicle. A man and woman in the other car were transported to a hospital in Plzeň.

A veterinarian and zookeepers were unable to save a rare Sumatran orangutan named Padang at Prague Zoo in the early hours of Sunday. The great ape had undergone surgery to try and correct serious gastrointestinal problems. After the operation, Pandang collapsed at around 12 AM. Those involved tried to revive the ape for some four hours. The Sumatran orangutan is one of the most threatened species in the wild; there are only some 7,300 in the wilderness. In captivity, the orangutan can reach up to 60 years of age, compared to between 30 and 45 in nature.

The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute says that colder winter temperatures could hit the Czech Republic towards the end of January, falling to as low as -14 degrees Celsius. Until now, the country has seen unseasonably mild weather; at Christmas, some areas saw records broken.

Real-life off-court partners Radek Štepánek and Petra Kvitová posted singles wins and combined to win in mixed doubles over Spain in the Hopman Cup on Sunday. Kvitová, the former Wimbledon champion, was the first to win, beating Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-1 6-0. Štepánek followed up with a win over Daniel Munoz-De La Nava 6-2 6-2, a late replacement for Tommy Robredo.

A police chase in the Plzeň area on Saturday ended with one person dead and four injured. Officers were pursuing a motorist who sped away from a gas station without paying. Trying to ellude the pursuit, the driver collided with an oncoming vehicle; a 24-year-old female in the car with him, was killed. The others injured, including a police officer, were treated in hospital.

Bavaria's police has heightened checks a border areas to prevent individuals from bringing in unsafe and illegal firecrackers, rockets and other pyrotechnic devices sold in Vietnamese markets on the Czech side of the border not far from crossings. German officials warned that many of the items were dangerous, packed with more explosive material than was the norm. Officials said they had stopped a vehicle smuggling one tonne of the goods, representing a potential health risk.

The D5 highway near Rudná, outside the capital, saw a fatal traffic accident in the early hours of Saturday morning, in which alcohol appears to have played a role. A truck and personal vehicle collided less than a kilometre from Prague, with the truck flipping onto its side across two lanes; the trucker was killed in the crash; the other driver, who tested postive for alcohol, was unhurt. The police rerouted traffic along side roads for several hours. A ramp onto the highway, five kilometres from the city, was also temporarily closed. The police are investigating the cause of the accident.

The director of a controversial television broadcast featuring the electronic music band Vanessa on Czech TV has told Lidové noviny he quit over the group's behavior, which he said had intended to 'disgust'.The band was recently featured on the show Tečka páteční noci on ČT Art, broadcast live from Czech TV's Brno studio. The group's singer, Samir Hauser, stunned some viewers as well as allegedly some on the production team, when he tried to do a line of cocaine off of a bible or later forced himself to vomit by sticking a finger in his throat. The host of the show downplayed the incident, saying that the drug was fake. He has stood by the broadcast, suggesting the group's behavior was not surprising given its image and that things could have gone 'worse'.