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Institutionalized care for disabled people in the Czech lands goes back almost a century to the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Ninety-five years ago in April of 1913 a prominent surgeon by the name of Rudolf Jedlička established a medical-and-educational facility which aimed to give disabled children and adults a chance to live a more dignified, active life.

The upper house of the Czech parliament, the Senate, voted to send the so-called Lisbon Treaty to the Constitution Court on Thursday, a move that could delay Czech ratification of the EU reform treaty by several months. The motion was passed thanks to senators from the right-of-centre Civic Democrats, the main party in the coalition government. But why did they delay approving what is essentially the government’s own foreign policy?

Architect Jan Kaplický may never see his controversial winning octopus or “blob” design for a new national library in Prague come to fruition. But rather than wallow in the endless debate and machinations, Mr Kaplický has instead taken up a new profession.

Thursday’s session of Parliament was like no other. Dozens of deputies exchanged their suits for scout uniforms to mark “den svatého Jiří” or St. George’s Day – St George being the patron saint of scouting. The usual tension between the ruling and opposition benches was absent as deputies showed off their long forgotten scouting skills and recalled their days in the Scouts movement.

A verdict in the East Bohemian city of Hradec Králové left many women’s rights activists - and others – puzzled and angry on Wednesday. In the culmination of a long legal battle, Hradec Králové Regional Court found the leader of a world-acclaimed girls' choir guilty of sexually abusing 40 of his charges, but handed down a suspended sentence, the legal equivalent of a slap on the wrist.

The Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek recently announced a new initiative to save the government money. The plan revolves around relocating the numerous ministries located in the centre of Prague to less expensive areas of the city. A pilot project is already underway, which could see the Ministry of Trade and Industry uprooted from the historic city centre.

It was a moment of satisfaction for the opposition on Wednesday when the Constitutional Court overturned a crucial part of the government’s healthcare reform package under which employees receive no sick pay in the first three days of illness. The court argued that the changed legislation, designed to prevent employees from abusing sick-leave benefits, was unconstitutional because it failed to guarantee an employee’s right to security in times of illness.

All this week, moviegoers and directors are flocking to the West Bohemian town of Plzeň for one of the biggest film festivals in the country – Finále Plzeň. The festival is dedicated to Czech films, and will feature special screenings, concerts and talks with directors such as Jiří Menzel. One of the guests at the festival’s opening was Jana Černík from the Czech Film Chamber. She talked to Radio Prague’s Philippe Boudoux about the year that Czech film had had:

The Czech Senate’s immunity committee decided on Tuesday not to hand independent Senator Liana Janáčková over for prosecution. Mrs Janáčková stands accused of defamation, after saying that the country’s Roma population should, among other things, be ‘blown up’. The decision has provoked outcry amongst Romany rights groups, who say that the move gives a green light to public displays of racism.

After many years of discussion and planning, extensive renovation work on New York’s Česká Národní Budova (Bohemian National Hall) is finally close to completion. Later this year, the imposing five-storey building on Manhattan’s Upper East Side will open its doors – and become home to many of the most important Czech institutions in the city. Ian Willoughby has been to see the Bohemian National Hall – I spoke to him on the line from New York and asked him first to tell us something about the history of the building.