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The 2005 World Exposition has just opened in the Japanese prefecture of Aichi. For the next six months, 125 countries, including the Czech Republic, will be presenting themselves at the Expo, which is expected to attract up to 20 million visitors from around the world.

In the light of two recent court rulings, deemed as victories for freedom of speech, the Czech Ministry of Culture has just hosted a discussion, on where freedom of speech ends, and individual privacy begins. Politicians and journalists gathered to discuss whether a 'watchdog' was needed to regulate the Czech press, and what form this might take. Rosie Johnston was there.

The weeks of uncertainty regarding the fate of the Czech coalition government are expected to come to an end this weekend. The embattled Prime Minister Stanislav Gross will fight for re-election as party leader at the Social Democratic party's conference, starting on Friday, and it is believed that the outcome of this vote will decide his future as Prime Minister.

Wednesday saw the conclusion of a European Union summit in Brussels focused on the Lisbon Agenda, which is aimed at making Europe's economy more competitive. The main issues on the table were the liberalisation of services and changes to the stability pact.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of legendary underground band- Prazsky Vyber. During the mid 1980s the band was blacklisted by the communist regime and became a symbol of resistance. Following the Velvet Revolution front man Michael Kocab acted as one of Vaclav Havel's main advisors and oversaw the withdrawal of Soviet troops. To celebrate the anniversary, Czech television has just released a documentary film which tracks the bands history and makes use a of a wide range archive material.

It is now close to three months since news of the tsunami disaster shocked the world. With the help of charities and NGOs, the people of south east Asia are slowly rebuilding their lives and coming to terms with their grief. UNICEF, which was providing around the clock assistance within hours of the tragedy, has now decided to show the world what the past three months have been like in the Maldives.

European Union leaders met in Brussels on Tuesday and approved a reform of the Stability and Growth Pact, governing the euro. The agreement that limits the size of a nation's budget deficit had been criticised for not allowing governments to boost economic growth by spending more. The leaders rubber-stamped a deal negotiated by their finance ministers on Sunday which loosens strict deficits rules and allows countries to claim exemption for all sorts of public spending. Radio Prague's Martin Mikule is now in Brussels.

When you enter the Jiri Svestka Gallery, a warehouse art space at the end of a quiet Prague street, you have the feeling you've escaped into a peaceful, light-filled oasis. And usually it is just that. But, ever since the opening of a young Czech artist's exhibit - which the staff has to "turn on" - the art work has taken on a deafening life of its own.

Two landmark anti-discrimination cases involving members of the Romani minority were settled this week. In both cases, the women had posed as jobseekers, inquiring about advertised positions, but were denied interviews —which were later granted to "white" applicants.

Traditional Indian sitar music is not the sort of sound you would expect at a festival traditionally associated with European classical music, but this year's "Prague Spring" international music festival will be different. The festival, which starts on May 12th, is celebrating its 60th birthday and among the artists from all over the world will be the famous Indian musician, Anoushka Shankar. She is the daughter of the legendary sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar - who in the 60s even played with the Beatles. As Prague Spring director Roman Belor says,