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The Slovak National Gallery is for the very first time presenting art works from Slovak private art collections. The presentation of carefully selected items is rare but also unusual - because most of the collectors remain anonymous. They do not want their names associated with their art collections. One of the promoters of art collecting in this country and the co-curator of the exhibition Ivan Melichercik, told Martina Grenova why:

Prague has just witnessed one of the major events in the Czech cultural calendar - the eagerly anticipated premiere of "Nagano" - an opera based on the Czech ice-hockey team's gold-medal triumph at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. Radio Prague's Rob Cameron put on his tuxedo to attend the premiere, and has the following report.

Move over 'Sex and the City' Samantha: your pearl thong is dated. The thing to be flashing over the tops of your low-cut jeans right now should be hand-made Koniakow lace from Poland. Koniakow is village dating back to the 16th century, situated in the highland region of Silesia, southern Poland. In the 19th century Koniakow became famous for its crocheted lace, and the round white or cream lace tablecloth became a trademark. Tablecloths and altar cloths from Koniakow have made their way to royal owners around the world but there is another new

Count Pal Teleki, was prime minister of Hungary twice - but has never had a statue - until now. And even now it is controversial, because of Teleki's role in the Second World War. His supporters point to the tens of thousands of Polish refugees whose lives he helped save during the war. His detractors say he's the prime minister who submitted anti-Jewish acts to the Hungarian parliament in pre-war Hungary. Teleki committed suicide in 1941 and now a statue has been erected in a rural town. Gyorgi Jakobi has more.

According to the latest public opinion poll, as many as eighty seven percent of Poles fear their country could suffer a terrorist attack due to the presence of Polish troops in Iraq. As Michal Kubicki reports from Warsaw this does not go hand in hand with the level of public awareness and the security measures which are being taken.

But what are the consequences of this shock first round result? What will it mean for Slovakia's image abroad? Will it have implications for Mikulas Dzurinda's already shaky ruling coalition? Radio Prague's Rob Cameron has been speaking to analyst Ivo Samson, from the Bratislava think-tank the Slovak Foreign Policy Association. He began by asking him to explain why Mr Meciar had done so well, and why Mr Kukan had done so badly.

The International Day of the Roma, was marked this week - there were events across Central Europe to celebrate Roma culture and history. In the Czech Republic a series of specially commissioned children's stories depicting Roma through the ages is being shown on television. Coilin O'Connor has the story.

Last Sunday morning the Slovak nation woke up to breaking news. Vladimir Meciar won the first round of presidential poll with slightly over a third of the votes. The second was his former deputy Ivan Gasparovic. Eduard Kukan the favourite of opinion polls and political analysts was third - missing a place in the second round by only 0.19 percent. The former Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar was obviously pleased by his performance.

These were the words of US president George W. Bush at the welcoming ceremony in Washington on the 29th of March, when Slovenia officially became a member of NATO alongside six Central European countries. Ten years after Slovenia first expressed the desire to join the North Atlantic Alliance, it has fulfilled one of its top foreign policy priorities. Officials will now attend meetings of the Alliance and take part in the decision-making mechanisms.

We've heard about the politicians, but what about voters in the region. In the Czech Republic there is widespread cynicism about politics; after a period of dubious privatisations and dodgy deals in the 1990s, Czechs are now feeling the pinch as painful financial reforms begin to take effect.