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Slovenia's Prime Minister Janez Jansa was in the United States last week, meeting President George W. Bush and senior US officials. Mr Jansa also met with representatives of the Slovene community during his five-day trip. This report on the visit from Radio Slovenia International's Ksenija Samardzija Matul:

Hungary's Parliament this week passed legislation bringing in higher education tuition fees. From next year it could cost students hundreds of euros each year. Understandably students are upset and are threatening demonstrations. But the rectors and deans at universities support the move. Although the bill has already passed through Parliament negotiations continue between the Education Minister Istvan Hiller and student representatives on how to help students who can't afford the fees. Gyorgyi Jakobi reports:

Twin brothers now hold the two jobs in Poland - those of president and prime minister. This is indeed 'a world-unique double act', as one news agency put it. But is there any other country in which identical twins have pursued independent political careers for three decades? Michal Kubicki of Radio Polonia reports:

A team of U.S. military experts arrives in the Czech Republic next week to examine potential sites for a new missile defence base. The United States is said to be considering either the Czech Republic, Poland or Hungary for the new facility, but a Polish newspaper reports that Washington has already reached agreement with Warsaw. Rob Cameron has the following report.

Slovakia managed to beat Thailand 5-0 in the Fed Cup World Group playoffs - the premier team competition in women's tennis. That result means Slovakia is now among the best 16 teams in the world. Anca Dragu reports on Slovakia's tennis vistory:

The southern Hungarian town of Baja, which lies on the lower stretch of the river Danube, is famous for its unique fish soup. Baja has traditionally been the place for a fish soup cooking competition, held always on the second weekend of July. This is not merely a gastronomic event, but also a social one, now even recognised by the Guinness Book of Records. Its 'father' is Gabor Szetnivanyi, Hungary's former ambassador to the United Kingdom, now ambassador to the Netherlands. Agi Varga of Radio Budapest asked him to give the recipe.

It was a long time coming, but on Saturday July 1st of 2006 gay and lesbian couples across the Czech Republic were finally free to tie the knot. Dozens of them seized on the opportunity to seal their relationship with a civic ceremony on the very first day that this was made possible, others called registry offices to inquire about a date for the wedding.

A recently founded summer school in Ljubljana, dedicated to the study of the Balkan conflicts, re-opened its doors this week. A group of American students will spend July studying the recent conflicts across the former Yugoslavia, with lectures and visits through the region. Michael Manske of Radio Slovenia International has more.

If you walk on the streets of the Slovak capital Bratislava you can hear many people saying that Robert Fico has begun his premiership wrong-footed. On Tuesday evening his colleagues from the Socialist group in the European Parliament drafted a proposal to expel Fico's party Smer from their political club because he chose to include the extremist Slovak National Party in his ruling coalition.

Despite Poland's early knock-out from the Word Cup in Germany football remains in the limelight in Poland, the reasons being arrests of football officials on corruption charges, tax inspections in the National Football Federation and continuous speculations over the sacking of coach Pawel Janas. Michal Zajac reports from Warsaw.