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Central Europe is caught up in the debate over press freedom and religious sensitivities after papers in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria and Poland re-printed caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed. The caricatures were first printed in a Danish newspaper sparking protests around the world. In Poland the debate has led to questioning of the extent of media freedoms and there's been an apology by Polish authorities to the Arab world.

Slovakia is heading for elections 3 months ahead of schedule after a junior coalition party pulled out and the minority government of Mikulas Dzurinda came close to collapse. Mr Dzurinda asked Parliament for early elections and all parties agreed on June 17th. The centre right government is credited with economic reforms creating strong economic growth but which were not always popular with Slovaks.

February 8th is a national holiday in Slovenia, honoring the great national poet France Preseren. During the holiday, museums and cultural institutions traditionally offer free admittance. Cultural awards are also conferred on outstanding Slovenian artists.

January 19th 2006 will be a dark date in Slovak history. A military plane traveling from Pristina in Kosovo to the Slovak city of Kosice crashed just near the Slovak-Hungarian border, claiming the lives of 42 Slovaks. They were members of a NATO peacekeeping mission. It was the most serious air crash in Slovakia's history and investigators have recently recovered the aircraft's flight recorder.

If you have a lot of money and want to compete in a car race then you might enter the Dakar Rally. But if you are less well of and still looking for real adventure, you might choose the Budapest-Bamako rally, a new low cost and - we're told - wacky race through the Sahara. In two weeks, they pass through Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco and Mauritania, before they finish in the capital of Mali, Bamako.

This past week Poland has been in mourning, remembering the victims of the country's worst tragedy in twenty years: the collapse of a trade fair centre in the southern city of Katowice. The roof of the packed building where a trade show was underway caved in, apparently under the weight of uncleared snow. 64 people were killed including eight foreigners. Czechs and Slovaks were among them.

Europe's already congested land routes are expected to see a 70% increase in traffic by 2020. For this reason, shifting more of the burden to the sea has become important for both landlocked as well as coastal nations in Europe. The European Commission conducted feasibility studies about sea motorways last year, and has allocated funds for their construction in the 2007 to 2013 budget. Plans are now underway for their realization.

The Czech theatre group Vlastenecka Omladina, or Patriotic Youth, was founded 120 years ago in Vienna. It performs two productions annually for the Czech-speaking minority in Austria. But this week audiences in Prague also have the chance to enjoy its work, as the group takes part in a mini-festival entitled Open Arms 2006.

Unusually high levels of smog forced many residents in the Czech Republic's industrial regions and bigger towns and cities to stay indoors for several days last week. In the Moravian town of Karvina, for example, dust levels were ten times higher than usual. The elderly, children, and people with asthma or other health problems had breathing difficulties. Many who could, escaped to the country.

In a bid to boost Slovenia's popularity as a tourist destination, the country has launched a big new advertising campaign. Slovenia is small - just 2 million inhabitants, but it has some pretty big attractions: from mountains, lakes and caves to the sea. But one major obstacle for tourists who can't get there by car is getting there by plane. And that is why flights to Slovenia are on the increase.