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The organ of the St. Alkmund Church in Shrewsbury, England has been purchased by a Hungarian student of the Music Academy of Budapest. The organ was taken apart and sent to Hungary by ship and road transport. It is currently resting in the garage of the student, Balázs Szabó, who plans to set it up in his native city of Miskolc in north-eastern Hungary.

The leaders of European socialist parties met in Prague on Friday for a conference hosted by the Czech Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek to discuss, among other issues, the EU's Spring Summit and a stronger European Energy policy. Before the event, Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek held separate meetings with some of the participants, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Slovenia's second largest city, Maribor, scored a recent coup by getting the right to host the European Orchestral Academy from September 2007 onwards. The academy offers post-graduate studies to 86 graduates from auditions in ten European cities. The students will have studied at Europe's premier musical conservatories, and at the academy in Maribor, will make up their own symphonic orchestra.

Fifteen years have passed since Slovenia achieved independence from the former Yugoslavia. In that time, Slovenia has been crafting a new identity, reforming its economy and political system and realigning its position in Europe. Since independence, the small Alpine country has joined NATO and the European Union, and next year should become the first new EU member to adopt the Euro.

The Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Central Europe this week in a trip designed to mend fences in a region which is still recovering from almost half a century of Soviet rule. Mr Putin spent three days in Budapest and Prague - and pointedly avoided Warsaw. Radio Prague's Rob Cameron followed Mr Putin's visit to the Czech Republic, and has this report.

There's an old saying - Books have their fate. And so it was when Russia returned some precious volumes to Hungary. Their fate was to go back on to the same shelves of the Sarospatak Calvinist College - from where they were taken about 60 years ago. The 136 volumes are currently part of an exhibition at the National Museum in Budapest - opened last week by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Japan may seem a world away from Slovakia, but you'd be surprised how much of Japan you could find here in the Middle of Europe. We have Japanese food, we know origami, we have Slovak music about Japanese women, and we even have a Slovak Sumo team.

Radio Racja, a station based in the eastern Polish city of Bialystok, has resumed transmissions in Belarusian targeted at audiences across the border. It was initially launched in 1999 and suspended its operations in 2002 due to lack of funding. Run by the Belarusian minority in Poland, what are the broadcasters' goals today?

Slovakia's number two tennis player, Karol Beck has been given a two year ban for testing positive for clenbuterol. The prohibited substance was found in a urine specimen taken last September during the semi-final of the Davis Cup between Slovakia and Argentina in Bratislava.

Avian influenza, or Bird Flu, continues its spread around the globe, making its first landing in central Europe. The deadly H5N1 virus was discovered in swans in Koblerjev Zaliv (Kobler bay) in the River Drava, just outside of Slovenia's second biggest city, Maribor. Infected swans were also discovered just across the border in neighbouring Austria and the virus is now feared in Hungary as well.