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The President of the European Parliament Hans Gert Poettering has publicly reprimanded Polish MEP Maciej Giertych for publishing a pamphlet described as anti-Semitic. And in a European Parliament first Giertych could face sanctions. He's a member of the conservative League of Polish Families and disagrees with the charges against him.

A ruling on Thursday by the Constitutional Court was good news for many towns and villages across the Czech Republic. It enables local authorities to ban prostitution from public areas. In the verdict, the court said the potential harmful effect of publicly offered sexual services on the moral development of children is greater than the freedom of enterprise.

Hungary has been celebrating the 125 anniversary of his birth in 1832. Kodaly was a musician and teacher and with his friend Bela Bartok travelled to remote villages to collect folk tunes. Along with his composing work he became known around the world for his music teaching methods. Ironically better known outside his native Hungary than at home.

Hungary's national day on Thursday was meant to celebrate its struggle for independence in the 1848 revolution. The celebrations went ahead but when it came to television news images it was the violence between police and young far-right nationalists on the streets of Budapest which dominated.

Health officials says obesity is one of the most serious public health problems in Europe - It increases the risk of many chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers. The increase of childhood obesity is particularly worrying - it's estimated that one in five children living in the EU is overweight. The European Commission has been pressing member states to do something about it so the Slovak government is setting up a national plan to fight child obesity. So how serious is child obesity in Slovakia?

Budget airlines have been opening and closing routes across Europe for years now, as they scramble for new destinations and connections. After months of wrangling, Slovenia is set to open another airport (its second) to the budget carriers.

A new report says Hungary is a dark spot on the map of Europe when it comes to the effects of climate change. The United Nations Sustainable Development Commission examined unavoidable consequences of climate change and found Hungary very vulnerable.

In Slovenia data gathered by police suggests the number of domestic violence cases has increased by 73% over the past decade. Other official statistics support that trend, indicating one in four women has suffered domestic violence.

The agreement thrashed out among EU leaders in Brussels promises "solidarity" in the event of an energy supply crisis - something Poland was looking for, and, in wording important for Czechs, Slovaks and Hungarians noted that "nuclear energy meets growing concerns about safety of supply." It also allowed some wriggle room when it came to meeting the 20 percent target for renewable energy saying "this should take account of different national starting points."

March 8th was International Women's Day but there's little to show for it in the Czech Republic. Most Czechs' memories of International Women's Day are restricted to folk songs, drink, red carnations and communist rhetoric. As a result, it has been discarded as a remnant of the past and few people today even notice its existence. The Czech Women's Lobby is now trying to change that and get Czechs to re-embrace the original idea behind International Women's Day.