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The media has been full of reports in recent weeks of plans by the US to build a missile defence system in Central Europe - largely a response to Iran's sabre-rattling over its nuclear programme. This summer - according to the New York Times - the Pentagon will choose between two countries: Poland and the Czech Republic. Rob Cameron spoke to Radek Khol, head of the Centre for Security Analysis at the Institute of International Relations in Prague.

In just a few weeks time, the Football World Championship begins in Germany - the biggest sports event this year in Central Europe. It will also be a time when many Slovaks will reflect on one of their most popular sports commentators, Gabo Zelenay, wishing he were still alive to bring them his passionate live commentary on football matches. Radio Slovakia International's Martina Grenova pays tribute to the legendary Gabo Zelenay in this report:

The European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia has criticized the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary for allegedly discriminating against Romanies from an early age by sending many of them to special schools for people with learning difficulties. The EU report suggests that this practice is at the root of the government's inability to deal with the integration of Roma into society as such, because wrongful assignment to special education has far reaching negative consequences for future employment opportunities.

More than seven months after winning the parliamentary elections in Poland, the conservatives at long last command a majority in Parliament. This is a result of a coalition deal struck with the nationalist League of Polish Families and the anti-liberal, populist Self-Defense. But most Poles wonder whether a government with Self-defense leader Andrzej Lepper as deputy prime minister will be able to introduce a reform programme - Mr Lepper's record includes two suspended prison sentences.

The United States has established a new cultural center in Slovenia. The first "American Corner" - as it has been named - opened its doors in the seaside town of Koper this year.

Hungary is believed to be the Central European country with the highest number of Romanies - an estimated 600,000 are thought to live there. In Slovakia the figures lie between 250,000 and 500,000. Besides the Czech Republic, these two countries were also criticised for their handling of Roma in the education system. Claude Cahn from the European Roma Rights Center in Budapest gave us his take on this criticism:

Every spring an event known as the March of the Living brings together young Jews and Poles at the sites of the former Nazi death camps in Poland. For the past few years, an effort has been made to bring Poles and Jews closer together by combining the event with exchange schemes involving Poland, Israel and Jewish communities in North America.

According to a poll by the newspaper Delo, most Slovenes feel that two years of EU membership have brought no considerable differences. That being said, Eurostat figures have shown that Slovenes are among the most europhilic people in the union.

Slovakia is shrinking. Not the country but the population. According to Eurostat there'll be 600 thousand less Slovaks by mid century. Put another way, as the population ages, it will decrease by 12 percent. To try and attract some new blood a populist Slovak politician wants the country to specialise in tourism for the elderly - attracting Westerners who can live in Slovak retirement homes more cheaply than in their native countries. But as Anca Dragu reports - Slovakia is having trouble accommodating its own elderly.

Now not too many people who make it to the North Pole expect to be served hot chicken paprika. But that's what happened last month when Hungarian Gabor Turoczi cooked for his expedition. In fact, it was his great ambition to cook a Hungarian national dish at the North Pole. His club, the Lucullus Fraternity, aims to promote Hungarian gastronomy and culture around the world. Sandor Laczko of Radio Budapest asked Gabor Turoczi about his 'chicken lickin' trip to the North Pole: