Slovakia Today, English Language Current Affairs Programme from Slovak Radio

In 2022, Slovak households generated roughly 478 kilograms of municipal waste per person, slightly below the EU average. However, Slovakia's recycling rate is also below the European average, standing at just 49.5%. Even more concerning is the country's continued reliance on landfilling and incineration for the remaining waste. To better understand the environmental and social impacts of these practices, RSI spoke with Monika Medovičová from Friends of the Earth Slovakia. To explore potential solutions and alternatives, we also spoke with Ivana Majeleš from the Circular Economy Institute Slovakia.

Why did Ľudovít Štúr choose to codify the Slovak language based on the dialects of Central Slovakia? How did a young man from a small Slovak village become a member of the Hungarian Parliament? And was he more concerned about his appearance because of his female or male students? You'll discover the answers to these questions and more in this Tuesday special, marking the 210th anniversary of a figure without whom Slovakia might not exist. Explaining the significance of Ľudovít Štúr's life and work to international audiences is Martina Grenova Simkovicova.

Each year, Pink October unites the world in the fight against breast cancer — raising awareness, encouraging early diagnosis, and supporting everyone whose lives have been touched by the disease. In this special broadcast, we explore how awareness turns into action — and how personal stories can inspire real change. Zuzana Bardyová from the National Oncology Institute (NOI) shares how Slovakia is advancing prevention and early detection. From the non-profit OZ Amazonky, Zuzana Janovičová speaks about the power of community — how mutual support, technology, and empathy help women rebuild confidence and reconnect with life after diagnosis. And finally, Viera Lipčáková Lacová and Dr. Jaroslava Salman, co-authors of Nádej bez záruky (Hope Without Guarantee), bring deeply human stories of resilience — reminding us that hope, even without certainty, can be one of the strongest medicines of all. In Slovak Sound Check, we hop on board to explore public transport vocabulary in Slovak.

Historian Michal Kšiňan explains the history behind the Cleveland agreement, the first document on the joint action of the Czechs and Slovaks in the struggle for national liberation in and after WWI. The first Czechoslovak republic was established in 1918 also thanks to Czechs and Slovaks living in the USA. Many of their descendants travel to Slovakia to seek their roots. In 2023, Zuzana Botikova met with Viera Marecová who helps finding Americans tracing their roots.

Ben Pascoe meets Canadian Ambassador to Slovakia, Karen Elizabeth Mollica, to discuss Canada-Slovak relations as well as what it is like for a Canadian in Slovakia Today. REPEAT

Today, we venture beyond Earth and into the future of food as we explore space agriculture—growing crops in space to support long-term human missions. Joining us to unpack this topic are Professor Nigel Mason and Dr. Veronika Medvecká. In the second half of the program, we shift focus back to Earth. We sit down with Lucia Kocáková from Knižnica pre mládež mesta Košice to talk about the evolving role of libraries in today's digital age. From fostering literacy and creativity in youth to serving as inclusive community spaces, Lucia Kocáková shares why libraries remain more important than ever.

Ben Pascoe talks with the executive directors of the NGO People in Peril and the One World (Jeden Svet) film festival, Andrea Najvirtová and Eva Križková about the upcoming film festival and their work in Slovakia Today.

The eleventh episode of our Window to the World series takes us to the western Slovak town of Leopoldov and to the small village of Heinersbrück in eastern Germany. In this instalment, our colleagues Michal Herceg and Juraj Pavlovič explore how this rather unusual partnership began — and how cooperation between the two communities has continued to grow over the years, building lasting ties across borders. And later on, in our Slovak Sound Check segment, you'll have a chance to strengthen your language skills as we take a closer look at possessive pronouns — an essential part of everyday Slovak.

We take a look back at the week's headlines and some of our best stories from the past week.

On Tuesday, 14 October, Michal Kaščák, director of the Pohoda Festival, announced the first headliner for the 30th edition of Slovakia's largest summer multigenre event. For the first time ever, Gorillaz will perform at Pohoda, marking the strongest booking in the festival's history. In 2025, the Slovak band Tolstoys performed at the festival in July and spoke to RSI about their experience at Glastonbury—the largest summer multigenre festival in Europe. This week's culture tips include an invitation to the International Documentary Film Festival One World, as well as screenings of Slovak films in Brazil, among other events.

A tribute to Slovakia's golden voice — in life, in legend, and now on the big screen. As excitement builds around the new film about Karol Duchoň, we bring you the story of one of Slovakia's most beloved singers — a powerful voice and gentle soul who touched generations. Through rare archival recordings, new film interviews, and heartfelt memories from those who knew him best, this special traces Duchoň's meteoric rise, his private struggles, and the timeless legacy now revived for a new generation. Featuring voices from film director Peter Bebjak, actor Vladimír Plevčík, lyricist Ľuboš Zeman, longtime collaborators Marcela Laiferová and Pavol Hammel, his first wife Elena Duchoňová, Karol Duchoň himself – and more. In this episode of Slovak Sound Check, we break down the most essential Slovak courtesy phrases and show you how to use them in everyday situations.

Three years after the start of the war in Ukraine, the flow of refugees to Slovakia has slowed, and many volunteer groups that once mobilized have scaled back. Yet, the needs of Ukrainians—both at home and abroad—remain immense. In this episode, we travel to the village of Moravské Lieskové, where local volunteers with the NGO Žito v Sypke hosted a weekend fundraiser to collect essential aid, including a newly outfitted ambulance for the front lines. We speak with the organizers and volunteers behind the effort to understand what drives them to continue their work, and we ask the question at the heart of their mission: What does Ukraine need most?

Ben Pascoe attended the Eset Slovak Scientist of the Year awards held recently in Bratislava. He brings you interviews with founders, jury members, Slovak scientists and even a former president, as well info on many of the great scientists in Slovakia today.

In this round of Mysterious Slovakia, we travel to Košice, home to the St. Elizabeth's Cathedral — the largest church in Slovakia and the easternmost Gothic cathedral in Europe. Beyond its treasures and relics, the cathedral hides a dramatic story: the legend and legacy of the Urban Bell. Then, we celebrate the 20th episode of Slovak Sound Check — with reflections, recaps, and a look at how far our learners Sean and Lubna have come on their Slovak language journey.

We take a look back at the week's headlines and some of our best stories from the past week.

In this part of our series about names in the Slovak calendar, we're once again catching up with Natália Hejková, the world-famous basketball coach from Slovakia, while playing the song Natália by Robo Opatovský. In Culture Tips, we'll tell you about events happening in Banská Štiavnica, Trenčín, Žilina, and other great spots.

Wolves in Slovakia have a complex and often turbulent history. Once widely persecuted, these wild canines were relentlessly hunted and driven into the remote valleys of the country's east. However, Slovakia's accession to the EU brought stronger conservation policies, allowing wolf populations to make a remarkable comeback. Now, a new wave of fear and controversy threatens their future—not just in Slovakia, but across the EU. To explore the wolf's history, biology, and the resurgence of hunting quotas, RSI spoke with zoologist Jeruš Tesák, Slovak Wildlife Society director Robin Rigg, and Slovak European Parliament member Michal Wiezik.

Today, we explore eco-friendly farming across Slovakia. First, we visit Ovosad Farm in Myjava, where sustainable farming practices are shaping a greener future. Then, we head to Moravské Lieskové to learn about hazelnut farming and its role in the local economy and environment. Next, we check out a prototype electromobile designed to assist farmers in vineyards, reducing emissions and soil disruption. Finally, we travel to Kráľová pri Senci to discover rare beehives and the efforts to preserve pollinators and biodiversity.

Fjuzn festival's konektiv concert evening brings together Slovak and foreign musicians living in Slovakia to make a special concert. Ben Pascoe talked with the organizers and musicians at this year's edition, which was part of the 20th year of this unique multi-genre festival whose slogan this year was “dare to get to know the world we have at home.”

RERUN: Anna Podmanická (19) and Tomáš Čermák (18) are two talented young scientists and global winners of the prestigious Earth Prize 2025. We delve into their innovative project PURA – a groundbreaking approach to water purification. The conversation explores the limitations of current purification methods, particularly the failure of the quaternary phase to remove antibiotic residues, a major contributor to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. Anna and Tomáš explain how PURA combines photocatalysis and cold plasma technology to provide an effective and sustainable solution to this urgent global issue. The 8th episode of Slovak Sound Check focuses on the essential verb byť – to be.

We take a look back at the week's headlines and some of our best stories from the past week.

Professor Anne Tomiche of Sorbonne University in Paris was the keynote speaker at an international symposium exploring various aspects of the norms and transgressions of masculinities in Central Europe — from the 19th century to the present day. Martina Greňová Šimkovičová also spoke with Ivana Taranenková, head of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, and Václav Smyčka of Charles University in Prague. The program includes a brief tribute to Anca Monica Dragu, a longtime member of the RSI English section, who passed away on October 3rd, 2021. This week's culture tips feature: an invitation to Roman Ondák's solo exhibition in New York, the shared Visegrad Stage at the Budapest International Book Festival, and the Bratislava in Movement, the International Festival of Contemporary Dance — among others.

In an interview from 2024 Ben Pascoe talks with cellist and festival organizer Jozef Luptak about that years Konvergencie Festival as well as the past, future and current state of Chamber music. (repeat)

In this episode we travel to the rolling hills south of Zvolen for the fourth edition of the Hurá Von Festival, where educators and lecturers from across Slovakia gathered to celebrate the power of outdoor learning. From workshops on emotional hygiene, apitherapy, and sensory-motor skills to thoughtful discussions on youth mental health, the festival highlights how time in nature can nurture both mind and body. Listeners will hear firsthand from organizers, lecturers, and a special guest researcher from Canada who are rethinking how children play, learn, and grow.

Ben Pascoe visits the pop-up teahouse at Research lab, an experimental space where diverse intersect and they attempt to develop at holistic approach to the co-evolution of human consciousness and AI. He talks with founders/organizers Roman Pii Wagner, Peter Kašpar, and Andrea Kutlikova about AI, community building, keeping young people at home and doing business in Slovakia today.

With over 6,500 languages spoken around the globe, communication across cultures can be a challenge. Translators and interpreters help us overcome these barriers. To mark International Translation Day, celebrated worldwide on September 30, our show pays tribute to Slovakia's language professionals. We meet Pavol Šveda, EU-accredited interpreter, president of the Slovak Association of Translators and Interpreters, and associate professor at Comenius University. He shares insights into the cognitive demands of simultaneous interpreting and the current state of the profession in Slovakia. Also joining the conversation is Miroslava Petrovská, Head of the Slovak Interpretation Unit at the European Parliament, who reflects on the significance of her work within one of the world's most complex multilingual institutions – the EU. And in the new episode of Slovak Sound Check, we dive into core vocabulary: learning the names of family members in Slovak.

We take a look back at the week's headlines and some of our best stories from the past week.

In this edition of the Window to the World series, Tatiana Žitníková from the Russian section joins Michal Herceg from Rádio Regina Západ to explore the collaboration between the UNESCO-listed town of Levoča in eastern Slovakia and the city of Perechyn in western Ukraine. In Friday's show, we also highlight cultural events in Slovakia that are perfect for English speakers — and today, we add an invitation to the international symposium Central European Masculinities, an event to be held in Bratislava and featuring speakers from Charles University in Prague, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Sorbonne University in Paris, and more.

RERUN: How is mathematics taught in Slovakia? And how to teach it in a way that entertains and inspires children? Mathematician Zbynek Kubáček reveals. Dušan Polačik, a representative of WAMA, talks about new trends in waste processing. Finally, a new episode of the Who was that series reveals who Janko Alexy was.

Don't miss your final chance to participate in the 8th round of the RSI competition series for 2025. In this episode, Peter Sabaček from the Spanish section uncovers the mystery of the Tribeč hills near Nitra. While in Nitra, we also revisit the partnership between this town in western Slovakia and Naperville, Illinois.

Ben Pascoe talks with recently appointed Director of the Slovak National Gallery Juraj Kralik as well as co-organizer of the free SNG initiative Andras Csefalvay about how the see the Slovak National Gallery today. He also attended the recent opening of SNG's newest exhibit and heard from protesters and attendees about how they seen SNG today.

Every year on 22 September, cities across the world celebrate World Car-Free Day, encouraging people to leave their cars at home. The event highlights the benefits of car-free living — from cleaner air and safer streets to more space for walking and cycling. In Europe, it marks the finale of European Mobility Week (16–22 September), a campaign promoting clean and sustainable urban transport. Slovakia is part of this initiative too, with towns and cities introducing creative programmes and lasting measures to make mobility more accessible and environmentally friendly. On this occasion, we bring you insights from Juraj Moravčík, General Director of the Slovak Environment Agency, Ján Horváth, transport emissions expert at the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute, architect and urbanist Zuzana Ladzianska, and Jozef Vozár, spokesperson for Dopravný podnik Bratislava (the capital's public transport company). They share their perspectives on how transport shapes daily life in Slovak towns, the impact of cars on air quality and climate, and what alternatives are emerging to make cities more livable and sustainable. As always, the programme concludes with a new edition of our language corner — Slovak Sound Check.

After our regular news digest covering the past week, we now bring you another part of our 2025 series, Window to the World. Today, our colleague from the Russian section, Tatiana Žitníková, takes you on a journey to Spišské Podhradie in Slovakia and Perečín in Ukraine.

In his remarks regarding his visit to China in September 2025, Robert Fico also expressed his hope that a Slovak Cultural Institute would soon be established in Beijing, alongside a Chinese cultural presence in Bratislava. In today's show, you'll hear from a Slovak interpreter who has been traveling to China for the past 30 years as well as a Chinese poet who attended a literary festival in Slovakia in July 2025. Some tips for Slovak culture in and beyond Slovakia too.

RERUN: In today's program, we once again explore inclusive education in Slovakia through the experiences of Mária Reviľáková and Michaela Vlasáková, two friends and visionaries behind the project Alka. They share how personal stories, collaboration with institutions, and dialogue across generations are shaping a more inclusive society.

In this episode, we speak with researcher Jakub Šrol about how conspiracy theories threaten sustainability efforts. Drawing on his new paper published in the journal Nature Human Behavior, he discusses how belief in conspiracy theories erodes confidence in science and institutions and how social media accelerates misinformation. The conversation covers what defines a conspiracy theory, how to spot telltale signs online, and practical steps—like education and stronger public engagement—to slow the spread of disinformation and protect sustainable policies.

Recently in Bratislava, the city opened Loom, a center for people of foreign origin living in Slovakia. In addition to basic info, foreigners can find social, psychological, legal and employment counselling, in addition to finding community activities. Ben Pascoe visited the center to find out more.

On September 15, Slovakia commemorates the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, the country's patron saint. To mark this occasion, we have prepared a special programme exploring the origins of this powerful tradition, the meaning of “sorrow” as an expression of love, and the depth of maternal love as the strongest human emotion. The broadcast will revisit Mary's story, the long-standing pilgrimages to the national shrine in Šaštín, and the historic visit of Pope Francis, who met with the faithful there during his pastoral journey to Slovakia. The programme is built around STVR's archival interviews with prominent figures from the church, academia, and public life. Listeners will hear insights from Martin Kramara, priest of the Žilina diocese and former spokesperson of the Slovak Bishops' Conference; Benjamín Kosnáč, Roman Catholic priest active in Bratislava with international missions; Mons. Marián Bublinec, parish priest in Krupina; Roman Kečka, university lecturer and religious studies scholar from Comenius University; Dária Miezgová, psychologist from the Community of the Beatitudes; and Štefan Chrapa, musician and editor of religious broadcasting at Slovak Radio.

Weekly roundup of news and stories from RSI English.

September 12th marks the name day of Mária in the Slovak calendar. To celebrate the occasion, Martina Greňová Šimkovičová asks: which Slovak Mária do you know? As part of our cultural tips for English speakers at home and abroad, Marek Soltis invites you to the 47th Slovak Heritage Festival in New Jersey. Other cultural highlights include the Cinematik Film Festival in Piešťany, Džem Festival in Košice, Amplión Festival in Banská Štiavnica, and the World Music Festival Bratislava, among others.

Do you know the genre World Music? It blends classical musical traditions with modern elements, creating something that feels both new and yet familiar. Which Slovak bands have made their mark on the global World Music scene? Radio FM editor Vladimír Potančok, who has been following this topic for years, will tell us more — and he'll also invite you to the 10th edition of the World Music Festival in Bratislava, taking place in the capital at the end of September. In the second part of the show, we'll once again look at a personality whose name you can also find on Slovak street signs. This time, the spotlight will be on the storyteller Pavol Dobšinský.

In the next episode of our Window to the World series, we'll visit the Slovak town of Bojnice – famous for its beautiful castle and zoo – and the Italian town of Rosta to explore their partnership and shared activities. Later, we'll take you to a unique event, LingvaFest, a festival that brings together language lovers and polyglots from near and far.