Slovakia Today, English Language Current Affairs Programme from Slovak Radio

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

Radio Slovakia International is turning 33 at the end of March. Radio Prague is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. Discussing their shared history is the Editor-in-Chief of Radio Prague, Klára Stejskalová. Radio journalists David Vaughan and Ingrid Slaninková will share their personal experiences of working in international broadcasting in former Czechoslovakia. At the end of the show, we...

Today’s show explores a new research project by historian Ladislav Vörös from the Slovak Academy of Sciences, titled National and political indifference? The understanding of nation and politics among the Slovak-speaking rural population in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan of the Slovak Republic under the Scholarship for Excellent Researchers. Hist...

On February 15th, Trenčín concluded its three-day European Capital of Culture opening ceremony — a milestone moment that transformed this historic Slovak city into a vibrant stage for contemporary and folk art, performance, and community celebration. Against the dramatic backdrop of Trenčín Castle, centuries of history met bold artistic vision, as public squares filled with light installations, mu...

Weronika Gogola moved from Poland to Slovakia more than a decade ago. Today she writes, translates and raises her family in Bratislava where she has become a local patriot. She sat down with Ben Pascoe to discuss why she chose Slovakia, what it is like being an author here and of course why she has become a local patriot.

Nearly one in ten women in Slovakia experienced psychological or physical violence in the past year. Although slightly below the global average, experts warn the real numbers are likely higher due to underreporting. This feature explores why gender-based violence persists, the factors behind it, and the support available in Slovakia, with insights from Zuzana Očenašová, psychologist and researcher...

Music, letters from listeners, good vibes and the latest episode of Window to the World.

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

Discover the poetry of Nóra Ružičková in English translation by Slovak literary scholar Ivana Hostová. How does a Slovak poet come to life in English through the voice of a fellow Slovak? This unique journey into translation and creativity is explored by the book’s editor, poet Michal Tallo, alongside translator Ivana Hostová, offering insights into the art of bringing poetry across languages. The...

In Thursday’s programme, we will focus on the latest research by the agency Intrum, presenting the results of the largest European survey on consumer payment behaviour, the European Consumer Payment Report 2025 (ECPR 2025). The survey was conducted in August 2025 and involved 20,000 consumers from 20 European countries, including 1,000 respondents from Slovakia. We will discuss the findings, consu...

Invasive species—ranging from plants and animals to insects—are a growing global threat, causing an estimated $400 billion in economic damage each year. Beyond the financial toll, they wreak havoc on native ecosystems, contributing to the decline of biodiversity and widespread agricultural losses. To better understand which invasive species have entered Slovakia, the extent of the damage they’ve c...

Former RSI team member, former head of AmCham and long time expat in Slovakia, Jake Sleger,s sits down with Ben Pascoe to discuss the state of Slovakia today and how things have changed over his 30 years here.

Can Gen Z become the generation that drives real change? That question framed the conference Generation of Change, organised by the Youth Council of Slovakia (RmS), which connects organisations working with young people across the country. The event also marked the closing of the international project We Are Here Together, implemented with the Ukrainian Youth Council. Focused on active citizenship...

On Sunday we read some of the lietters from our listeners and play some music.

A look back at the past week in Slovakia Today.

In 2026, Slovakia’s public broadcaster commemorates two major milestones: 100 years since the launch of radio broadcasting and 70 years since the start of television broadcasting in the territory of today’s Slovak Republic. To mark these anniversaries, RSI presents the special series 100 Years on the Air. The first episode, dedicated to the early days of radio broadcasting in Slovakia, was prepare...

The non-profit organization Tlakový hrniec recently presented findings from its internal research focusing on the risks and dangers young people face when chatting with artificial intelligence. Inappropriate content, including pornography, is widely exploited on many platforms by curious users, who are often children. We will discuss this issue with Lívia Halmkan, the director of the NGO Tlakový h...

On the one hand, he was a writer and a great cultural manager. On the other hand, his attitudes during the dramatic years of the wartime state led to a bitter journey into exile. This controversial period of his life erased him from Slovak textbooks for many decades. Learn about Jozef Cíger Hronský with Marika Antašová, who prepared a story marking the 130th anniversary of the writer’s birth.

Ben Pascoe talks Slovak literature with author and translator Michal Hvorecký and book expert Dado Nagy. They give some recommendations about some of the best Slovak books that can be read in English. (Repeat)

After the Winter Olympic Games, the spotlight now shifts to the Paralympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. According to Tomáš Varga, head of the Slovak Paralympic delegation, Slovakia will make history — sending its largest winter Paralympic team ever and, for the first time, competing in every sport on the programme. Just before the team’s departure to Italy, we spoke with Miroslav Dráb, ge...

This Sunday we announce the winner of the first round of this year’s competition series, Living Water, and launch a brand-new round focusing on the picturesque spa town of Piešťany. We also share greetings from our listeners and round off the programme with a selection of strong female voices from the contemporary Slovak music scene, celebrating International Women’s Day, observed worldwide on the...

A look back at the past week in Slovakia and on RSI.

Celebrating the women’s fight for equality and liberation, we speak with acclaimed director Yvonne Vavrová about her experience as a female filmmaker starting out in the 1980s and about the challenges her students face today in the 2020s. Slovak film producer Matej Sotník explains why he joined the co-production of If Pigeons Turned to Gold, which has just won the Best Documentary Award at Berlina...

Slovakia is considering a potential ban on social media use for children under the age of 15, citing concerns about mental health and online safety. The proposal has sparked debate about whether stricter regulation can truly protect young people in the digital age or whether education and smarter platform rules would be more effective than prohibition. In this programme, we explore the risks child...

On February 15th, Trenčín concluded its three-day European Capital of Culture opening ceremony — a milestone moment that transformed this historic Slovak city into a vibrant stage for contemporary and folk art, performance, and community celebration. Against the dramatic backdrop of Trenčín Castle, centuries of history met bold artistic vision, as public squares filled with light installations, mu...