Slovakia Today, English Language Current Affairs Programme from Slovak Radio

From the legacy of Saints Cyril and Methodius to the healing mountain air of the High Tatras - this week's programme combines history, culture and wellbeing. We also announce the winner of our latest competition and launch a new round with a chance to win an attractive spa stay.

Where we look back at the most important headlines from the past week and reports from RSI English section.

In today's programme, you'll hear from the newly elected Vice-President of the Federation of European Film Academies, Katarína Krnáčová, speaking about the current state of the Slovak film industry. Later, writer Peter Getting and translator Igor Otčenáš will discuss the power of language — and how it can be misused. At the end of the show, we'll also bring you cultural tips from Trnava, Nitra, Tr...

In this week’s programme, we speak with American author, journalist, and disability rights advocate Elizabeth Sammons about accessibility, inclusion, and her recent visit to Slovakia as part of the Fulbright Specialist Program. In the second half, we turn to our economics segment with Peter Majer, spokesperson for the National Bank of Slovakia, who looks back at the institution’s history, its role...

What do probation work and theoretical chemistry have in common? More than you might think. In this edition of RSI, we meet two remarkable Slovak women whose careers may seem worlds apart, yet both are driven by the same goal – helping people. Probation officer and author Alena Gulánová explains why justice should never lose its human face, while young chemist Viktória Pohorelská shows how curiosi...

In honour of Canada and the founding of the Canadian-Slovak Chamber of Commerce, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada to Slovakia, Karen Mollica, visits the RSI studio. On this special occasion Ben Pascoe and Jacques Hoflack, from the French section of RSI, talk Canada and Slovakia in English and French.

RERUN: On the occasion of International Women in Diplomacy Day (June 24), a public discussion was held at the European Parliament Liaison Office in Bratislava. In this follow-up, we bring you highlights from the event and conversations with both the organizers and guests about the importance of women's representation in diplomacy and other high-level leadership positions. Among the speakers are fo...

The week we look back at 100 years of Slovak radio and of course read some letters from our listeners.

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

Artists in residence. Scientists coming and going. Plenty of children. Two dogs. Caravans lined along the edge of the woods surrounding the meadows. That was Kvantum festival in 2026. Tips for other cultural events suitable for English speakers living in or visiting Slovakia included too.

More than three decades after the fall of communism, the stories of those who suffered under the regime continue to shape Slovakia’s understanding of freedom and democracy. In this programme, we mark the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Communist Regime, which falls on June 24, by exploring how political repression affected ordinary lives and why these memories still matter today. This pro...

In this episode of our Green Slovakia series, we explore how the Technical University in Zvolen (TUZVO) is helping to educate the next generation of Slovak conservationists. We speak with Vice-Dean for International Relations Tomáš Lepeška about the university’s history, its environmental science programmes, and the opportunities available to students. We then head into the Tatra Mountains for a f...

Ben Pascoe visits Banská Štiavnica and meets the director of the Kosmopol Theatre Mila Dromovich and talks Tajchs with the director of the Štiavnický tajch civic organization, Michal Červeň.

On 21 June 1991, the last transport carrying Soviet troops crossed Czechoslovakia's eastern border, bringing to an end the 23-year military presence that followed the Warsaw Pact invasion of August 1968. Today, we look back on the events that shaped an entire generation with historian Peter Jašek from the National Memory Institute (ÚPN). Together, we trace the story from the invasion and subsequen...

This week on RSI, we begin by sharing reception reports and messages from our listeners around the world. We then continue with another edition of our regular feature, Window to the World. To close the programme, we mark International Moon Day with Slovakia After Dark - a selection of songs by Slovak artists inspired by night-time atmospheres, open skies and moments when the world slows down.

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

One of Slovakia’s most effective ambassadors of cultural diplomacy is the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra. In the summer of 2026, the Slovak Philharmonic has been invited to tour Japan for the fifteenth time since 1980. While 30th edition of Pohoda begins on 8 July — extended this year by an additional opening day featuring a concert by The Cure — numerous other festivals will also be taking place a...

According to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic, 68 criminal offenses with a racial or extremist motive were recorded in 2025. However, these figures do not reflect the large number of cases that go unreported. Hate crimes are a problem affecting society as a whole because they target victims based on their perceived “difference” — such as nationality, ethnic origi...

In this feature, we explore two innovative research projects being developed in Slovakia. One aims to make rehabilitation more personalized through smart sensors and artificial intelligence, while the other investigates the extraordinary potential of cold plasma in medicine and environmental protection. Together, they offer a glimpse into how Slovak science is helping shape the future of healthcar...

Ben Pascoe visits Slovakia’s biggest Slowfood festival, Degustorium, to find out more about slowfood in Slovakia today.

RERUN: May 2nd, 2025 marked the 30th anniversary of Dežo Ursíny's passing. This radio show looks at the life and work of this Slovak musical legend, filmmaker, and thinker. With the help of his son Jakub Ursiny, film producer Marián Urban and music journalist Marián Jaslovský we explore what made him so special. From his early music to his deep, personal films, Dežo Ursiny’s art still speaks to pe...

Sunday show dedicated to letters from our listeners and some inspiration for summertime music.

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

The Bratislava literary festival, commonly known as BRaK, brought together readers and the wider community of authors, poets, translators, critics, and professionals working in the book industry, including publishers, distributors, illustrators, and even book reviewers from all across Slovakia. Although it is called the Bratislava literary festival, it also hosted several public readings and discu...

Join us as we take a look at the second edition of the biennial Teen Theatre Festival in Trnava, organized by the Ján Palárik Theatre. The motto of this year’s edition – WE ARE NOT ALONE – invited audiences to see the world, and themselves, from an entirely new perspective. The festival featured performances and artistic works that connected imagination, the realities of adolescence, and scientifi...