Slovakia Today, English Language Current Affairs Programme from Slovak Radio

Following recent structural changes, RSI is introducing a new broadcasting schedule from November. The daily news bulletin will be complemented by a special feature focusing on regional cooperation in Central Europe. Marking the Visegrad Four presidential summit in Slovakia, we look at how the International Visegrad Fund supports regional cooperation and contributes to EU enlargement. The fund’s Executive Director, Linda Kapustová Helbichová, discusses its grant programmes, academic mobility schemes and cultural partnerships, as well as the challenges facing Central European organisations in accessing EU funding for research and innovation.

Following recent structural changes, RSI is introducing a new broadcasting schedule from November. The daily news bulletin will be complemented by a special feature focusing on regional cooperation in Central Europe. Ahead of the Visegrad Four presidential summit in Slovakia, we look at how the International Visegrad Fund supports regional cooperation and contributes to EU enlargement. The fund’s Executive Director, Linda Kapustová Helbichová, discusses its grant programmes, academic mobility schemes and cultural partnerships, as well as the challenges facing Central European organisations in accessing EU funding for research and innovation.

Following recent structural changes, RSI is introducing a new broadcasting schedule from November. This week’s programme begins with a weekly news roundup, followed by a special feature on regional cooperation in Central Europe. Ahead of the Visegrad Four presidential summit in Slovakia, we explore how the International Visegrad Fund helps strengthen regional cooperation and support EU enlargement. The fund’s executive director, Linda Kapustová Helbichová, discusses its grants, academic mobility programmes and cultural partnerships, as well as the challenges facing Central European organisations in securing EU research and innovation funding.

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

RERUN: Mozart's Requiem played in St Martin's Cathedral in Bratislava ahead of All Saints Day in 2017; Rafal Kiepuszewski's real and virtual walk around Slovak cemeteries in 2016; In a memory of Slovak born world class soprano Lucia Popp in 2019

In this program, we travel to Trenčín to explore two events that bring people together through storytelling and art. At Braided Stories, storytellers from around the world share folk tales and personal experiences of love, loss, alienation and belonging. Organised by Slovak storyteller Martina Jánošíková, the event reveals how stories can bridge cultural divides, connect people across generations and remind us of our shared humanity. We hear from storytellers Umi Sinha, Philippa and María Serrano, as well as Jánošíková herself, about the enduring power of storytelling and its role in a world where meaningful human connection can sometimes feel increasingly rare.

We also visit The Thin Green Line, an exhibition curated by Slovak artist and teacher Otto Hudec that explores how art can raise awareness of environmental challenges and inspire change. Featuring artists from different countries and backgrounds, the exhibition brings together personal reflections, imagined futures and works that blur the boundaries between art and activism. We hear from artists including Diana Lelonek, Oliver Ressler and Cecylia Malik about their approaches to environmental issues, their work with communities and the role creativity can play in protecting the natural world. Together, the two events reveal how storytelling and art can do more than entertain: they can challenge perspectives, spark conversations and encourage us to see our connections to one another and the world around us.

To mark the 108th anniversary of the establishment of Czechoslovakia, Patrícia Polakovičová revisits two reports from the Radio Slovakia International archives. Our late colleague from RSI English section Anka Dragu explores the role of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and Milan Rastislav Štefánik in the creation of the common state, while Martina Šimkovičová Greňová takes listeners to the site of Štefánik's tragic plane crash in 1919, examining the circumstances of his death and his lasting legacy.

Nova Trznica, the new market hall, is the futuristic looking building at Bratislava’s Trnavské mýto. In the past, it was a bustling market hall, an architectural wonder, the place to be in Bratislava. Recently it had fallen on hard times. Those times are past. Ben Pascoe visited the market hall and met with vendors, and organizers Peter Briatka and Illah Van Oijen, who are working hard to rebuild the nova trznica community and breathe new life into the new market hall.

We explore Slovakia’s new primary school curriculum reform and what it means for pupils and teachers. Plus, Slovak Sound Check celebrates its 60th episode with favourite words and memorable moments from past lessons. From colourful fruit and ice cream flavours to city sightseeing, student life, everyday shopping and autumn vocabulary, this part of the series has been packed with practical words, useful phrases and grammar discoveries.

After almost 20 years at RSI, I, Martina Greňová Šimkovičová, am leaving you with a programme dedicated to Slovak literature in English translation — a subject I’ve been following closely for the past eight years. It’s an honour to bring my career at Slovak Radio to a close with Julia Sherwood, a passionate advocate for Slovak literature in English translation. She came to Bratislava on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, to receive the Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav Award for Translator of the Year. Dado Nagy also joins us to talk about Slovak literature in translation. He’s a passionate advocate for quality literature, not just in the Slovak media. Invitations to Slovak culture in Czechia.