Slovakia Today, English Language Current Affairs Programme from Slovak Radio

RERUN: The best film of the year 2021, according to Slovak Film and TV Academy, is "107 mothers". RSI spoke to its director Peter Kerekes on the occasion of receiving the Orizzonti award at the 2021 IFF in Venice, Italy. When speaking about international success of a Slovak film, we will be playing several theme tunes from several feature films known on a regional scale.

On the Wednesday show we will continue the interview with sociologist Ela Drazkiewicz from the Slovak Academy of Sciences about the topic of patient rights in public healthcare. And also learn about one peculiar change in travel plans that happened due to the war in Ukraine.

News and Topical Issue. The coronavirus crisis, like the AIDS crisis before it, has provided an opportunity for the resurgence of cases of tuberculosis – a disease that many people had believed was largely a thing of the past. Jonathan speaks with Katarína Mikušová from the Department of Biochemistry at Comenius University’s Faculty of Natural Sciences – also a finalist in the 2021 ESET Science Award – about her contributions to research focused on much needed improvements in the treatment of this very difficult disease. – Slovakia’s long tradition of high-level science and maths competitions for teenagers has helped prepare many students for a career in the sciences. Jonathan speaks with Ronald Doboš, a second-year maths student at Cambridge University in the UK, about the importance of these competitions in shaping his own scientific thinking.

News and Topical Issue. The healing benefits of bathing in mineral water were described already in ancient times and today the method of treating diseases by bathing is referred to as balneotherapy. Listen to the rerun of an interview with doctor Karol Hornáček in the first part of our programming to find out more about the history of spas and to learn what health benefits a spa can bring you. And then, in the second part of today’s programming we are going to take a closer look at the EEA and Norway Grants and will discuss them with the Norwegian ambassador to Slovakia Terje Theodor Nervik.

Slovak language course, kids’ club and classes at elementary school open for refugees from Ukraine in Košice. Labour Ministry launches employment projects for people fleeing war. People using public transportation in Bratislava and surrounding regions can look forward

to integrated passenger terminals.

Slovak singer and composer Ivana Mer will present her album in Prague on the occasion of Earth Day a year after it was released. The top Slovak films are being screened in the capital with English subtitles. And in the capital, the World Circus Day will be honored over the upcoming weekend.

In the Wednesday edition of Slovakia Today, we will visit the new assistance centre for Ukrainians in Bratislava. In the first days of their opperation they managed to help more than 3,000 asylum seekers. Then we will speak to sociologist Ela Drazkiewicz from the Slovak Academy of Sciences about her research on conspiracy theories in health topics. Why has vaccination been such a controversial topic in Slovakia?

Repeat: With internet fraud steeply on the rise, and hackers finding new ways to breach the security of our online accounts, IT security managers have been forcing us to make our online passwords longer and more complicated – and thus harder to remember. But hard-to-remember passwords are not necessarily the best solution, according to IT security expert Pavol Luptak, who recently spoke with Jonathan about a number of important tips – such as using a so-called ‘password manager’ – for improving the online security of regular users like us. -- In June of last year certain parts of the world witnessed a very specific type of astronomical event, called an ‘annular’ solar eclipse, in which the moon appears with a so-called ‘ring of fire’ visible around the edge. Patrik Čechvala, a PhD astronomy student at Bratislava’s Comenius University whose research is focused on high-energy cosmic and gamma rays, explains why it is that an eclipse of this type sometimes occurs instead of a total solar eclipse, and offers tips on websites and apps that can help us understand and visualise what’s happening in the sky.

News and Topical Issue: Today we will present you with the third round of this year’s competition From the Tetras to the Danube, and then you will hear a rerun of a story dedicated to birds and spring traditions.

April 1 belongs to the International Bird Day since 1906 when the International Convention on Birds Protection was signed. On Radio Slovakia International we observe it this Friday, too. We will also delve into some serious foolishness… this being the 1980s American comedy and their fascination with two brothers from Czechoslovakia - the Wild and Crazy Festrunk brothers from the famous Saturday Night Live skit.