Slovakia Today, English Language Current Affairs Programme from Slovak Radio

On the show today, we will roam around Bratislava with Jonathan McCormick and a Chinese tour guide, Paul Yung. Later, Romana Grajcarová is going to discuss primary forests in Slovakia as well as a proposal to declare Slovak Primeval Nature Reserve that would provide Slovak primary forest with the highest level of protection. And since on October 4, today, the name František or Francis is in the calendar, we will look briefly on the visit of pope Francis to Slovakia.

News and Topical Issue. In today’s show, we are going to talk with three foreigners and owners of Bratislava-based restaurants and discuss with them how they managed the first two waves of coronavirus pandemic and how they are preparing for the third one. Then you will hear an interview with Hungarian director Hajni Kis and actor Zorka Horváth about a new film called Wild Roots created in Hungarian/Slovak coproduction.

Significant author of Slovak origin living in Switzerland will receive German PEN Centre award for tirelessly defending justice and freedom. On this occasion, we rerun the interview she gave to RSI in 2018. On the occasion of his 70, we bring you the voice of one of the most significant tenors in the history of Slovak classical music.

Hotel manager Tiago Viganó from Brazil has been living in Slovakia since 2008. Today he manages one of the hotels in the centre of Bratislava, and is one of the faces of the festival of new minorities, Fjúžn, which took place last week in the Slovak capital. Gabriela Muller Mendoza, a communication coach, who dedicates her work to supporting new leaders, visited Slovakia a few days ago. At the invitation of the Slovak Olympic and Sports Committee, she held a seminar on empowering women in sport. On the show today we will also revisit the 2021 Canoe Slalom World Championships, where many legends of the sport in Slovakia said farewell to their impressive careers.

Is there intelligent life to be found on any other planet but our own, anywhere else in the universe? Within the past century or so this question has been the focus of much scientific research and has cost government treasuries a lot of money. But have the results of this so-called Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence, or SETI, justified all the effort and cost? Jonathan speaks with astro-biologist Tomaš Paulech about just this question. – Here in Slovakia a well-known group of experts from various fields has been focused on the spread of Covid and the government response for nearly a year now, regularly fielding requests for advice from decision-makers. But how does the group see its own future, now that the pandemic appears – hopefully – to be entering its final stages in this country? Jonathan puts this question to the founder of Veda pomáha Covid-19, Richard Kollár.

News and Topical Issue. In todays’ show you will hear an interview with Roma language translator and journalist Erika Godlová, who was present in Luník 9 on the day of the Pope’s visit and will provide us with an interesting insight into the particular relationship of Slovak Romas to the Catholic Church.

Slovak national cycling coordinator discusses the European mobility week in Slovakia. Slovak Technical University wants to turn unused railways into cycling roads. The city of Nitra set out cooperation with Icelandic scientists to prevent the use of drugs among young people.

After August 1968, the Communist Party regime becomes stricter again in Czechoslovakia. Those who did not approve of the invasion lose their jobs. In order to keep the general public loyal to the Communist Party, TV focused on broadcasting programs people loved. Sports and TV series.

Young Slovak folk dancer and choreographer has been championing a new way of teaching kids folk moves. We speak to Alfred Lincke and his ensemble Tancovadlo. Then we meet Sheba Juliet, Kenya born Strečno resident. She is one of the Faces of Fjúžn 2021.

With the beginning of the new school year Slovakia is now entering its third wave of the Covid pandemic, with the fast-spreading Delta variant setting the pace. Although it’s still unclear just how severe this wave will be, there are a number of key differences between the situation this year and that of last year at this time – including the way many governments, including Slovakia’s, are approaching the contentious matter of anti-Covid restrictions. Jonathan speaks with mathematical modeller Richard Kollár, whose projections since the beginning of the pandemic have turned out to be rather accurate, about how he sees things likely developing in the coming months – including, at some point not too far off, very possibly the end of the pandemic as we know it.