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 caused, and what measures can be taken to prevent their spread, RSI spoke with two experts from the Slovak Academy of Sciences: botanist Barbora Šingliarová and entomologist Marek Semmelbauer.

The Bratislava Monarchs American Football team are celebrating their 30th season this year. Ben Pascoe visited with the team to find out more about this team/community which has helped bring American Football to Slovakia.

Project Disconnect aims to comprehensively and interdisciplinaryly explore loneliness and social isolation in Slovakia. In this show, we are going to talk to researcher and doctor from Psychiatric Clinic at the Slovak Medical University, Jakub Januška.

A look back at the past week in Slovakia.

At the end of March 2025, a performance of ritual grieving known as plačky was held in front of the Slovak National Gallery, organised by artist Zuzana Žabková. Culture tips for foreigners in and beyond Slovakia feature also invitations for Easter themed workshops.

In this episode, we take a closer look at a controversial draft law in Slovakia that would impose new obligations on NGOs—allegedly in the name of transparency. Through expert insights, protest voices, and political reactions, we explore whether the proposal strengthens democracy or undermines it. Featuring interviews with people from Slovak NGOs as well as reasonings of Slovak politicians, the story aims to reveal what’s really at stake for civil society in Slovakia today.

The city of Bratislava and the Metropolitan institute will once again host the international conference Start With Children in May 2025. Speakers from around the world will take part and discuss themes focused on building better cities for children. Based on the theme that what’s good for children is good for everyone. Ben Pascoe caught up with the summit’s Creative Director Simon Battisti and architect and speaker Dinah Bornat and discussed why starting with children is a good way to build cities.

The 8th of April marks the International Romani Day. To celebrate, we introduce the Romanii theatre scene in Slovakia. First up is Romathan, the only state funded Romani professional theatre - its history and contemporary place. Next up is Dominika Badžová, a Romani playwright from Košice, and the show sums up František Balog, the director of the Parnokalo Theatre.

According to the latest data from research agency NMS, 16% of women in Slovakia suffer from period poverty. This term is desribed as lack of access to sanitary and menstrual products. We talked to Natália Blahová, a representative from the initiative Dôstojná menštruácia, who explains what this alarming problem means from women and how to fight it.

Weekly news digest + feature on foot-and-mouth disease in Slovakia, talk with American Slovaks in the year dedicated to Slovak ex-pats and music awarded at the 2024 Radio_Head Awards run by public Rádio_FM