Slovakia Today, English Language Current Affairs Programme from Slovak Radio

In our rerun program we pay tribute to Martina Kusnirova, the innocent victim of the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak. Due to COVID-19 restrictive measures, the Slovak National Theatre has cancelled all its productions until the end of this anniversary season including the ballet show using the world famous baroque covers of songs by The Beatles re-composed by US based Slovak composer Peter Breiner.

News and Topical issue. We are going to look at a recent initiative by the civic association Ekoteam which decided to comment on an amendment to the Air Protection Act and thus push the lawmakers to lower emission limits for cement plants in Slovakia. Then we will talk to environmental lawyer and For the Clean Air initiative founder Dana Mareková. And finally, we will look at a deposit-refund system for single-use PET bottles and cans that should be introduced in Slovakia in 2022.

On the show today we will speak about learning a foreign language, something many people picked up as a side project during quarantining at home.

Then we will visit, at least virtually, the Jewish cemetery in Námestovo, northern Slovakia, which has towards the end of last year became a target of vandalism. Today, after months of reconstructions, it looks better than before.

As happens in many countries, the brightest and best-educated young graduates in Slovakia often leave their home country to start their careers in wealthier and better-equipped parts of the world, in a well-known phenomenon dubbed the 'brain-drain'. To counteract this phenomenon, some public institutions have designed special programmes to attracts Slovaks back to Slovakia. Jonathan McCormick speaks to Prof Peter Samuely of the Slovak Academy of Sciences about the efforts and relative success of one such programme led by him. Malaria has long been a major problem in various countries of Africa, but new technologies are promising to lead to much earlier diagnosis of the problem, making successful treatment much more likely. Jonathan speaks with Filip Ayazi, a Slovak graduate student at Cambridge University, about the progress of this new technology.

News and Topical Issue. Ombudswoman's annual report of activity for 2019 triggers strong negative reactions from self-proclaimed conservative MPs and a wave of support from civic society's representatives. The current coronavirus epidemic has put in the spotlight older issue in terms of public health in Slovakia- what is to learn from it?

Last season, corona virus prematurely ended the Slovak Tipsport liga ice hockey league and is complicating plans for the next one. Invitation to the Gemer region – Slovak hidden jewel or Slovak Tuscany offering a wide scale of attractions.

News and Topical Issue. Urban meadows in Bratislava discussed with Katarína Klimová from Regional Association for Nature Conservation and Sustainable Development. Negative impact of intensive farming practices on biodiversity in Slovakia from the point of view of the Ministry of agriculture and that of the Slovak Agriculture and Food chamber.

Several foreign media reported on Slovak politicians and public figures and their wearing of face-masks during the pandemic. We speak about the image Slovakia is making abroad with an expert on social media, Jan Zilinsky from the NYU. Eva Furikova used to work in the kitchen of a Bristol based restaurant before the lockdown. Now she works in her own kitchen and helps people in her neighbourhood with their shopping and cooking.

Monday the 18th of May marks 100 years since the birth of Karol Wojtyla, later much more widely known as Pope John Paul II, the first-ever Polish pope. This particular pope - who is widely remembered for his opposition to Soviet communism in Eastern Europe and his influence on its demise - had a strong connection with Slovakia, which neighbours his native Poland, and visited the country three times during his pontificate. On this occasion we speak with several Slovaks connected with these visits who recall the profound effect he had on Slovakia and its Christians. Not many young scientists have the good fortune to begin their career at the prestigious research centre CERN, in Switzerland, but Robert Astaloš is one of them. He speaks with our colleague Petra Zemanova about this unique organisation and the research he's involved in there.

News and Topical issue. Let's travel...virtual way.