Seven days during the Summer Olympics in Rome in 1960 were enough for Karol Kállaya to photograph the book Italy Today. It was the first time abroad behind the Iron Curtain. When the book was published three years later, Kállay became one of the photographers-reporters who transformed the language of modern photography in the world as well. That is why Kállay is synonymous with photography in Slovakia. On Sunday, April 26, it will be one hundred years since his birth. We present a selection of the best photographs of Karol Kállay as well as the statements of ten top photographers from Slovakia who talk about him and his work.
This week, the long-awaited film Michael arrived in cinemas around the world. However, as the reporter Kristína Kúdelová writes, Michael remained not so much a mystery as a cautious biography that will not harm the legend of Michael Jackson in any way. While it is obvious that it is only thanks to the fact that he avoids many things.
“Many people think that for people in a wheelchair, life is one big tragedy, confined to the four walls of an apartment or a medical clinic. They don’t see that life with a handicap can be full-fledged, active, and we can give a lot back to society,” says Natália Turčinová, who lives with an incurable diagnosis. Reporter Monika Moravčíková talked to her about how her life with spinal muscular atrophy looks like.
We also bring you news from science, for example about the discovery of new substances on Mars or an interview with a Slovak scientist who researched elephants, tips on how to keep your brain in good shape and which films of 2026 are worth watching, and you can also take a look at the interesting reconstruction of a Bratislava apartment.
Aristocrat, makach, with open eyes and heart. See Karol Kállay’s photos and what 10 photographers say about them
Karol Kállay: Mexico City, 1960s. (source: Karol Kállay)
At first, he photographed differently than others in the country, at least for a certain, not a short time, he kept up with the best in the world, and during his career, which spanned many decades, he did not slide into the average.
If Karol Kállay was only a skilled photographer who composes images well, he would not have been approached for cooperation by some of the best European picture magazines. If only he had the courage to take pictures of the unknown, his photographs would not appeal to the viewer with their artistic side, but also with humor, which they often contain.
Kállay combined skill, courage and luck. And he also had a personal warmth with which he got closer to people and left them with a sense of friendship or openness that forced him not to stand still.
A humiliating scene with the police was also filmed. But the irritating things had to go out of the movie about Jackson
Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson in the movie Michael. (source: CinemArt.)
Michael, your music is a great success, we are happy about it. However, we still need to work on publicity, personal lawyer and adviser John Branca told Michael Jackson in the early eighties. But Jackson was clear in the publicity: he didn’t want any.
I don’t want articles published about me, I don’t want to give interviews. I want to remain mysterious, he said with a smile and Branca did not object.
One drug costs over 60,000 euros. In order to have a better quality of life, she needs it three times a year
Natália Turčinová has been living with spinal muscular atrophy since an early age. (source: Jozef Jakubčo)
Your child will be sick for life. When Natália Turčinová’s parents heard this sentence from the doctors, their daughter was barely a year and a half old. She was changing from a healthy baby to a toddler who was behind in development compared to other children, even taking her first steps in a completely different way than her peers.
She could not walk upright, only with a bent back, she was constantly looking for support with her hands.
More than thirty years ago, however, the diagnostic possibilities were not at the same level as they are today, so they gradually accepted the reality without a precise diagnosis.
“They told us that it was an incurable disease, that it would get worse and that I would gradually lose my motor skills. My parents put up with it, we found a community of people in a similar situation and we didn’t look for a diagnosis anymore,” 34-year-old Natália Turčinová recalls for SME.
They discovered a chemical substance on Mars that resembles the Earth’s DNA precursor
The Curiosity rover in the Glen Torridon region. In this place, he conducted an experiment in which he discovered a varied mixture of organic compounds. (source: MSSS, NASA, JPL/Caltech)
They have discovered organic compounds on Mars that no one has ever found there before. In the colorful mixture of organic compounds, there are also chemical substances that we consider to be the basic building blocks on Earth, necessary for the creation of life.
They show that the surface of Mars can preserve molecules that could serve as traces of ancient life. However, the organic compounds discovered by the Curiosity rover cannot be attributed to the existence of ancient life.
The brain withers when you make your life easier with artificial intelligence. How to bring friction into life?
(source: Adobe Stock)
Thanks to modern technology, it’s never been easier to write an email, order food, or look up that actor’s name you can’t remember.
However, some are beginning to wonder if the faster and hassle-free way is always the best.
Aren’t we missing something by not engaging our brain in everyday tasks?
They live in isolation and mate with relatives. A Slovak scientist studied the genome of African elephants
Evolutionary biologist Patrícia Chrzanová Pečnerová works as an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen. In his research, he focuses on elephants and their extinct relatives – mammoths. (source: Adrián Chrzan, PHOTOBYCHRZI)
Elephants, the largest land mammals, can often resemble humans in their behavior. They are intelligent and have a wide range of emotions.
Although we know relatively much about their life on the African continent, their genome has not been sufficiently explored.
Now, however, the largest genomic research on African elephants, led by a Slovak evolutionary biologist, is being published PATÍRIA CHRZANOVÁ PEČNEROVÁ. They published it in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
The designer remodeled an apartment in the center of Bratislava: Over a hundred thousand for renovation is a common amount
They renovated the apartment during the pandemic and originally wanted a slightly different shade of blue. However, the delivery slowed down, so they chose a compromise. However, it did absolutely no harm in the end. (source: Matej Kotuľa)
While most people today move from the city to quieter suburban satellites, interior designer Martina Mičko did the opposite. Together with her husband, they moved from Čunov straight to the center of Bratislava.
“We both grew up in a block of flats in Petržalka, we were used to it all our lives. It was more of a change for us to go to the family home,” says Martina.
Despite the fact that it was pleasant to live in the house and the generous space around it at the beginning, they later found that they could not use its full potential.
They were at work all day, then rushed home to walk the dogs, if constantly moving for leisure activities or to the city to meet friends.
Although they didn’t pass the family house test, they made sure that they were really city people. However, they returned to Bratislava spoiled by silence and greenery. Finding such housing in the center was, at first glance, an impossible task, but it was possible.
They finally found a new home in the quiet surroundings of Blumentál.
The best movies of 2026 worth seeing
The year 2026 brought several excellent films.
We have passed the first third of 2026 and with it a lot of movie news. Some are so good that they receive fantastic reviews from Czechoslovak and foreign audiences and after only a few weeks are placed in the lists of the best films of the year.
We present those in this article. We only selected films with a rating above 7/10 on IMDB or above 70 percent in ČSFD, which premiered in Slovak cinemas this year.
Five places around Europe where it is more than 25 degrees at the end of April. You can already swim in the sea there
Beach on the island of Djerba. (source: Public Domain Pictures)
Even though spring has already started in full swing in Slovakia, sometimes it still freezes at night and in the morning. We will therefore have to wait a few more weeks for summer temperatures.
At the end of April, however, we are already entering the phase of the year when several destinations directly in Europeor on its edge near Africa, can boast pleasant temperatures rising above 25 degrees Celsius.
Even the temperature of the sea in this period is not to be thrown away, in selected localities it has already exceeded 20 degrees Celsius. That’s already a temperature at which you can at least cool down, if not swim for a while.
15 asparagus recipes: how to prepare green and white asparagus
Asparagus soup with wild garlic (source: Naničmama.sk | ivet@)
Asparagus is one of the most popular spring ingredients, and its season is short, so it’s worth making the most of it. If you are looking for asparagus recipes or wondering how to prepare asparagus, this selection will offer you plenty of tasty inspiration.
Here you can find dishes made from green and white asparagus – from creamy soups to baked or grilled asparagus to simple side dishes for meat. Asparagus tastes great in combination with bacon, ham, egg or cheese, and you can use it to prepare quick and more festive dishes.
Thank you for spending part of your weekend with SME. We wish you a successful start to next week and see you again on Saturday.
