MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Sunday, 7 December 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Saturday, 6 December): BRATISLAVA - Slovak prose writer, journalist and screenwriter Olga Feldekova died on Saturday at the age of 82, TASR was confirmed by her son Martin, and Anna Olvecka, a family friend of the Feldek family. Born on 28 March 1943 in the town of Martin (Zilina region), Olga Feldekova grew up in the Upper Orava area. After graduating from high school in 1960, she continued her university studies, meanwhile (1960-1961) working as a labourer at a company called Tesla Orava. After completing her studies in journalism at the Faculty of Philosophy of Comenius University (1967), she worked as a freelancer. In the meantime, she gave birth to and raised five children. She worked externally as an editor for a magazine called New Word of Youth (1978–1982) and compiled two anthologies of young Slovak prose from contributions by talented authors. After the demise of the New Word of Youth she became a dramaturge for Slovak film production (1982–1990), and from 1990 she was once again a freelancer. Her debut book was published in 1976. She wrote several novels, poetry and a number of short stories. Feldekova's husband, Lubomir Feldek, is a well-known Slovak poet, prose writer, dramatist and translator. BRATISLAVA - The only way for the governing coalition to remain in power until the regular parliamentary election is to return to faithfully fulfilling the government manifesto, addressing real problems faced by people, and avoiding internal disputes, President Peter Pellegrini stated on STVR's politics programme 'Sobotne dialogy' (Saturday Dialogues). The head of state said that the coalition is not fulfilling its promise of a more peaceful life for Slovak citizens, pointing to the emerging tensions and disputes within the coalition, which, according to the president, are beginning to resemble the previous "quarrelling" government, which it wanted to be the opposite of. "If the government continues to deal with issues that have nothing to do with improving people's quality of life, I think that people's distrust will only deepen," added Pellegrini. He confirmed that he has a professional and constructive relationship with Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD). "We know how to communicate professionally," he explained. The president is also monitoring developments in the opposition. He praised its activity, but believes it still has work to do. "I don't think the opposition is in a position today where it has clear leadership and where people could confidently hand over the running of the country to it, because the opposition still has a lot to do, to work on itself in order to inspire confidence," he said, pointing, for example, to the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party raising the issue of the so-called Benes Decrees. "This is precisely the inexperience and clumsiness of the PS political party, which wanted to appeal to Hungarian voters and brought up the topic of the Benes Decrees in such an unprofessional and clumsy manner that it sparked a huge debate," he noted. BRATISLAVA - Speaking on STVR's politics programme 'Sobotne dialogy' (Saturday Dialogues), President Peter Pellegrini admitted the possibility that he'll return the draft law on changing the Whistleblowers Protection Office (UOO) to a new office to Parliament for further discussion after reviewing it, and added that this is very likely to happen. The head of state justified this by saying that he wants to be sure that Slovakia won't have any problems on the domestic and, above all, international scene. According to his information, the European Union still has doubts about the bill. "I'm suggesting that the government hasn't been addressing the real problems of this country all week, but rather a substitute issue such as the scrapping of the office, and I can't guarantee today that I'll sign it. It's highly likely that I'll return it to Parliament after reviewing it, because I want to be sure that Slovakia won't have a problem with it, not only on the domestic scene, but especially on the international stage. I've read reports and some communications about how the negotiations in Brussels went, and Brussels still has doubts," said Pellegrini, asking why the urgency of the proposal was so strong that the government had to meet on Saturday (22 November) and "completely atypically" send it to the House via a fast-tracked legislative procedure. VATICAN - A mosaic of Our Lady of Sorrows, the patron saint of Slovakia, was solemnly unveiled in the Vatican Gardens on Friday (5 December), with the ceremony attended by Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, representatives of the Conference of Bishops of Slovakia (KBS), the Holy See and members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See. The artwork is intended to firm up the spiritual ties between Slovakia and the Vatican and honour the Virgin Mary. It was created by Greek Catholic priest Kamil Drab of Centro Arte in Stara Lubovna (Presov region). "We installed the mosaic a few days ago. Its theme is Our Lady of Sorrows, the patron saint of Slovakia. It's essentially Slovakia's contribution to the Vatican Gardens. The mosaic is meant to symbolise something deeply spiritual and at the same time something very close to Slovakia," Drab explained, noting that the mosaic adorns one of the ancient walls in the garden. Kosice Metropolitan Archbishop and KBS chairman Bernard Bober described the project as a symbol of the spiritual bond between Slovakia and the Vatican. "It reminds us that Our Lady of Sorrows holds a special place in our nation and in the lives of all believers. She is the Mother of comfort and compassion, which we all need so much," he said, adding that the Vatican Garden may later host another artwork featuring Saints Cyril and Methodius, "if it is God's will and with the Vatican's approval". BRATISLAVA - For the sixth time, the SNP Central Military Hospital in Ruzomberok (Zilina region) has been chosen as the best state university and faculty hospital of the year, with Agel Hospital in Kosice-Saca successfully defending first place in the general hospital category, according to the 11th annual hospital evaluation by the Institute for Economic and Social Reforms (INEKO), which is based on comparing data primarily between 2021-2024. "In our opinion, increasing transparency by publishing relevant information on the quality and effectiveness of health care provision is one of the key prerequisites for ensuring that the public is better informed, for making more informed decisions and for exerting more effective pressure to improve public services, which in turn motivates health-care facilities to improve constantly. The goal is for patients to receive the best care at the best price," said INEKO head Dusan Zachar. The F.D. Roosevelt Faculty Hospital in Banska Bystrica maintained second place in the category of state university and faculty hospitals, with Martin University Hospital (Zilina region) coming in third. The ranking of the top three has remained unchanged for the fourth consecutive year. Ruzomberok Hospital achieved the best rating in eight indicators, including readmissions, and patient satisfaction. In the general hospital category, Bratislava's Bory Hospital, evaluated for the first time, took second place. Third place went to Topolcany Hospital. "The top three spots are occupied by hospitals operating as joint-stock companies, and for the first time in the history of the evaluation these are exclusively privately owned facilities," noted Zachar. am