News

People around the country have been paying their last respects to the late Cardinal Domink Duka who passed away early on Tuesday morning. Throughout the day believers, politicians and cultural and church dignitaries made their way to the seat of the Prague Archbishopric on Hradčanské Square in Prague to sign a condolence book and lay flowers in the late Cardinal’s memory.

The first entry was made by Prague Archbishop Jan Graubner who described Dominik Duka as a fighter who wasn’t afraid to stir debate. “He had the courage to take a stand, even at the risk of making mistakes or missing the mark,” Archbishop Jan Graubner said. He added that he is grateful to God “for all that was accomplished in this country through Cardinal Duka.”

Outside of the capital, the late Cardinal was remembered in masses with people laying flowers and lighting candles in their local church.

According to Vojtěch Mátl, head of Duka’s secretariat, the late Cardinal had expressed the wish to be laid to rest in St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle, where several of his predecessors are buried.

The funeral mass will take place on Saturday, November 15. Cardinal Duka will be interred in the archbishops’ crypt within the Chapel of St. Vitus. Archbishop Graubner said he expects that, on the occasion, the great bell Zikmund will ring out across Prague.

Czech national Petr Klement will become the new Director-General of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), several sources confirmed following the European Commission’s decision on Tuesday.

Klement currently serves as Deputy to the European Chief Prosecutor at the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO). His appointment marks the first time in history that a representative from the Czech Republic will lead the EU’s key anti-corruption body.

The Czech Republic will not back the European Union’s plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent by 2040 compared to 1990 levels, Environment Minister Petr Hladík reaffirmed at a meeting of EU environment ministers in Brussels on Tuesday.

The Danish presidency will seek consensus on the European Commission’s proposal during the ministerial talks, but Prague remains skeptical of the 90-percent target. According to Hladík, one key reason is that the EU executive has not produced impact assessments for individual industrial sectors.

A ban on electric unicycles has been imposed in Brno’s city centre after a wave of complaints from the public. The local council based its decision on the argument that the one-wheeled vehicles pose a hazard to pedestrians. Delivery couriers using unicycles will now have to dismount or switch to other forms of transport in the affected streets. Violations of the new ban carry on-the-spot fines of up to CZK 1,500, or between CZK 2,500 and 5,000 in administrative proceedings.

Prague recently issued a ban on shared e-scooters as of 2026 for safety reasons.