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A number of Czech politicians, both in government and in the opposition, are expressing shock over findings by Czech daily Mladá fronta Dnes and commercial broadcaster TV Nova, revealing alleged involvement by a Civic Democrat MP in a dirt-digging and blackmail scandal. Mladá fronta reported on Friday that 29-year-old Civic Democrat MP Jan Morava spent months trying to attain compromising material on fellow MPs for blackmail and character assassination purposes. According to sources, he met with what he believed were private detectives on a number occasions for purposes of digging up material, not realising they were really journalists. The meetings were recorded by hidden camera. After the story broke, Mr Morava apologised but reportedly denied any wrongdoing. Some politicians, including the head of the Green Party Martin Bursík, have expressed deep concern over the case and said the MP should give up his post.

The Czech Republic has asked the United States to help it upgrade its military transport planes, but denies such aid would be in reward for hosting a US radar base in central Bohemia. The story was reported by Reuters. As a NATO member with troops in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, the Czech Republic needs modern military transport to move its forces, Deputy Foreign Minister Tomáš Pojar said on Thursday after talks at the US State Department. He stressed that Prague had never asked for any reward for agreeing to host a US radar facility - part of the United States’ planned defence shield in Europe. The Czech Republic and the US signed a treaty on the radar base in July, while a supplementary treaty is expected to be signed in September. The plans will then need to be approved by the Czech Parliament.

A state prosecutor has rejected a legal complaint by two employees of an Ostrava construction company charged in connection with a deadly train accident in August. Zdeňek Malý and Oldřich Magnusek could face up to ten years in prison for allegedly having failed to have taken steps to properly secure a bridge under construction over tracks in the eastern part of the country. On August 8 the bridge collapsed ahead of an oncoming train. Seven people were killed, and 70 were injured in the tragedy, described as one of the worst Czech railway accidents in recent memory. Both men charged have denied any wrongdoing; the police have not ruled out that others might still be charged in connection with the case.

A Prague court has cancelled a ministry decision allowing selected roads in Prague's Pankrác neighbourhood to be widened in connection with two planned high-rise buildings in the area. The Ministry for Local Development supported Prague City Hall's decision on widening the roads in connection with the project back in 2005. Now, the ministry will have to again weigh the matter as a result of the verdict. Numerous activists opposed to the buildings say ECM, the firm behind the proposals, will have to go back to the drawing board or scrap the project. Prague’s Pankrác is home to a number of high-rise buildings but critics have long opposed new additions as a threat to the city’s historic skyline.