News

All allegations of Czechia’s involvement in the plan to overthrow the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro lack any real basis, Daniel Drake, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, said on Wednesday.

The Latin American country detained three US citizens, two Spaniards and one Czech last week over an alleged plot to destabilise the political situation in the country and kill some of its leaders, including Maduro.

The Czech Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia, which is also covers Venezuela, sent a note to the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry asking for detailed information about the case.

The news of the foreigners' detention comes amid surge in tensions between Caracas and Western countries over disputed Venezuelan election results.

The European Commission has received Czechia’s request for assistance after the floods through the EU's civil protection system, the European Commissioner for Emergencies, Janez Lenarčič, confirmed in a debate with MEPs on Wednesday. He also said Slovenia had already offered to help.

An emergency debate at a plenary session in Strasbourg was held on Wednesday on the possibilities of assistance in the wake of the devastating floods that hit central European countries.

According to Deputy Prime Minister Vít Rakušan, Czechia has requested 15,000 dehumidifiers through the European civil assistance system. Meanwhile, it has already begun distributing 8,000 units from its own reserves to flood-affected regions.

Flooding in the Czech Republic has been gradually receding. According to Environment Minister Petr Hladík, all of the streams raised by the extreme rainfall at the end of last week have peaked except for the lower Labe, where no danger is expected.

The situation is most serious in south Bohemia, where the highest flood level is still in effect in 13 places. The level of the Lužnice River could slightly rise during the day with the outflow of the Rožmberk pond. The third flood activity is also in place on the Dyje and Morava rivers in South Moravia.

More than 40,000 households were still without power on Wednesday morning, primarily due to fallen trees and branches caused by days of heavy rain and wind. Most of them, around 37,000, are in the Moravian-Silesian region, according to data from distributors ČEZ and E.ON.

The number of flood-affected areas in Czechia has been steadily decreasing, with about 120 locations still under one of three flood warning levels early on Wednesday, 15 fewer than the previous evening. The highest alert, level three, remains in effect at some 30 stations, mostly in South Bohemia and South Moravia. Meanwhile, police have recorded three incidents of looting and 17 violations of the crisis law. The floods have claimed three lives, with seven people still missing, according to Interior Minister Vít Rakušan. Authorities are closely monitoring areas at risk of further looting.