Morning Briefing │ Thursday, April 11th, 2024

* LEGISLATION:

The Czech parliament on Wednesday voted to toughen legislation on rape, with stricter definitions that classify all sexual abuse of children under 12 as rape or assault. The amendment was approved by lawmakers across the chamber. Following the “no means no” principle, the bill changes the definition of rape from forced intercourse to intercourse without consent.

* ECONOMY:

Heat consumption from central heating plants in Czechia fell by 9.4 percent year-on-year in 2024, according to data released by the Energy Regulatory Office on Wednesday. A total of 67.8 petajoules of heat was consumed, which is the lowest figure in seven years.

* WEATHER:

Thursday is expected to be mostly sunny with day temperatures ranging between 16 and 20 degrees Celsius.

* EVENTS:

British singer-songwriter Raye will be the main star of Prague’s Metronome festival, which is to take place in the Czech capital in June, the festival’s organizers announced on Wednesday. The pop singer, who won a record six Brit Awards this year, will perform in Czechia for the first time.

* ECONOMY:

The Czech Republic sees its unemployment rate drop below four percent after two months. As of the end of March, the unemployment rate had fallen to 3.9 percent, a significant decrease influenced by warmer weather. At the end of March, there were 288,623 individuals without employment, 7,484 fewer than the previous month