Last update 26/07/10 Germans love Austrians, poll shows
The Austrians have been chosen as the Germans’ most popular neighbours. Researchers Emnid found that 22 per cent of the around 1,000 Germans
questioned said they preferred Austrians, with the Swiss and French tied
for second place with 17 per cent each. The Dutch came third with 15
per cent, the agency added today (Thurs).
Those naming Austrians as their favourite neighbours said they regarded them as friendly and hardworking.
Germans are the most important market for the Austrian tourism as they
have topped the overnight rankings for many years. And with around
140,000 residents, Germans are the biggest group of foreigners living in
Austria. The two countries have had a love-hate relationship for many years that
is often dominated by rivalry in sport, and mostly good-natured mockery
over the others’ habits and traditions.
19/07/10 Sensational 65kph water slide opens in Austria
One of the most spectacular water slides in the world has been set up
in Austria at a Tyrolean swimming pool.The "L2 Wildsau" (L2 Raging Pig) chute – now open at the Wasserwelt
outdoor swimming pool in Wörgl – features a trapdoor start sending those
daring to use it down 14 metres before catapulting them up into two
looping slides at speeds up to 65 kilometres per hour.Courageous bathers are offered DVDs showing their courageous rides as
several cameras are set up all along the inside of the slide. Swimmers need to be older than 14 and weigh between 45 and 130 kilograms
to go for a ride on the "L2" slide.
Wörgl Wasserwelten managers expect record visitor figures over the next
few days thanks to the new attraction as Austria is sweltering in a
heatwave with top temperatures of 37 degrees centigrade. 12/07/10
Female teachers dominate Austrian classrooms Nine in ten primary school teachers are women, new figures have
shown. The education ministry said today (Thurs) only 10 per cent of teachers
working at primary schools across the country are men, adding that
Austrian special needs schools had a meagre 14 per cent share of male
pedagogues.
The ministry – headed by Social Democrat (SPÖ) Claudia Schmied – said
figures were based on 2008/2009 statistics.
It said the overall female share among teachers employed at all kinds of
schools in the country was 70 per cent, up from 45 per cent in 1961 and
57 per cent in 1981.
Trade schools were the only institutes with female teachers in the
minority in the 2008/2009 term with 33 per cent.
The ministry said women were set to dominate the picture as eight in 10
students at teacher training colleges – where lower grade and special
schools teachers-to-be are educated – were female.
Men are also in the minority among students at universities offering
courses on teaching at upper class schools such as Oberstufengymnasien
with just 32 per cent being male.
02/07/10 Traffic jam warning as summer holidays start
Traffic experts have warned they expect massive traffic jams this
weekend and next week as almost 500,000 students finish school today (Fri).
Motorists' associations Arbö and ÖAMTC announced jams were most likely
to clog the A23 Südosttangente motorway near Vienna and the A2 southern
motorway this weekend as several construction and renovation projects
are currently being carried out there.
They added that, apart from 480,000 students in Burgenland, Vienna and
Lower Austria, students in Belgium and some German states start their
summer holidays this weekend.
The nine-week summer holidays in Austria's other six provinces start
next weekend.
Tens of thousands of motorists are expected to travel through Austria to
reach southern holiday destinations like Italy and Croatia.
Arbö said around 18 per cent of Austrians planning to take the car on
holiday are expected to drive to Croatia this summer season, while
around the same figure would head for Italy.
23/06/10 Summertime starts with snow!
Several Austrian mountain areas will see snowfall over the next few
days as cold weather dominates the country.
Experts at Vienna's Centre for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG) said
temperatures today (Mon) would not be higher than 20 degrees centigrade
while a maximum 25 degrees centigrade is expected tomorrow and
Wednesday.
They added snow will fall at 1,700 metres sea level in northern Alpine
areas today. Some rainfall and strong winds are expected to dominate in
the provinces of Styria, Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland over the
next three days as the summer period starts today.
Unusually cold conditions come after a week-long period of top
temperatures between 33 and 37 degrees centigrade, which was preceded by
days dominated by fierce thunderstorms and floods.
12/06/10
Weather warning as homes flooded in Austria
Hundreds of basements in the provinces of Upper Austria and Lower
Austria were flooded last Wednesday after days of continuous rainfall.
Officials at Vienna's Centre for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG)
warned residents living near the Danube, Enns and other rivers to
protect their homes as more rain is predicted over the next few days.
But they stressed the situation would not become as dramatic as in the
neighbouring Czech Republic and Poland.
Fire brigades in dozens of towns in Upper Austria and Lower Austria are
currently busy pumping out cellars and first-floor flats.
Hundreds of homes in Upper Austria, Lower Austria and Burgenland were
left uninhabitable after floods in June 2009, while dozens of cars and
houses in Burgenland and Lower Austria were wrecked last week by
thunderstorms and tornados.
7/06/10 Austria to test 'alco-lock' anti-drink drive system
The traffic ministry has revealed plans to introduce an "alco-lock"
anti-drink drive system.
Social Democratic (SPÖ) Traffic Minister Doris Bures announced today
(Mon) a pilot project testing the system with bus and lorry drivers as
well as with people who preliminarily lost their licence for drink
driving will start in late summer.
The system asks the drivers for a breathalyser test and prevents them
from starting the car if they are drunk.
Similar systems are currently being tested in Belgium, France, Sweden,
Germany, Norway Spain and the Netherlands.
The Federal Committee for Traffic Safety (KfV) said in March that the
number of people dying in traffic accidents declined by 6.8 per cent
year on year as 633 people lost their lives on Austrian roads in 2009.
The number is the lowest since the start of standardised traffic
accident records in 1961.
The institution added that the number of people who died in crashes
involving drink driving declined by 13.2 per cent from 53 to 46. 30/05/10 Vienna Fiaker driver run over by own horses
A fiaker driver was hospitalised after he was run over by his own
carriage in Vienna on Saturday.
The 34-year-old got off his parked carriage in Dr. Karl Lueger Ring in
the city centre when his two horses bolted. The animals, reportedly
startled by a passing tram, trampled over the man before coming to a
halt after a few metres. The driver suffered bruises while one of the
horses was slightly injured too.
A similar incident occurred only last month as an unmanned fiaker horse
carriage raced through the city centre. The driver chased after it in a
colleague's fiaker. Two parked cars were damaged before the carriage was
eventually halted after its one-kilometre ride.
Fiaker horse carriages are one of the Austrian capital's top
attractions. Drivers do good business taking tourists for a sightseeing
ride through the city centre.
27/05/10 Many Austrians want Schilling back as Euro falters
Almost one in three Austrians call for a comeback of the Schilling as
the country's currency, a poll has revealed.
Research agency Karmasin found that 26 per cent of Austrians want a
reintroduction of the Schilling which was replaced by the Euro in 2002.
Fifty-one per cent of people the body spoke to, for political news weekly
profi,l meanwhile said they were "optimistic" that the European Union
(EU) would get through its current crisis.
Some political leaders have labelled the current situation in which has
seen the Euro drop in value the most difficult situation the EU has
found itself since its foundation.
Karmasin, who spoke to 500 Austrians earlier this month for its survey,
also said 42 per cent of Austrians oppose the plan that national
governments assist financially struggling EU member states.
The Austrian participation in the international "rescue plan" for Greece passed the national parliament yesterday (Weds).
16/05/10 'Mozart effect' a myth, say scientists
Listening to works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart does not make people
more intelligent, groundbreaking research by a group of Austrian
scientists has found.
Researchers at Vienna University said they looked into 39 international
studies conducted on the issue in which more than 3,000 people took
part.
Study leader Jakob Pietschnig said yesterday (Tues): "I recommend
listening to Mozart to everyone, but not to increase one's intelligence
or performance of any kind. His music does not have such an effect."
The research follows US psychologist Scott Lilienfeld branding the
"Mozart effect" sixth in his list of "50 Great Myths of Popular
Psychology".
The myth first surfaced in 1993 when American psychologist Frances H.
Rauscher claimed that listening to the composer's music would help
people perform better in intelligence tests.
His comments led to several US states giving away free CDs with the
Salzburg-born composer's symphonies to women who had just given birth.
Mozart is an essential aspect of the Austrian tourism industry. Hundreds
of thousands of people visit Salzburg and Vienna every year to follow
in the composer's steps.
10/05/10 Vienna is Europe's new 'dog-trafficking mafia hub', say police
Police have branded Vienna International Airport (VIA) the "new main
turnstile" of the internationally operating animal-trafficking Mafia as
26 puppies were discovered on Saturday.
A police official said: "We discovered the dogs in the
boot of a car parked on the airport's K1 parking lot. Our team acted on
an anonymous tip-off."
He added that the different breeds were destined for Spain."We suspect up to 250 puppies being flown to Spain from Vienna every
week," Alexander Willer, from the local animal shelter said the dogs are now
being looked after.
Meanwhile investigations against the Spaniard who wanted to transport
the puppies to his home country continue."The suspect admitted he earned around 50,000 Euros for transferring up
to 300 animals since 2009," a police spokesman said.
1st May 2010 Jools Holland to return for Graz gig
Jools Holland will perform in Graz later this year. The English pianist is set to give a concert at the city's Kasematten
venue on 7 June.
Holland, a founding member of UK pop band Squeeze, has been touring and
recording as a solo artist since 1978. His most recent release is 2009
single "I Went By", a collaboration with Louise Marshall.
Holland received a Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for
services to the British music industry in 2003.
The Graz show will be already the second time Holland, who is one of the
most popular music TV show presenters in the United Kingdom, hits the
stage in Austria.
Holland joined "The ABC & D of Boogie Woogie", the side project of
Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, during a performance in Bad Ischl
in January.He will be returning to perform in Bad Ischl for the famous 'Shake the Lake' Jazz event between 2-6th June.
Britishrock.cc meanwhile reports that American singer-songwriter William
Fitzsimmons is to give a concert at Vienna's Haus der Musik on 1 June,
before Swedish pop rock singer Moneybrother performs a solo show at the
city's W.U.K. club on 16 June.
Other eagerly awaited live music dates are the performances of Austrian
bands Sofa Surfers and Bauchklang at the Gasometer Vienna on 11
September and the concert by Welsh rockers Stereophonics at the city's
Arena on 6 July.
24/04/10 VCÖ bids for cycling as new figures reveal Austrians' car lust
One in two car rides in Austria are shorter than five kilometres,
according to a traffic expert.
Martin Blum of the Traffic Club Austria (VCÖ) appealed on politicians to
invest more in cycling networks and public transport to tackle the
current situation.
Blum said today (Weds): "Half of the distances covered in cars are
shorter than five kilometres, while 8.5 per cent lie even below 1,000
metres."
The VCÖ official said politicians could do their part in protecting the
environment by spending more on the extension of cycling paths networks.
"Cycling must become more attractive," he said.
Recent VCÖ research shows that Austrians covered an overall of 1.9
billion kilometres by bike last year. Almost two million of the around
eight million Austrians cycle several times a week, while another 2.4
million do so "now and then". This means 151 million litres of car fuel
worth around 160 million Euros were saved in 2009.
Motorists' associations have warned the coalition government to withdraw
plans to increase car fuel taxes to avoid "burdening people further".
Some experts have warned the potential move would not lead to more tax
revenue since it might bring "fuel tourism" to a halt. This term
describes the thousands of foreigners crossing the border to Austria to
fill their vehicles, since petrol in Austria is cheaper than in most of
its seven neighbouring states.
Blum meanwhile revealed that less than one per cent of car trips in
Austria cover more than 200 kilometres.
"All this information shows how many avoidable car journeys take place
in Austria everyday," he said, stressing that cars need three times more
fuel than their average amount in the first 1,000 metres covered.
A study by the Alfred-Wegener Centre of Graz University presented today
meanwhile reveals that just over more than 20 per cent of distances up
to two kilometres are covered via public transport by Austrians.
This comes just days after a different study showed that public
transport had an overall share of 35 per cent of traffic in the capital
of Vienna.
19/04/10
Construction prices on the rise Now might be a good time to buy older existing property as Housing construction costs soared by more than three per cent last
month.... according to research by federal statistics agency 'Statistik
Austria'.
The body announced costs in the housing building sector
jumped by 3.1 per cent in March compared to price levels in the same
month of 2009.
Experts said soaring prices for plastics, petrol and other substances as
well as the current fluctuation of steel prices were to blame for the
development.
Road construction costs meanwhile increased by 2.4 per cent year on year
last month.
10/04/10 Austrian glaciers are shrinking
Environmental alarm bells are ringing as the vast majority of
Austria's glaciers shrunk last year.
Andrea Fischer of the Austrian Alps Society (OeAV) said today (Fri)
studies have shown that 91 per cent of the country's glaciers diminished
in size in 2009.
Fischer said the Niederjochferner decreased most drastically by 46
metres, followed by the Kesselwandferner (minus 44.4 metres) and the
Marzellferner (minus 42.3 metres). All three mountains are situated in
Tyrol's Ötz Valley.
Seven further Ötz Valley glaciers shrunk in 2009, the expert added.
Fischer explained 85 of the 93 Austrian mountains the OeAV had monitored
last year diminished in size, while just one grew. She stressed that,
in comparison, four mountains had increased in size in 2008.
OeAV experts have supervised weather developments in the Alps for 119
years.
1/04/10 Kate Nash to rock Salzburg
Kate Nash has been confirmed for a show at Salzburg's Rockhouse later
this year.
Online music newspaper Britishrock.cc reports today (Weds) that the
British singer will come to Austria for a performance on 10 June.
Nash topped the UK charts with her debut album "Made of Bricks" in 2007.
Her songs "Foundations" and "Pumpkin Soup" became hits all over Europe.
Since extensive touring, the BRIT Award-winning singer-songwriter has
kept a low profile recently. Her fans are however eagerly awaiting her
second album "My Best Friend Is You" which is due for release next
month.
Other live music highlights taking place in Austria this summer are the
concert by American blues and jazz singer Norah Jones in Sankt
Margarethen im Burgenland on 1 July and the gig by Irish rock stars U2
in Vienna on 30 August.
21/03/10 Salzburg boy foils attempted abduction
A 10-year-old school boy had a narrow escape on Monday when a man
tried to abduct him on his way home from school.
District police chief Arno Kosmata said ' the incident
occurred around noon in Niedernsill' in Salzburg's Pinzgau region.
A black Volkswagen van with Romanian license plates pulled up alongside
the boy and the driver told him to get in. When he refused, the driver
grabbed his arm and tried to drag him into the van.
The boy managed to break free, however, and ran away. The driver made no
attempt to follow.
Kosmata said there had been no witnesses even though the incident had
happened in the middle of the town.
"We take such incidents quite seriously and will continue our search for
the driver," he said.
In 2005 there were five failed attempts to abduct schoolchildren by the
driver of a black car in the Pinzgau. The car had Vienna license plates.
A police investigation failed to find the person responsible.
15/03/10 Skier almost hangs himself on a cable
A skier is in a critical state after skiing into a piste grooming
machine cable on Sunday evening at the Wagrain ski area in Salzburg,
police said yesterday (Mon).
The 50-year-old man was skiing down to the middle lift station at about
8pm after a birthday party at a mountain hut when he failed to see the
extended cable in the darkness and skied right into it, nearly severing
his neck. Rescuers took the man to Schwarzach emergency hospital for treatment.
In a similar accident earlier this year, a 45-year-old Styrian woman
skied into a cable after dark on 30 January at the Hauser Kaibling ski
area in Styria's Liezen district. She died a few days later at
Schladming hospital where she had been undergoing treatment.
Helga Maria B. had been making her way down to the valley floor at 11pm
after visiting a mountain hut with pals when she skied into a cable
running from a piste packing machine to a nearby pole and was left
hanging by her neck.
The Styrian cable car operators' division of the Styrian Economic
Chamber called for a ban on night skiing after the woman was left in a
coma following the accident. But division head Peter Lackner said a ban would be difficult to agree
on as the interests of authorities and restaurant owners differed.
A second person died after a night skiing accident at the Rangger Köpfl
ski area in Tyrol's Innsbruck-Land district several weeks later. Police said the man, 51, had been skiing 300 metres above the valley
floor when he skied off a lighted piste and fell. He was found lying 40
metres away and taken to Innsbruck clinic, where he died.
10/03/10 Austria 'gain self esteem' as team beat Denmark
The Austrian national football team say it is on its way to
regaining some self esteem after beating Denmark 2-1.
Red Bull Salzburg striker Roman Wallner, who scored Austria’s second
goal (37’), said: "This victory was important despite being ‘just’ a
friendly. But we should not overestimate it."
Red Bull’s Franz Schiemer scored the opener in the 12th minute, before
Arsenal star Nicklas Bendtner equalised the score five minutes later.
Defender Ekrem Dag, who celebrated his Austria debut against the 2010
World Cup competitors, claimed: "We’ll gain more and more self
confidence with every victory." For full story, check ou our news blogs on this page.
01/03/10 Five Two ski-ers rescued at Gastein
Twenty-four rescuers used a rope to move two stranded winter sportsmen to safety near Bad Gastein, Salzburg.
The two men, a Latvian, 24, and a Swede, 23, who were working as
seasonal labourers at establishments in the Gastein valley, decided at
1:30pm to go off-piste, one with skis and the other with a snowboard,
down the northern slope of the Kreuzkogel.
They got lost in fog and found themselves on the lip of a vertical rock
wall 250 to 300 metres high. Unable to move on, they called rescuers at
4pm.
Since it was impossible to use a helicopter because of high wind, 24
rescuers climbed up to their location and used a rope in the darkness
to move them 160 metres over a frozen waterfall to safety.
Neither man was injured.
24/02/10
Five people have died in avalanches since the beginning of February.
The danger of avalanches in Austrian mountains ranges from slight to
considerable at present but is expected to rise over the weekend as the
weather worsens.
The Lower Austrian avalanche warning service said today (Fri) the level
was three in areas bordering on the Ybbs Valley and the Rax-Schneeberg
area, two in Türnitz Alps and one in the Gutenstein Alps and the
Semmering-Wechsel area.
It said the danger would go up over the weekend as rainfall would increase the risk of spontaneous avalanches.
The Vorarlberg service said the level of avalanche danger was three in
areas above 2,100 metres and two in lower areas but still not to be
underestimated. It added unstable snow cover in many areas made
avalanches likely. Five people have died in avalanches in the province since the beginning of February.
The Salzburg service said the danger of avalanches was at the two and
the three levels, depending on the area in question. It warned that
expected new snow and high wind would significantly raise the level in
the Hohe Tauern mountains.
A series of deaths by avalanche continued this week in Austria, with a
50-year-old skier from Ehrwald, Tyrol, dying in an avalanche on Tuesday
near Gamskars in the province’s Zugspitz area. Police said the man’s wife reported him missing at 8pm, and searchers
found his body at 11pm under 30 centimetres of snow at an altitude of
1,800 metres.
In another mountain accident, two people ski touring in Upper Austria ended up in hospital over the weekend after falling. The separate accidents occurred in Roßleithen in the Kirchdorf district
and near the Simony hut on the Dachstein. In both cases, the injured
skiers were taken by helicopter to local hospitals.
Last week, a 42-year-old Norwegian woman who suffered serious head
injuries when she was caught in an avalanche a week ago Saturday died
at Innsbruck University Clinic.
Long-term statistics show that an average of 26 people die in avalanches in the Austrian Alps every year.
7/02/10
Call for night time skiing ban Graz. Calls
have been made for a ban on night skiing after a woman was left in a
coma after an accident as she skied down a mountain in the dark. The
Styrian cable-car operators’ division
called for the ban after a 45-year-old was left in a coma following an
accident at the Hauser Kaibling ski area. She had been making her way
down to the valley floor at 11pm after visiting a mountain hut when she
skied into a cable running from a piste packing machine to a pole and
was left hanging by her neck. Doctors said she would probably be
handicapped for the rest of her life if she survived. Styrian cable-car
operators’ division head, Peter Lackner said ' any ban would be
difficult to agree on as interest of officials and restaurant owners
would differ'. 24/01/10 Lindsay Lohan Opera Ball invite
Viennese
businessman Richard Lugner has defended his decision to invite Lindsay
Lohan to the upcoming Opera Ball after the press branded the actress a
"fallen princess”. Lugner, 77, said the "Freaky Friday” star - who
pleaded guilty to cocaine use and driving under the influence in 2007 -
"got on the wrong track at some stage, but she achieved many things
too.” Asked whether he expected Lohan, 23, to cause any trouble on the
night, the entrepreneur said: "I’ll make sure only mineral water, no
champagne, will be served in our box.” Lugner - who runs the "Lugner
City” shopping centre - made an international name for himself by
attending15/01/10
3/01/10
Tourism hoping for good winter
By Thomas Hochwarter
Low temperatures and snowfall tempts people to book up. Warning as trips abroad get cheaper.
Vienna. Tourism officials are hoping for good business as the majority of Austrians said they would spend as much money on winter holidays this season as they had before the credit crunch.
Research firm market- agent.com said 69 per cent of 500 people participating in a poll they had carried out said they would spend as much as they always had while more than one in five (21 per cent) said they planned to spend more than usual.
The agency’s poll was not strictly about holidays in Austria, but its results may nevertheless lighten up the mood among tourism chiefs in the country hoping for positive figures this winter. For the complete article, check out our news blogs on this page.
24/12/09
AC/DC concert in doubt over birds!
Activists say the gig a threat to curlews. A concert by hardrock legends AC/DC has been thrown into doubt - by nesting birds. Animal rights activists said they will take legal action if the concert - scheduled for 22 May 2010 at Wels airport - goes ahead because it will threaten colonies of nesting rare birds in the area. For the complete article, check out our news blogs on this page.
12/12/09
Walkers dark clothes warning
Traffic officials have warned pedestrians not to wear dark clothes after 13 walkers were killed on roads in the past eight weeks. Marion Seidenberger of car club ÖAMTC said on Monday that many people underestimated the potential dangers posed by shorter days in winter. "It is important everybody ensures they are seen in good time to avoid danger,” she said. Seidenberger said people wearing dark clothes were spotted only from a distance of as little as 30 metres when drivers had their lights on. But people wearing lighter-coloured clothes could be seen from 80 or 90 metres and those with reflective clothing could be spotted to 150 metres, she said. And the ÖAMTC expert called on runners to wear reflective clothes, vests or other devices.
4/12/09
Avalanche warnings for Alpine regions
Innsbruck. Authorities have issued avalanche warnings after heavy snowfalls in the Alps. Experts at the Avalanche-Warning Service said heavy snow in East Tyrol and along the Alpine divide had created a "precarious” situation in many areas. But they said they expected the situation to returns to normal over the coming days. Conditions above 2,500-metres were most dangerous with regions like the southern Ötz Valley and the Stubai Alps most at risk of avalanches. Skiers were warned of skiing down shadowy, steep slopes with large amounts of freshly-fal- len snow as it could increase the chance of sudden avalanches. Meanwhile fire brigades in the western province of Vorarlberg were called out 35 times on Monday night following the heavy snowfalls.
27/11/09
Salzburg Airport battles the crunch
Airport’s flight down in first three quarters.
Salzburg. Salzburg Airport bosses warned of tough times ahead for the airport as flight numbers fell in the first three quarters of this year. Official figures show the "W. A. Mozart” airport handled 15,123 flights in the first nine months of 2009 - down 12.5 per cent year on year.
Alexander Klaus, spokesman Austria’s second-biggest airport after Vienna International Airport (VIA), said passenger figures had shrunk by a similar number.
Salzburg Airport CEO Roland Hermann said it was impossible to predict results for the upcoming winter tourism season, but said it would be a success for the airport if it could match 2008 figures this year. For the complete article, check out our news blogs on this page.
21/11/09
Austrian Sports Minister warns betting scam crooks
SPÖ Sports Minister Norbert Darabos warned any Austrians found to have been involved in a Europe-wide betting scam would face "very tough punishments”. Prosecutors in Bochum announced last week they were investigating "at least 200 matches and 200 people” in several European countries believed to be part of a huge betting fraud. For the complete article, check out our news blogs on this page.
12/11/09
Haider Porsche for Auction
A Porsche once owned by late right-wing political leader Jörg Haider has gone up for auction online on Thursday. A Klagenfurt-based firm is offering the metallic blue 911 Targa on its website http://www.cavinnash.at for ten days. Auction organisers expect the winning bid to be much higher than the 320-horsepower car’s market value and believe a fan of the former BZÖ chief will snap it up. Auction organisers said Haider owned the car, which has 58,700 kilometres on the clock, between 2002 and 2004. Haider died when he crashed his VW Phaeton at high speed after a drunken night out in October 2008.
4/11/09
Austrian Economy to Grow
Austria’s economy is to grow next year, the European Commission (EC) has claimed in a revised forecast. The EC raised its prediction of economic growth for Austria in 2010 from minus 0.1 per cent early this year to 1.1 per cent in its autumn economic forecast. It also predicted Austria would record growth of 1.5 per cent in 2011. For the complete article, check out our news blogs on this page.
25/10/09
Salzburg location for new TOM CRUISE Movie
The new Hollywood action movie called “The Unknown Wichita Project” will have quite a few scenes shot in Salzburg. The city government paid a grant of 300.000 Euro to support the costs of the filming.
The city of Salzburg and also the rail line from Zell am See to Böckstein are going to be the shooting locations for the movie. Tom Cruise will play an agent who is searching for inexhaustible sources of energy. He ends up falling in love with a woman played by Cameron Diaz. There will be action packed chase scenes over various continents. There is also a pursuit across the roofs in Salzburg's old town.
It is hoped that the sum of 300.000 Euro is a good investment. “There will be a crew of 200 persons who are going to stay in Salzburg for more than three weeks. They need 200 hotel rooms of the four and five star category. This means a net product of 1,2 mio Euro”, says the city advisor.
28/09/09
Austria wins 322 million Euro contract
Salzburg. Construction firm Alpine Bau GmbH has sealed a 322 million Euros construction deal in Singapore. The company announced on Tuesday it will build two stretches of the second segment of the Downtown Line underground in Singapore to be finished in 2015. The work will entail construction of three new underground stations and a single-track tunnel 6.16 kilometres long. The Downtown Line is scheduled to be built in three segments that should be finished in 2013, 2015 and 2016, respectively. The firm already has a contract for some work on lines 3 and 4 of the city’s underground. Alpine is also working on the Gotthard Basis-tunnel in Switzerland as well as tunnel projects for hydro-electric plants in India, Bulgaria and Turkey. The new deal is another in a string of large foreign contracts for the firm this year, including assignments in Slovenia and Poland.
21/09/09
Austria to pay out €100 for fridges
By David Rogers
€100 Euros bonus for exchanging old for new devices. Fridge offer comes after bicycle and car junking examples.
Austrian authorities have launched a new scrapage scheme for old refrigerators and freezers.
The Household Environ- mental Forum (UFH) in cooperation with the envi ronment ministry announced yesterday Austrians would get 100 Euros for the exchange of the old appliances for energy-saving "A++” devices under the scheme, which has been backdated to 1 September. The budget for the initiative, which will last until the end of the year, is 2.5 million Euros.
For the complete article, check out our newsblogs on this page.
13/09/09
Birth rate down in first seven months of 2009
Vienna. The number of births in Austria declined by 2.3 per cent year on year to 42,918 during the first seven months of 2009, Statistik Austria reported yesterday. The biggest decline, 7.8 per cent, occurred in Salzburg and Carinthia, followed by Vorarlberg, 4.9 per cent, Burgenland, 3.9 per cent, Lower Austria, 3.0 per cent, Upper Austria, 2.1 per cent, Tyrol, 1.7 per cent, Vienna, 1.4 per cent, and Styria, 0.7 per cent. The agency had reported last month that the number of births had declined by 2.7 per cent year on year to 35,294 in the first six months of the year.
5/09/09
Solar power sector booming in Austria
Vienna. Austria's solar-power sector is booming and feeling no impact from the recession, a senior industry figure has claimed. Roger Hackstock, head of Austrian solar industry companies’ umbrella organisation Austria Solar, said there had been an increase of 29 per cent to 8,446 in applications for solar-power subsidies year on year in the first six months of 2009. He added an additional 900 jobs in production, distribution and installation fields had also been created. The third quarter, he said, would give an indication of results for the entire year since many applications for subsidies in the first half had been for solar-power installations completed last year.
25/08/09
Austrians oppose EU light bulb law
By Lisa Chapman Majority says new EU guideline on light bulbs is nonsensical.
Fear over mercury causing illnesses.
Vienna. Almost two thirds of Austrians take a dim view of new EU rules forcing people to switch to new energy saving light bulbs, a new poll has revealed.
In a poll by UFH, a Vienna-based firm that disposes of used electronic devices, 64 per cent of Austrians said the new EU guideline phasing out classic light bulbs that will enter into force on 1 September was nonsensical.
Thermal insulation to boost economy?
WKO boss wants thermal insulation subsidy programme.
Herr Leitl suggested the government provide subsidies totalling 300 million Euros for renovation of thermal insulation and make a total of 150 million Euros of craftsmen’s incometax-deductible. He claimed the second measure would both stimulate growth and decrease the size of the black market in the building trades. For the complete article, check out our newsblogs on this page
13/08/09
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