A traffic researcher has been named Vienna’s new ambassador for cycling. The city government of Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the Green Party decided to create the position to increase the share of cycling in the capital from the current five to six per cent to 10 per cent by 2015. The coalition announced yesterday (Tues) […]
Europe’s most modern laboratory to examine sleep disorders has opened in Tyrol. Experts at Innsbruck’s University Hospital explained yesterday (Tues) they would check patients’ sleep for two nights each on the new ward which features eight beds. New technology will allow them to precisely analyse people’s sleep. One out of five Europeans suffer from sleep […]
Mirren mulls over sex life disclosures
Helen Mirren has fuelled rumours that a sequel of her autobiography could feature juicy details about her sexual experiences. The actress – who published “In the Frame” to wide acclaim four years ago – told Austrian movie news magazine Skip: “Haha, well, I would truly love to write about my sex life. But I would […]
FW stops hiring
The new chairmen of Flughafen Wien AG (FW) have presented a strict cost-cutting programme. Julian Jäger and Günther Ofner, who took over at the company which manages Vienna International Airport (VIA or VIE) on 1 September, announced yesterday (Tues) they would not hire any additional staff in the coming years. FW currently employs 4,200 men […]
Haider death mocked once more
A satirical magazine has created a fake campaign train poster showing the wrecked car of a late politician. Jörg Haider spearheaded right-wing movements in Austria for decades before losing his life in a drunken car crash three years ago. Now Germany’s Titanic magazine published what it called a “Riddle for Nazis” on its homepage. The […]
Snow chaos in western Austria
An early appearance of winter has hit vast parts of the country with full force. Snowfall brought railway traffic to a halt in Salzburg yesterday (Mon). More than 200 passengers were trapped in trains for hours after trees collapsed under the weight of the snow and landed on the tracks. No one was injured in […]
Second-hand car sales soar
More and more Austrians are buying second-hand cars. Statistik Austria announced today (Tues) 67,814 used cars were sold last month, 1.8 per cent more than in August 2010. The share of diesel-powered vehicles inched back by 0.5 per cent to 54.4 per cent. The number of registrations of second-hand trucks improved by 1.9 per cent […]
Dead aunt dumped in deep freezer
A Lower Austrian man has admitted putting his aunt into a freezer to continue raking in social benefits. Officers searched the 89-year-old woman’s house in Neuhofen an der Ybbs yesterday (Mon) after relatives and friends informed them they had not heard from her for some time. Her body was discovered in a deep freezer, officials […]
Sniper haunts Vienna
Viennese police have said a sniper is on the loose. Investigators reportedly suspect one person to be behind the various offences although they took place in three different districts of the city in the past days. Ten people were injured when they were hit by bullets fired with an air-powered weapon. Officials asked witnesses and […]
Benko plans 65mn Lake Garda estate
A Tyrolean real estate developer intends to invest tens of millions of Euros into an estate at one of Italy’s most beautiful lakes. Rene Benko announced on Sunday he decided to spend 65 million Euros on the creation of a building complex featuring villas, terraced houses and apartments at Lake Garda. Tenants will be able […]