Pröll quits due to health ‘warning sign’

Categories
Politics

People’s Party (ÖVP) boss Josef Pröll has ended ongoing speculations about his health and role in the government by announcing his step down from all political roles.The former agriculture minister – who was sworn in as vice chancellor and finance minister in December 2008 – said today (Weds) he decided to retire after consultations with […]

Sberbank envisages VBI stake

Categories
Finance

A leading Russian bank may take over struggling Volksbank AG’s (ÖVAG) international operations department.Russian business newspaper Vedomosti reports today (Weds) that Moscow-based Sberbank was in the final stage of negotiations with ÖVAG about the acquisition of a 51 per cent interest in VBI (Volksbank International). The daily cites sources close to Sberbank’s top management saying […]

Car expenses outpace food spending

Categories
General News

Austrians are forking out more on their cars than on food, new figures show.Statistik Austria said today (Weds) that 12.1 per cent of an average household’s overall expenditure were invested in foodstuff, while 15 per cent are soaked up by costs affecting cars and motorcycles. With 12.8 per cent, investments on leisure activities are also […]

Public transport CCTV checks collar 70 felons

Categories
General News

Dozens of criminals were caught after police were provided with footage from CCTV installations set up at public transport stations and in underground trains in Vienna in the first three months of this year.Public transport agency Wiener Linien announced today (Weds) that 70 offenders were punished after police investigators checked footage from surveillance cameras tracked […]

Toni & Guy to get busier in Austria

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Business

Toni & Guy has revealed plans to expand in Austria.The British hairdressing company – which has shops across the world – said today (Weds) it wanted to open more stores in the country. Toni & Guy’s Austrian representation is currently limited to one salon in Vienna’s Innere Stadt district.”The goal is to position ourselves in […]

Kapsch grabs Algerian assignment

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Business

A Kapsch TrafficCom AG (Kapsch) affiliate is raking in a one-digit million-Euro sum by equipping a federal railway agency in North Africa with a radio system.Kapsch CarrierCom said today (Tues) it has been assigned to deliver and set up the system on a 110-kilometre route in Algeria. The firm refused to reveal any figures, but […]

Skylink scandal searches in Vienna and Lower Austria

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Business

The apartments of former Vienna International Airport’s (VIA or VIE) managers in Vienna and Lower Austria have been searched by prosecutors, it was confirmed.Klosterneuburg prosecutors announced that search warrants were executed at two homes of former VIA decision-makers and businesspeople assigned to create a new terminal called Skylink this morning (Tues). They added that several […]

Neo-Nazi ringleader nabbed in Vienna

Categories
Politics

An infamous fascist has been put in custody as investigations against a disputed website continue.Gottfried Küssel was arrested yesterday evening (Mon), prosecutors confirmed this morning. The outspoken neo-Nazi is accused of cooperating with the people behind “Alpe-Donau”, a controversial discussion platform of neo-Nazis on the internet. The site was taken offline last month after state […]

Passenger decline brings AUA down to earth

Categories
Business

Austrian Airlines (AUA) had its wings clipped in the first three months of this year.The airline announced yesterday (Mon) that it served 2.1 million passengers between January and March, down by one per cent compared to the first quarter of 2010. AUA added that it had 797,500 customers in March, around 2.4 per cent fewer […]

VIA shattered by Arab unrest

Categories
Business

Vienna International Airport’s (VIA or VIE) performance has been affected by the uprisings in North Africa and the Arabian region.Flughafen Wien AG, the company managing Austria’s busiest aerodrome, said today (Tues) the number of passengers to destinations in the Far and Middle East edged down by 0.5 per cent last month compared to March 2010 […]