More exports and higher activity of the countrys production sector have led to a 0.8 per cent increase of the Austrian gross domestic product (GDP) in the final quarter of last year, a think tank has announced.The Institute for Economic Research (WIFO) said today (Thurs) the GDP was 0.8 per cent higher between October and […]
Austrian Airlines (AUA) has identified the upheaval in North Africa as the main reason for its recent decline in passenger numbers.AUA said today (Thurs) it registered a total of 649,000 customers last month, down by 1.6 per cent compared to February 2010. The airline said especially the number of tickets sold for flights to destinations […]
OMV boss rejects Libya pull-out appeals
OMV chief Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer has made clear a retreat from Libya is not on the firms agenda.The Austrian company is one of a few firms which are still getting oil from the North African country where the troops of political leader Muammar al-Gaddafi are combating opposition groups calling for democracy.Ruttenstorfer said yesterday (Weds) OMV would […]
A 44-year-old Indian was detained and sent back to Italy after being caught trying to enter Austria on foot.The man was spotted strolling along the A13 Brenner motorway near Gries am Brenner in Tyrol by traffic policemen on Tuesday, local authorities said today (Thurs). He was deported to neighbouring Italy from where he presumably entered […]
An Upper Austrian skier is in intensive care after colliding with a Dutch holidaymaker yesterday (Tues).The 63-year-old from Ried im Innkreis was skiing down a slope in the Salzburg winter sport resort of Neukirchen when the 33-year-old man from the Netherlands crashed into him from behind.Witnesses claimed the Dutchman was going too fast. Local police […]
BMW recalls around 1,200 motorcycles
BMW Austria the Austrian branch of German car and motorcycle producer BMW is calling back more than 1,000 motorbikes.Drivers association ÖAMTC said today (Weds) the company decided to recall 1,191 motorcycles of various series due to problems with their back-wheel suspensions. The organisation said all owners have already been informed. ÖAMTC added it […]
The father of kidnap victim Natascha Kampusch is demanding more than 100,000 Euros in compensation from the Republic of Austria.Dietmar Heck, a lawyer representing Ludwig Koch, said today (Weds) his client suffered immensely during the eight years his daughter was kept by pervert Wolfgang Priklopil. Heck argued Kampusch could have been freed much earlier had […]
A Lower Austrian man faces charges for illegal possession of a weapon after he admitted having injured himself with a gun, it was announced today (Tues).The 33-year-old shot himself in the left hand as he tried out the weapon in an agricultural field near Sollenau on Friday. He drove to a nearby clinic for treatment […]
Austrian tourism sector less competitive
The Austrian tourism branch has suffered in competitiveness, according to a survey presented today (Tues).The World Economic Forum (WEF) listed Austria in fourth in its latest Global Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Monitor, down two spots compared to the 2009 edition of the study.Switzerland heads the chart which features 219 countries and considers federal tourisms sustainability […]
Iranian defaces synagogue
An Iranian has admitted defacing a synagogue in a Lower Austrian town more than a dozen times.Police in Baden, which is located south of Vienna, announced today (Tues) that the 51-year-old agreed to come up for the overall damage he caused. The local resident was interviewed by officers investigating 14 incidents in which the towns […]