Tourists splashed out 250mn in Austrian shops in 2010

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Business

Foreign tourists spent almost 30 per cent more in shops in Austria last year than they did in 2009, according to an international travel and shopping service platform.Global Blue Austria announced today (Weds) that holidaymakers from abroad spent approximately 250 million Euros in stores across the country in 2010. The platform stressed this was a […]

Diesel sales soar despite price hike

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Business

Austrians bought more diesel fuel in 2010 while the demand for regular car petrol declined year on year.The Federal Mineral Oil Association FVMI announced today (Tues) that Austrian petrol stations and industrial petrol providers sold 7.3 billion litres of diesel petrol in 2010, 3.7 per cent more than the year before. The association also said […]

Upper Austria bans ‘aggressive begging’

Categories
Politics

Certain forms of begging are now prohibited in six of Austria’s nine provinces after a law made by Upper Austrian decision-makers went into effect today (Tues).The provincial government agreed earlier this month to make so-called aggressive and professional begging illegal as of 1 February. People being caught begging face fines and prison sentences.The decision comes […]

Stora Enso sets Ybbs focus

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Business

A Finnish packaging and wood products firm plans to invest more than 20 million Euros in Lower Austria, it has emerged.Stora Enso announced today (Tues) that it will start setting up a new facility to produce wood boards and various other wood elements this spring. The Helsinki-based firm explained that it planned to invest 23 […]

Austria drops in EU innovation ranking

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Business

Austria has been left behind by Belgium in the European Commission’s (EC) latest Innovation Union Scoreboard.Austria comes seventh in the EC’s 2010 edition of the study which examines the conditions for innovations in the European Union’s (EU) 27 member countries. The country came sixth in 2009 but has been overtaken by Belgium in the most […]

Austrian jobless rate drops

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Business

The number of unemployed Austrians continues to decline as the country gets ready for the full liberalisation of its job market.Social Democratic (SPÖ) Labour Minister Rudolf Hundstorfer announced today (Tues) that 309,584 people living in Austria were out of work last month. He added that another 69,187 unemployed Austrians were sitting re-education courses organised by […]

Salzburg’s 2010 overnight stay figures resemble Mozart Year level

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Business

Salzburg recorded more overnight stays in 2010 than in the previous three years, but the hotels’ occupancy rate is still low.People’s Party (ÖVP) Vice Mayor Harald Preuner said today (Tues) that hotels and guesthouses in the city registered 2.2 million overnight stays between January and December 2010. He pointed out this was the best annual […]

Lucky cow

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General News

Cow lucky can you get?This terrified heifer that hoofed it when she broke out of a slaughterhouse in Bergheim, Austria, has been rescued after a millionaire businessman adopted her.The panicked animal now named Isabella trampled over fields after the escape bid – crossing busy main roads as police tried to cordon her off so she […]

Austria-bound refugees arrested in Romania

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General News

A group of Palestinian refugees detained in Romania said they were trying to reach Austria.Romanian border police put the five men aged between 23 and 25 into custody after they illegally crossed the border into Serbia near Jimbolia on Wednesday evening.Officials told the Romanian Times newspaper that the group planned to travel to Austria to […]

Almost 6,000 natural gas vehicles in Austria

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Business

More than 300 natural gas cars were registered in Austria last year, it has been announced.Statistik Austria said today (Fri) that 333 gas-powered cars, 221 natural gas lorries and 48 buses equipped with natural gas engines were registered in 2010.The state agency explained these developments increase the overall number of natural gas vehicles in the […]