Rumours that Volksbank AG (ÖVAG) may be nationalised are increasing after the bank warned of immense losses. ÖVAG boss Gerald Wenzel said yesterday (Thurs) the finance institute could suffer a loss of 900 million Euros this year. He added that the losses may also be higher. ÖVAG received one billion Euros of so-called state participation […]
Three months ago ÖVP Finance Minister Fekter wanted to sell the Federal Railways (ÖBB), now the ÖVP is pedalling back. The Wirtschaftsblatt newspaper cited ÖVP spokesperson for traffic affairs, Martin Bartenstein, today (Fri) as saying: “The ÖBB and privatisation is like the devil and the holy water.” He added that privatisation could not even be […]
Discussions over effects on traffic have led to the postponement of a major cycling event. Organisers of the first Viennese Cycling Marathon announced today (Mon) the competition would take place in spring of next year instead of this autumn. Critics of the endeavour complained about plans to shut the Ringstraße road in the city centre […]
Hotels in Vienna have introduced a drastic price reduction, a survey has found. International hotel price comparison platform Trivago (www.trivago.co.uk/hotelprices) found that a standard double room in the Austrian capital currently cost 118 Euros, down from 140 Euros last month. The website’s research reveals that prices for rooms in hotels in Graz, the second-largest Austrian […]
Viennese police have promised to take action against lawbreaking cyclists. Officials in the capital announced today (Mon) intense controls would be carried out especially in the city centre. They argued their decision had to do with the large number of tourists visiting Vienna at the moment. Police explained they wanted to avoid an increase of […]
A majority of Viennese doctors consider themselves under risk of suffering from burnout, a study has shown. The Austrian Medical Council and organisation ARGE Burnout asked medics to participate in an online poll. More than 6,200 doctors across Austria took part in the poll. Nearly 1,200 of them work in Vienna. The results show that […]
Hundreds of jobs at Nestle Austria are at risk, according to a report. The Kurier revealed today (Fri) that the globally operating foodstuff giant decided to shut the Austrian representation of its Nespresso subsidiary. The firm confirmed the closure of the facility in Vienna which has orchestrated its operations in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), […]
A young mother-of-two who had been missing for more than half a year was found dead in Slovakia.Police in Bratislava said today (Thurs) that a burned corpse found in the Slovakian capital recently was identified as Flora S. in a DNA sample check. The 28-year-old waitress based in Viennas Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus district was reported as missing […]
A vast majority of Austrians have admitted fears of street crime in Moscow.Insurance agency Allianz found that only 14 per cent consider the Russian capital as a safe place to visit. The insurer said today (Tues) New York in the United States fared slightly better as 28 per cent of Austrians say they are not […]
The head of a railway company which plans to challenge Federal Railways (ÖBB) from December has said that his firms trains will have facilities for smokers.Stefan Wehinger, chief of Westbahn which will operate 13 times a day between Vienna and Salzburg, said today (Fri) that wagons will be equipped with “smoker cabins.”Speaking to the Kurier […]