What really helps against mosquitos

Categories
Lifestyle

The humid weather has led to a plague of mosquitoes in Austria. Remedies are sought after – but what does actually work? The consumer protection department of the Chamber of Labour believes gels, lotions and lattice in front of the window work best. Scratching should be avoided at all costs. The best products to protect […]

Black olives are dyed in Austria , consummer protectors warn

Categories
Green Austria

The consumer information department of the Upper-Austrian Chamber of Labour (Arbeiterkammer, AK) has criticised a lack of clear information on olives which have been artificially coloured. According to the chamber, it is not rare for unripe olives to be coloured black to be sold on the market. They have called for a clear labelling of […]

ORF making waves

Categories
Green Austria

A report on ORF television in Vorarlberg about specially shaped waves designed to catch and deflect negative energy from ley lines has provoked a huge reaction. Dozens of people who have purchased the waves and had them mounted in their homes have since contacted the consumer protection office in Vorarlberg to ask about getting a […]

Beer prices to climb

Categories
Business

One of Austria’s biggest breweries decided to increase its consumer prices. Ottakringer – Vienna’s major beer firm – said today (Tues) it would charge three to five per cent more for its products. The price hikes will be felt by shoppers from March, according to business experts. A spokesman for the company claimed that “all […]

Verbund share value tumbles as turnover shrinks

Categories
Business

Energy sector giant Verbund AG has suffered a turnover decrease.The Viennese firm, in which the Republic of Austria holds a 51 per cent interest, said today (Weds) its turnover shrank by five per cent to 3.3 billion Euros in 2010. Verbund added that its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) declined by 15.4 […]

Wood heating up to 10 times cheaper than using electricity

Categories
Business

Electricity heating can be 10 times more expensive than wood heating systems, according to an investigation.Consumer information magazine Konsument revealed wood chip heating costs 1.99 Eurocents per kilowatt hour (kWh), while electricity-powered heaters can cause expenses of up to 18 Eurocents per kWh.The monthly magazine stressed extra costs for transportation and storage of wood chips […]

Most supermarket apples contain pesticides, test shows

Categories
Business

Most apples on sale in Austria are laced with pesticides, a consumer magazine report has shown.Consumer information magazine Konsument said today (Thurs) 12 of the 16 samples it took contained chemical agents. It added that the discovered amounts were nevertheless below the allowed concentration.The magazine also pointed out that none of the 104 organic fruits […]

Green Heart of Austria Goes to China

Categories
Green Austria

By Austrian Independent special correspondent John Morris Austrian companies from Styria, the Green Heart of Austria, travelled on a trade mission to China the last two weeks visiting Hong Zhou, Shanghai, Tianjin and Beijing to stimulate the region’s economy following the deepest recession since the 1930s. Raiffeisen Zentral Bank general manager for China, Andreas Werner, […]