Jobless rate shrinks as EE jobseeker barrier set to expire

Categories
Business

Austria has registered a significant decline in unemployment.Official figures presented today (Fri) show that fewer than 253,000 people were out of work last month, down by 5.2 per cent compared to March 2010. This development means that the federal jobless rate shrank for the 13th month in a row.The federal labour ministry of Social Democrat […]

Gas focus as OMV remains adamant on Libya

Categories
Business

Gerhard Roiss, the new head of energy sector giant OMV AG, has hinted that the company will reform its strategy.The businessman, who took over from Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer as CEO today (Fri), announced yesterday he assigned a team of firm-internal experts to review and possibly adopt OMV’s focus.Roiss explained it was likely that OMV will draw […]

Foreign ministry issues Syria travel warning

Categories
Politics

The Austrian foreign affairs ministry has warned about travelling to Syria.The ministry said yesterday (Mon) Austrians were recommended not to go to the Western Asian country “if not absolutely necessary.”Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in the state’s biggest cities to call for democracy in the past few days.The Austrian foreign ministry […]

Vienna hotel prices up as spring creeps in

Categories
Business

Viennese hotels have introduced significant price increases as temperatures are on the rise, it has been revealed.Travel platform Trivago (www.trivago.co.uk/hotelprices) found today (Thurs) that a standard double room in the Austrian capital currently costs an average 134 Euros after just 99 Euros last month and 104 Euros in January. Trivago research shows that the current […]

Discounters stagnate after boom years

Categories
Business

Discount supermarkets in Austria are struggling to increase their market share, it has been reported.Austrian agricultural branch authority Agrarmarkt Austria (AMA) announced today (Weds) Hofer and Lidl had an overall market share of around 20 per cent. AMA explained the chains – the two leading low-price foodstuff retailers in the country – grew strongly between […]

EU ambassador pledges instant aid if Japan asks for it

Categories
Politics

The European Union (EU) would react “immediately” to a request for help by Japan, the EU’s ambassador in the country stressed.Hans Dietmar Schweisgut told the Kurier newspaper today (Tues): “Several EU member states already sent support teams to Japan. The EU crisis aid mechanism can only be activated after an official request by an affected […]

Berlakovich wants nuclear power plant ‘stress tests’

Categories
Politics

People’s Party (ÖVP) Environment and Agriculture Minister Nikolaus Berlakovich suggested nuclear power plants in Europe should undergo “stress tests” in the wake of occurrences in Japan.Detonations at several nuclear power stations in the Asian country, which was rattled by an immense earthquake last week, could lead to a meltdown and significant radiation.Now Berlakovich – who […]

OMV boss rejects Libya pull-out appeals

Categories
Business

OMV chief Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer has made clear a retreat from Libya is not on the firm’s 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 […]

Porr may leave Hungary

Categories
Business

Porr AG chairman Karl-Heinz Strauss has said the construction firm may stop operating in Hungary.The Hungarian government has criticised the quality of a motorway recently built by the Viennese company. Strauss pointed out today (Tues) that the problems were “of political nature”.The businessman said: “We may have to withdraw from Hungary. I think (the situation […]

Italian jailed for human trafficking

Categories
General News

A 35-year-old Italian has been sentenced to jail for human trafficking.The man was caught trying to smuggle four illegal immigrants from Afghanistan to Germany last year. He reportedly asked for 400 to 500 Euros from each of the men to get them to Rosenheim in Bavaria. He was arrested during a traffic check in the […]