First losses for s-Immo in company history

Categories
Business

Sparkassen Immobilien AG, also known as s-Immo, said today (Weds) it suffered losses for the first time in its 22-year history last year.The company – which belongs to Austrian bank group Erste – announced annual losses reached 78.9 million Euros in 2009. The main factor for this development was a devaluation of its Eastern European […]

Volksbank boss rules out nationalisation over 2009 losses

Categories
Finance

Volksbank bosses have denied reports the bank faces nationalisation as losses soared dramatically last year.Volksbank AG (ÖVAG) chief Gerald Wenzel said the search for a strategic partner was ongoing in the bank’s bid to pay back the millions of state aid it received over the past few months to get through the economic crisis.Wenzel refused […]

Strabag keeps busy in Zadar

Categories
Business

Austrian building top dog Strabag said construction of a Croatian port would be finished by 2013.The Vienna-based company has been engaged in building the new Gazenica port in the Dalmatian city of Zadar since May 2009.Firm officials said today (Thurs) it had also been assigned to lead procedures in the second stage of the project […]

efko eyes Bulgarian partnership deal

Categories
Business

Upper Austrian fruit and vegetable producer efko is considering cooperating with a Bulgarian company as an increase in turnover is expected for this year.Company chief  Gerald Hackl said today (Thurs) turnover rose by 16 per cent year on year to 118.3 million Euros in 2009, adding that another three-per-cent increase was expected for 2010.Hackl said […]

Austria misses EU research investment target

Categories
Politics

Austria failed to reach the European Union’s (EU) research investments benchmark of three per cent, it has been exposed.Federal statistics agency Statistik Austria said today (Thurs) it expected the government to spend 7.805 billion Euros on research and development this year. This figure would make only 2.76 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product […]

Austrian congress tourism 2009 nets €1bn

Categories
Business

Congress tourism created a net product of more than one billion Euros last year, tourism officials have said.Austria Marketing (ÖW) chief Petra Stolba announced today (Thurs) that around two million overnights throughout the country were made by congress participators in 2009.”Austria is one of the leading nations in the world when it comes to hosting […]

Study shows most parents feel let down by politics

Categories
Politics

The vast majority of Austrian mothers and daughters feel left alone by politicians, a survey has found.Vienna-based research agency Karmasin – who interviewed 500 parents in March and April – revealed today (Thurs) that 82 per cent felt “let down” by politicians when it comes to support for their situation.Austria has been criticised in various […]

New high-tech speed traps ‘useless’

Categories
General News

Austria lost out on around six million Euros of traffic fines as new high-tech speed traps turned out to be unusable.Motorway administration authority Asfinag set up three high-end radar traps worth 450,000 Euros on the A21 motorway and the S1 main road near Vienna last autumn. The new devices catch drivers from the front in […]

Cosmos creditors endorse speedy shutdown

Categories
Business

Creditors of bankrupt Cosmos welcomed the decision to close down all branches of the electronic consumer goods chain, according to a lobbyist.Wolfgang Hrobar of the Alpine Creditors’ Protection Association (AKV) said today (Mon) the broke company’s more than 1,500 creditors were happy about the decision to shut all 27 shops since it ensured personnel and […]

Jailed brothel boss found commanding prostitution ring

Categories
General News

Graz officials have said a jailed Bulgarian brothel owner is accused of organising a prostitution ring from behind bars.Prosecutors said today (Fri) the woman, 51, had over the last year and a half arranged for seven Bulgarian prostitutes aged between 20 and 29 to be sent to Austria.Investigators found the woman had made calls worth […]