Bilingual place-name signs controversy settled

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Politics

Political leaders seem to have ended a lengthy argument considering bilingual place-name signs.Negotiators announced in Klagenfurt yesterday evening (Tues) they agreed that 164 towns and communities in the province of Carinthia will be equipped with place-name signs in both German and Slovenian.Provincial decision-makers and representatives of the Slovenian minority have been at odds over the […]

Vienna public transport ticket price hike imminent, papers claim

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General News

Using public transport in Vienna may become more expensive soon, according to reports.Several daily newspapers claim today (Weds) that public transport provider Wiener Linien will raise some rates shortly as the city’s new government aims to offer cheaper tickets to the needy.The Greens of Vice Mayor Maria Vassilakou made clear when they decided to form […]

Vienna leaders reject WLAN appeal

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Politics

Public transport passengers in Vienna will not be provided with free wireless local area network (WLAN) internet access.The city government coalition of Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the Green Party ruled out such implementations in the near future. The government was pressed to comment on the issue after federal People’s Party (ÖVP) youth leader Sebastian Kurz […]

Emirates boss ‘shocked’ by Lufthansa-linked expansion obstacles

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Business

Emirates President Tim Clark has lashed out at Lufthansa as his own airline increases the number of flights between Vienna and Dubai.The Austrian government coalition of Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the People’s Party (ÖVP) granted Emirates another daily flight from Vienna International Airport (VIA or VIE) to Dubai International Airport (DXB) some days ago. The […]

TA rebuffed by Serbia

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Business

All eyes are on Telekom Austria (TA) after the Serbian government rejected a first takeover offer.TA announced last week it was ready to transfer “between 800 million and 950 million Euros” for a 51 per cent stake in Serbian telecommunications provider Telekom Srbija. No other firm handed in an official offer after rivals from France, […]

Gay partnership law leads to 700 ‘registrations’

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Politics

More than 700 same sex couples decided to follow the government coalition’s offer of having their partnership “registered” last year.Federal statistic agency Statistik Austria said today (Mon) that 705 gay couples took the opportunity to gain legal status for their relationships last year when a new law passed by the Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the […]

Tougher Vienna horse carriage law ahead

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Politics

People offering tours through the city centre of Vienna in horse carriages must brace for stricter regulations as the provincial government agreed to reform existing laws.The government coalition of Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the Green Party said today (Mon) that the entrepreneurs running the service – which is popular with tourists – will face  fines […]

Disputed beverages purchase ID act scrapped

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Business

The federal government has decided to withdraw a new law regarding the purchase of beverages just one month after it went into effect.Shoppers and branch representatives were outraged by the stricter regulation enforcing customers to identify themselves at the till when they bought two or more bottles of schnapps, more than 20 litres of beer, […]

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 […]

Vienna undertakers use cremation heat

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General News

Canny undertakers in Vienna are planning to use the heat loss of cremations to heat their new headquarters.The city government-owned Bestattung Wien undertaker company said today (Fri) that its new main office at the Viennese Central Cemetery (Zentralfriedhof) in Simmering district will be heated with waste heat produced from cremations carried out at the adjacent […]