Debt-ridden Portugal on track, claims prime minister

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Politics

Portuguese Socialist Party head and Prime Minister Jose Socrates has claimed his country is a model pupil in restoring its finances.Many analysts and economists have warned that Portugal may be the next European Union (EU) member to tap the recently established European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF). Greece and Ireland have already received billions in credits […]

Armed Egyptian man brings U-Bahn service to a standstill

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General News

A Vienna underground line came to a halt for two hours after an armed Egyptian man sat down on the rails yesterday (Thurs).Ahmed M. handed out leaflets at the U4 U-Bahn line Landstraße station which criticised authorities for not awarding him Austrian citizenship after having lived 10 years in the country. The 38-year-old then took […]

Austrian has fourth-highest per capita GDP in EU

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Business

Austria has made the top five in a spending power survey among European Union (EU) member states.Eurostat, the European Commission’s (EC) statistics authority, announced today (Weds) that Austria has the fourth-highest per capita gross domestic product (GDP) among the EU’s 27 member countries with 124 per cent.Luxembourg came first in the survey with 271 per […]

Nazi slave labour camp attackers face higher sentences

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General News

Teens who were given suspended jail terms for firing plastic bullets at a group of Third Reich era labour camp survivors may be have their sentences upped as the state prosecution appealed the verdicts.The three male friends aged between 15 and 17 verbally abused the group of Italians and Frenchmen while goose-stepping in front of […]

Hitler Salute soldier withdrawn from Bosnia

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General News

An Austrian solider faces legal charges for giving the Nazi Salute while on an international peacekeeping mission.The 19-year-old member of the militia branch of the Austrian army is accused of racially insulting Bosnians and an Austrian solider of Turkish origin at a recent birthday party in Bosnia-Herzegovina.Austria currently participates in the United Nations’(UN) peacekeeping mission […]

AUA works council infuriated by board enlargement

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Business

Austrian Airlines (AUA) staff representatives have criticised the decision to increase the number of co-chiefs of the airline.The company’s supervisory board announced yesterday (Weds) that Thierry Antinori will take over as new head next April. The Frenchman will take over the marketing agendas from Andreas Bierwirth who currently cooperates with fellow board member Peter Malanik […]

Slovenian president backs Turkish EU bid

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Politics

Slovenian President Danilo Türk has appealed to European Union (EU) leaders to speed up accession talks with Turkey.The former United Nations (UN) assistant secretary-general said today (Weds): “I’m totally in favour of Turkey becoming a member of the EU. The negotiations have been going on way too slowly.”Türk told Austrian daily Kurier that prejudices towards […]

TA joins WAC as job cull fears linger on

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Business

Telekom Austria Group (TA) has joined an internationally-operating union of telecommunication service providers.Technology media report today (Thurs) that the Austrian market leader has become a member of the Wholesale Applications Community (WAC), with TA chief Hannes Ametsreiter named board member of the body.WAC aims to be an international interface between creators of IT applications and […]

Spindelegger says Sudan must cooperate to avoid civil war

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Politics

People’s Party (ÖVP) Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger has appealed to his Sudanese counterpart Ali Ahmed Karti to increase measures avoiding a civil war breaking out in Darfur.Spindelegger said Austria – currently a member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) – had “great interest” in the wellbeing of the thousands of refugees living in the […]

Austrian exports rose in February

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Business

Austrian exports rose in February by 5.5 per cent year on year to 7.82 million Euros, according to Statistik Austria.The agency added today (Fri) that imports had grown by 3.4 per cent year on year to 8.08 billion Euros in February. Both exports and imports had declined year on year in January.For the two months […]