Fewer surgeries will be carried out at Austria’s biggest clinic if the government does not invest more, doctors have warned. The Federal Chamber of Doctors and the works council of Vienna’s General Hospital (AKH) said yesterday (Mon) fewer nurses would be on night duty in the coming months due to the financial situation. They warned […]
The People’s Party (ÖVP) has harshly criticised Health Minister Alois Stöger’s “style” of presenting new ideas – but also explained it would support his cosmetic surgery draft bill. Stöger told magazine News and newspaper Kurier yesterday (Thurs) that he wanted to implement stricter rules on plastic surgeries. Teenagers should be ordered to consult psychologists before […]
Viennese Mayor Michael Häupl has said his party’s cooperation with the Greens is a “reasonable alternative offer” to voters who consider backing right-wingers. The head of the Viennese branch of the Austrian Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) told the Kurier today (Thurs) people should think about what else might be possible in Austria apart from a […]
Maria Fekter has revealed that the Eurozone’s finance ministers consider asking Greece to guarantee reforms “in writing”. The Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) finance minister said yesterday (Mon) that she and the finance ministers of the other Eurozone members planned to call on the debt-stricken country’s politicians to present a written statement promising to carry out […]
Four in 10 Austrians oppose a recent suggestion to allow single women and lesbian couples to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF). Social Democratic (SPÖ) Health Minister Alois Stöger said last month single women should get the green light to undergo such a procedure. Federal law keeps them from opting for the treatment. Stöger claimed the […]
Finance Minister Maria Fekter has claimed Austria’s triple A rating is “safe” despite banks’ struggles in Eastern Europe (EE). The People’s Party (ÖVP) minister told radio station Ö1 on Saturday that she saw no imminent risk to Austria losing its top rating currently established by the world’s leading credit rating agencies. However, the minister admitted […]
People’s Party (ÖVP) State Secretary Sebastian Kurz has called for a reform of Austria’s anti-forced marriage law. Forced marriages are not a criminal offence under the current regulations if carried out abroad. Austrians and people living in Austria are facing legal consequences for such actions only if this kind of marriage occurs within the country’s […]
Federation of Industries (IV) chief Veit Sorger has warned that yesterday’s (Tues) metal industry salary negotiations agreement would “intensify the pressure on companies to rationalise.” Sorger is quoted by the Kurier as saying that the agreement – under which the 165,000 workers will get 4.2 per cent more from November – was a “great burden” […]
Struggling Hypo Group Alpe Adria (HGAA) withdraws from nautical leasing operations in Southeast Europe. The bank – which is currently trying to restore its finances after being nationalised in 2009 – said around 320 leased HGAA vessels were currently operating, down from 700 in 2008. International consulting company PriceWaterhouseCoopers claimed in 2009 that 400 HGAA […]
A right-wing member of the federal parliament (MP) has retired from politics after coming under fire for belittling a massacre. Fellow Freedom Party (FPÖ) members and left-wing competitors hit out at Werner Königshofer after he felt urged to emphasise that the “Islamic threat has struck Europe a thousand times more often” than self-styled Christian warriors […]