Viennese public transport agency Wiener Linien has vowed to eradicate errors on its automatic timetable information system.The company said today (Tues) it planned to increase the number of digital information boards at bus and tram stations from the current 500 to around twice this number by 2015.Critics point out that the digitalised devices operations have […]
Tag: parliament
An up-and-coming right-winger has been elected as executive chief of the Freedom Party (FPÖ) in the city parliament of Vienna.Johann Gudenus received unanimous support by the party board in a summit in Mauerbach near Vienna today (Weds). Gudenus will lead the FPÖs delegation in the city parliament after the partys 10 October election campaign front […]
Vienna gets first SPÖ-Greens coalition
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Freedom Party (FPÖ) leader Heinz-Christian Strache has vowed “resistance” as the Viennese Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the Greens have agreed to cooperate in the city parliament.The right-winger said today (Fri): “We will fight this horrific experiment, of course.”Strache, whose party garnered almost 26 per cent in last months city ballot, also announced plans to hold […]
SPÖ makes shock U-turn on conscription
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Leading Social Democrats (SPÖ) have spoken out in favour of a referendum about conscription in what is regarded as a sensational U-turn on the issue.SPÖ Vienna Mayor Michael Häupl suggested yesterday (Mon) people should decide on whether young Austrians should still have to serve in the army. Around 25,000 men aged 18 or 19 receive […]
University bans veils
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Bosses at a Styrian university have decided to forbid wearing veils, it has emerged.Managers of the Medical University of Graz (MUG) decided today (Thurs) to prohibit wearing veils that disguise womens faces in seminars and exams.MUG vice director Gilbert Reibnegger stressed however that students would still be allowed to wear veils in lectures. He stressed […]
An Austrian Member of the European Parliament (MEP) has claimed he has been targeted by the Colombian Secret Service over his fight for the rights of farmers in the country.Social Democrat (SPÖ) Jörg Leichtfried said today (Thurs) he got hold of top secret documents revealing that Secret Service officials of the South American country planned […]
Erste Bank CEO wants tax on assets
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The head of Austrias second-biggest bank has caused a stir by calling for the introduction of a tax on assets.Erste Bank boss Andreas Treichl told weekly magazine News today (Thurs): “A decent taxation on assets must be set up, of course, as well as (higher) real estate tax levels and inheritance tax.”Treichl also said tax […]
Liste Burgenland performs spot landing
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Final results of last Sundays provincial election mean that the Burgenland parliament will feature five parties for the first time in history.Voting commission officials announced last night (Weds) that the counting of postal votes means that the Greens who won 5.2 per cent in 2005 managed to remain in parliament with 4.15 per […]
Incumbent president Heinz Fischer is expected to celebrate a landslide victory in Sundays presidential elections, but the main focus will be on the performance of his rival Barbara Rosenkranz.The campaign of the Freedom Party (FPÖ) candidate has been shattered by a series of controversial statements by herself about Austrias Nazi past. The mother-of-ten accused press […]