German triumph serves up top TV figures

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Lifestyle

More than one million Austrians tuned in as Germany proceeded in the Football World Cup last night (Weds).Official figures presented today show that 873,000 Austrians followed national broadcaster ORF’s live coverage of the final group D matches Germany vs. Ghana (1-0) and Australia vs. Serbia (2-1).Around 223,000 Austrian TV consumers meanwhile watched German station ARD’s […]

Religious classes at risk as just two in 200 students are Catholics

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General News

Right-wing opinion leaders are up in arms as just two of the 200-odd students at a Vienna school are Roman Catholics.Brigittenau district schools inspector Walter Gusterer said today (Weds) the plan was to now let the children join religious education classes in a nearby school.She explained that high administrational costs could not justify holding religious […]

Kennedy says Obama did ‘excellent job’ over oil spill

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Politics

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed Barack Obama has done an “excellent job” in reacting to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.The environmental law expert said at a business event in Vienna last night (Weds): “I’m convinced Obama will succeed with his plans of stepping on new ground in energy and climate issues. He did an […]

New Catholic priests figures in decline

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General News

Fewer Austrians decided to become Catholic priests in the first half of this year than in 2009 as the church’s crisis continues.Church officials said today (Thurs) 24 men will be consecrated priests in 2010 by the end of this month. They said 33 consecrations took place in the first six months of last year.The Austrian […]

Chinese rock to be placed on Austrian peak

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Culture

A Chinese artist is to place a four-tonne rock on one of Austria’s highest mountains.Organisers of Styria’s Regionale10 festival announced today (Tues) that famed architectural designer Ai Weiwei’s creation will be positioned on the peak of the 2,995-metre Hoher Dachstein on 23 June.They said the rock from the Chinese province of Sichuan will be transported […]

Countryside culture delights at Regionale10

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Culture

Dozens of concerts and exhibits will be on in Styria over the next few weeks as part of the Regionale10 festival.Fifty-one communities in Liezen district take part in the second edition of the event featuring theatre performances, musical shows and art exhibitions under the motto “In der Mitte am Rand” (In the Centre – At […]

Africans often stereotyped in Austria, report says

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General News

Black people living in Austria are still confronted with racism and stereotyping, a new study has revealed.Clara Akinyosoye, chief author of the independent 62-page report, said blacks were often insulted in public and sometimes treated unfairly by police.She added stereotypes like “Blacks are born with a perfect feeling for rhythm” dominate the daily life of […]

Study shows most priests want end of celibacy

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General News

A majority of Austrian Catholic priests want celibacy to be abolished, a survey has revealed.Researchers from Kepler University in the Upper Austrian city of Linz said today (Weds) 59 per cent of the clergy they spoke to said they backed the idea of putting an end to the ruling. Study leaders said they interviewed 406 […]

Whitsun traffic in Austria claims five

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General News

Traffic officials have said only five people were killed on Austrian roads over the Whitsun weekend.A Traffic Department spokesman said today (Weds) that this was the lowest number of Whitsun traffic fatalities along with figures in 1996 and 2008 since 1967.One car driver, two motorcyclist and two cyclists died in the Whitsun traffic.A record number […]

Labour ministry reveals cost-cutting plans

Categories
Politics

Social Democratic (SPÖ) Labour Minister Rudolf Hundstorfer has announced plans to cut the budget of courses offered to jobless people.Hundstorfer said yesterday (Tues): “It must not happen anymore that someone sits a course such as ‘How do I apply for a job best?’ three times.”The minister announced all courses offered by the Labour Market Service […]