Coalition accelerates anti-corruption ambitions

Categories
Politics

The government is intensifying its attempts to pass a transparency package in parliament. The Social Democrats (SPÖ) and their coalition partner, the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP), arranged meetings with representatives of the parliament’s three opposition factions to debate details about the planned amendment. The law is set to create stricter rules regarding the subsidisation of […]

Vienna is a true wine capital

Categories
Culture

It is a little-known fact but the city of Vienna is the only capital in the world that has vineyards within the city boundaries. The Vienna city vineyards produce award-winning wines and now a wine that they officially launched last year – the Wiener Gemischter Satz – has proven to be an export winner. The […]

ÖVAG ‘is not a glorious chapter’

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Finance

Bank Austria (BA) chief Willibald Cernko has welcomed plans to create a bank bankruptcy regulation. Austrian law currently fails to feature rules which determine under which circumstances a financial institute with headquarters in the alpine country can start regulated insolvency procedures. Real economy businesses benefit from such an option on a regular basis. It is […]

Upper Austria bans ‘aggressive begging’

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Politics

Certain forms of begging are now prohibited in six of Austria’s nine provinces after a law made by Upper Austrian decision-makers went into effect today (Tues).The provincial government agreed earlier this month to make so-called aggressive and professional begging illegal as of 1 February. People being caught begging face fines and prison sentences.The decision comes […]

Schulz justifies EU’s Hungarian media law check

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Politics

Socialists & Democrats Group in the European Parliament (EP) leader Martin Schulz has defended the decision of the EP and the European Commission (EC) to examine Hungary’s controversial new media law.Critics have claimed the check might take longer than the country’s six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) which started on 1 […]

Dachshund watchdog law change ahead

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Politics

Political decision-makers in Lower Austria have presented plans to change a controversial ruling which allows small breeds like Chihuahuas and dachshunds to be declared as guard dogs.People’s Party (ÖVP) official Karl Bader announced today (Mon): “Some people registered their lapdogs as watchdogs as the law is unclear. That is why we plan to change the […]

Dog bites off owner’s lip

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General News

A 36-year-old woman had a chunk of her upper lip bitten off by her own dog, it has emerged.The Bad Ischl resident had opened the boot of her car to let out her Bernese Mountain Dog when it suddenly attacked her on Tuesday.The Upper Austrian underwent surgery at a local clinic. It has not been […]

Carinthia seizes 350 kilos of mushrooms

Categories
General News

Mountain authorities in Carinthia confiscated more than 300 kilograms of illegally collected mushrooms this summer, it has emerged.The local Alpine administration body said today (Fri) officials seized 350 kilograms of mushrooms from people who breached regulations.Provincial rules have it that people must not pick more than two kilos of mushrooms a day per capita during […]