Runaway prisoner caught in Vienna

Categories
General News

A convicted felon on the run from prison was rearrested after he had got picked up during a traffic check, police reported today (Tues). Police in Vienna-Floridsdorf found out that the 27-year-old man had bunked from a jail a few weeks ago. They checked his ID after he had given contradictory statements about who owned […]

Ex-Rapid coach penalised for gay slander

Categories
Sports

Former Rapid Vienna manager Vlatko Markovic has been fined 10,000 Euros for claiming that he “never met a gay person as only healthy people play football.”The 74-year-old president of the Croatian Football Association played for Viennese team Wiener Sportklub in 1965 before coaching 32-time Bundesliga champs Rapid in the 1985/1986 season.He also angered activists and […]

Europe would benefit from Turkish EU move, says Lidington

Categories
Politics

A Turkish accession to the European Union (EU) would help Europe to improve its credibility in the Arab world, British Minister for Europe David Lidington has claimed.Lidington said in his speech at an event at the Austrian National Bank (OeNB) yesterday evening (Mon) that the EU would have more influence on developments in the world […]

Right-wing anger over mosques call

Categories
Politics

Freedom Party (FPÖ) officials have hit out at Anas Schakfeh, president of the Austrian Islamic Denomination (IGGiÖ), for calling for a mosque in all nine provinces.FPÖ General Secretary Harald Vilimsky today (Mon) suggested an “immigration stop” for people from “Islamic regions” in a first reaction to Schakfeh’s statements from the weekend.Schakfeh said he wanted “visible” […]

Laun adamant over ‘sinful’ Love Parade

Categories
General News

A controversial Catholic bishop has claimed he was “misinterpreted” after branding the Love Parade stampede “God’s punishment” – but stressed he would still regard the event a “sin”.Salzburg Auxiliary Bishop Andreas Laun today (Mon) accused media of misinterpreting his statements made in a blog on a Catholic website last week.Laun said: “Love Parade equals sin […]

Suspended sentence for ‘gassing Jews’ posting

Categories
General News

A Vienna man was given a nine-month suspended sentence after posting anti-Semitic statements on the internet.A court in the capital heard today (Weds) how the 46-year-old wrote “all Jews should be gassed as in 1938” in the discussion forum of the Kronen Zeitung newspaper’s website.The accused also posted “they should be put against the wall […]

Majority say Islam is a ‘threat’

Categories
General News

The majority of Austrians say Islam is a “threat to the western world”, a new survey says.Pollsters IMAS found that 54 per cent of Austrians agreed with the statement “Islam poses a threat for the west and our familiar lifestyle”.IMAS officials said today (Weds) only 19 per cent disagreed, while 27 per cent were undecided.The […]

Schönborn and Leitl rule out voting Rosenkranz

Categories
Politics

Vienna Archbishop Christoph Cardinal Schönborn said today (Fri) he could rule out voting for the Freedom Party’s (FPÖ) presidential election candidate Barbara Rosenkranz.Schönborn said: “Someone who questions the ‘National Socialism prohibition law’ and fails to make clear statements regarding the Holocaust is not an option for me personally.”Rosenkranz, who represents the ultra-conservative wing of right-wing […]