The frequency of National Socialist activities is on the rise, new figures show.The justice ministry said yesterday (Thurs) that 741 people were reported for spreading neo-Nazi propaganda or engaging in crimes with a far-right political background last year, up by 39.5 per cent to 2009 when 513 such cases were dealt with by the police […]
Water processing and preparation company Best Water Technology AG (BWT) said today (Fri) that its turnover jumped by 15 per cent to 460.7 million Euros year on year in 2010.The company, which is based in the Upper Austrian town of Mondsee, added its earnings before interest and taxes (Ebit) improved by 17.4 per cent to […]
A cleaner faces criminal charges after admitting having started several blazes in Vienna.Police interviewed the 32-year-old man as they investigated a series of 10 fires which have caused substantial damage to various properties in the city over the past four months.The man, who works for a facility management firm, confessed today (Fri) to having started […]
An opera star has said that she was kicked out of a taxi for being black.Afro-American soprano Angel Blue said today (Thurs) that she was ordered to get out of a cab in Vienna moments after she entered it.Weekly magazine News reports the singer as saying: “The driver said: I don’t drive black women – […]
The future of a planned five-star hotel in Vienna is uncertain after Asian hotel chain Shangri-La pulled out.Real estate developer Bauträger Austria Immobilien GmbH (BAI) said today (Weds) it was “totally surprised” about Shangri-Las decision to cancel their contract, saying the cooperation has so far been “very good”. BAI made clear: “The contract cannot be […]
A national TV manager has caused a stir by calling on staff not to let the Opera Ball “turn into a ball of the bitches”.Wolfgang Lorenz, the chief programme director of Austrian broadcaster ORF, confirmed today (Weds) that a leaked company-internal e-mail with this statement was sent by him to employees in charge of the […]
Hotel Sacher boss Elisabeth Gürtler has set her sights on a leading hotel management group, it has emerged.Austrian business newspapers report today (Tues) that the businesswoman is considering acquiring the 52.1 per cent stake that the B&C Holding is currently holding in the Imperial Hotels Austria AG.Such a move would put Gürtler in charge of […]
Vienna has dropped from second to third place in a ranking of the most liveable cities in the world.The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) announced today (Tues) it considered the Canadian city of Vancouver which hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics as the best place to live on the planet for a fifth year in […]
Service on an underground train route in Vienna came to a halt for half an hour yesterday evening (Mon) after passengers said they smelt smoke.Public transport agency Wiener Linien decided to stop operations on the U3 line after several commuters told staff at stations they smelt smoke and fire while on U-Bahn trains driving through […]
Wienerberger AG the worlds biggest producer of bricks is back in the black.The firm headed by Heimo Scheuch said today (Tues) that it had earnings before interest and taxes (Ebit) of 10.7 million Euros last year after a loss of 258.1 million Euros in 2009. Wienerberger added that its turnover declined by four […]