Sledging crash puts German in hospital

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General News

A German tourist suffered serious injures in a sledging accident yesterday evening (Thurs).The 38-year-old man came off the illuminated track in Jerzens, Tyrol, and skidded down a 15-metre ravine. He was unconscious when pals discovered him at the bottom of the rocky descent shortly after the incident.The man was transferred to the valley by mountain […]

Almost 6,000 natural gas vehicles in Austria

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Business

More than 300 natural gas cars were registered in Austria last year, it has been announced.Statistik Austria said today (Fri) that 333 gas-powered cars, 221 natural gas lorries and 48 buses equipped with natural gas engines were registered in 2010.The state agency explained these developments increase the overall number of natural gas vehicles in the […]

UNIQA eyes expansion after 2010 profits

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Business

Insurance company UNIQA Versicherungen AG (UNIQA) said its 2010 performance could have been better than expected.The firm said today (Fri) that some weeks ago it expected profits of around 120 to 135 million Euros, while analysts predicted profits of 142 million Euros. Now the Vienna-based insurer has explained that it may have achieved a pre-tax […]

New figures confirm THI AG recovery

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Business

Upper Austrian wood company Teak Holz International AG (THI AG) is back in the black, it has emerged.The Linz-based firm, which suffered a loss of 11.8 million Euros in the 2008/2009 business year, said today (Thurs) its achieved earnings before interest and taxes (Ebit) of 3.5 million Euros in the 2009/2010 business year which ended […]

Strabag denies Sochi building work delays

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Business

Strabag SE chief Hans Peter Haselsteiner has rubbished speculations construction projects in 2014 Olympics host city Sochi are running late.The businessman’s company is just one of a string of Austrian firms which were assigned to carry out building and infrastructure projects in the Russian Black Sea resort.Haselsteiner told the Kurier newspaper today (Thurs): “We are […]

Polish €11mn order for Kapsch

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Business

Viennese technology company Kapsch TrafficCom AG (Kapsch) has bagged a major assignment in Poland.The road toll systems specialist said today (Thurs) it will set up a digital radio system on 84 kilometres of railway network in the country. The company, which is headed by Georg Kapsch, added the contract was worth 11 million Euros.Kapsch official […]

Air Berlin says 2010 loss likely

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Business

Air Berlin has suffered losses last year, according to estimations made yesterday evening (Weds).The airline, which cooperates with Austria’s FlyNiki, announced its could have suffered operative losses “of a one-digit million-Euro sum”. Air Berlin explained the extreme winter weather in November and December and the strike of air traffic controllers in Spain last month were […]

Overnight stays up with a little help from Vienna

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Business

A strong year on year surge of overnight stays in Vienna rescued the 2010 performance of the Austrian tourism industry.Figures presented by state agency Statistik Austria yesterday (Weds) show that hotels in the federal capital registered 10.86 million overnight stays last year, 10.3 per cent more than in 2009. The city’s tourism businesses also did […]

ÖBB to train rival’s staff

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Business

Federal Railways (ÖBB) boss Christian Kern has revealed that his firm will begin training the train drivers of a rival company.Businessman Hans Peter Haselsteiner and former ÖBB manager Stefan Wehinger’s Westbahn project will start offering around daily connections between Vienna and Salzburg this December. Wehinger recently told Die Presse newspaper: “We expect to achieve operative […]

Lauda in hot water after anti-male dancing couple attack

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General News

Niki Lauda has been accused of having prejudices towards homosexuals.The Formula One (F1) legend and aviation businessman caused a stir some days ago by urging Alexander Wrabetz, head of state-owned TV channel ORF, to ban gay entertainer Alfons Haider from competing in “Dancing Stars” with a male dancing partner.Lauda said the teaming up of Haider […]