Catholic Church killjoys have ordered a parish to take its confessional box auction offline – right after the highest bid was exactly 666 Euros.Priest Otto Weber of cash-strapped Hirschstetten parish in Vienna-Donaustadt decided to offer one of the churchs confessional boxes on eBay to carry out essential renovations.But Archdiocese Vienna decision-makers forced the canny cleric […]
Police said today (Mon) a Russian prisoner slashed his throat in the toilet of a Vienna jail on Saturday.Vienna-Josefstadt prison chief Alfred Steinacher said: “We did not find a farewell note. The prisoner did not have relatives in Vienna. The embassy has already been informed about the incident.”Steinacher said foul play could be ruled out, […]
Austrias oldest driver died when he crashed into a truck on Tuesday, it emerged today (Fri).Josef Kainz, 96, steered his Toyota into a lorry near Schrems, Lower Austria, after entering a road in the wrong direction.The pensioner died instantly while the truck driver only suffered minor injuries, according to local authorities.Neighbours in Marbach said Kainz […]
Annual FSME toll clocks 20
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Twenty people have suffered from FSME (tick-borne encephalitis) so far this year after being bitten by ticks across Austria, it has been announced.ARGE Gesundheitsvorsorge said today (Weds) all cases could have been avoided since none of the affected people were vaccinated against the dangerous disease. The healthcare body added two of the victims were children […]
An ice cream investigation has revealed almost one in four served to the public suffer serious hygiene flaws.The Upper Austrian Labour Chamber (AKOÖ) said today (Tues) that hygiene specialists who examined ice cream on sale at parlours in the provincial capital Linz found only eight of the 19 probes they took to be of passable […]
The number of Austrians backing a total smoking ban in pubs and restaurants has soared after a new ruling went into force earlier this month.Opposition party chiefs have criticised the government coalition of Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the Peoples Party (ÖVP) for its ruling which forced venues smaller than 50 square-metres to decide between becoming […]
Infamous Holocaust denier Gerd Honsik is facing another trial after judges slashed his term earlier this year, it emerged today (Fri).Vienna prosecutors said they were considering pressing charges against the Austrian over the content of two of his books which they believe break the countrys strict anti-Nazi laws.Honsik was sentenced to five years in jail […]
Political exports praised the “new spirit” between Washington and Russia as one of the most spectacular espionage cases came to an end in Vienna today (Fri).US officials arrived with ten suspected spies 10 men and one women to Vienna International Airport (VIA) around midday, while a plane from Moscow carried four suspected male […]
Wels firemen have been kept busy after a man locked himself in his own toilet around midday today (Fri).Officials in the Upper Austrian city said worried neighbours called fire-fighters after hearing the mans cries for help.The local fire brigade was preparing to break down the apartment door when the 44-year-olds son arrived with a spare […]
‘Roof blaze’ was swarm of fireflies
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Graz firemen were called to evacuate a busy city centre square after a man mistook a swarm of fireflies for a burning roof.Officials said today (Fri) fire-fighters decided to shutdown the bustling Franziskaner Square a popular night-time entertainment location housing several restaurants and pubs when a caller claimed the roof of an apartment […]