Austria

Millions in Forged Banknotes Confiscated in Global Operation

Europol has supported a joint law enforcement operation that disrupted the distribution of counterfeit currency through postal services. The action resulted in the interception of nearly one million items, including…

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Austria set to deport man to Syria, marking first for EU since Assad’s fall

Austria is preparing to deport a Syrian man whose asylum status was revoked due to a criminal conviction, in what an EU official and rights groups say will be Europe's…

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Austria plans to tighten gun control rules after school shooting

Austria plans to tighten its gun control laws following its deadliest school shooting in Graz, where a 21‑year‑old former student killed ten people before taking his own life. Under current…

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Fatal school shooting in Graz, Austria

Multiple people have been killed in an attack on a school in the southern Austrian city of Graz, according to authorities. Police said that there had been "several deaths" after…

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Austria and Poland Take Tough Stance on Migration Amid Rising Pressure

Poland and Austria have introduced strict new measures on migration, signaling a hardening stance across parts of the European Union as governments face increasing domestic pressure over asylum policies. Polish…

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Austria says it has uncovered a Russian-steered campaign to spread disinformation about Ukraine

Austrian authorities said Monday that they uncovered a Russian-steered campaign aimed at spreading disinformation about Ukraine following the detention in December of a Bulgarian woman accused of spying for Russia.…

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Austria’s centrist parties clinch coalition deal without the far right

Austria's centrist parties have agreed to form a coalition government five months after elections in which the country's leading far right party won the largest share of the national vote.…

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What next after Austrian coalition talks led by far right collapse?

Talks between Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPO) and the conservative People's Party (OVP) have collapsed, dashing the FPO's hopes of leading a government for the first time, at least for…

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UPDATED: Austrian president tasks far-right leader with forming government

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen tasked the leader of the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) on Monday with forming a coalition government after a centrist bid to assemble one without…

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Austria stops processing Syrians’ asylum applications after Assad falls

Austria's caretaker government said on Monday it had ordered a halt to the processing of asylum applications by Syrians after rebels seized Damascus and President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia…

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Over EUR 14 million in counterfeit currency seized in operation targeting postal shipments

Law enforcement agencies from 18 countries have seized over EUR 14 million in counterfeit currency in Operation DECOY, a Europol-coordinated action led by Spain, Portugal, and Austria. This joint customs…

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Austria’s conservatives want far right to be given chance to form coalition

The leader of Austria's conservatives, Chancellor Karl Nehammer, urged President Alexander Van der Bellen on Tuesday to formally task the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) with forming a coalition after it…

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Historic parliamentary election victory for Austria’s far-right FPO

Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPO) must on Monday seek to clear a path to power after its historic parliamentary election victory left the anti-establishment outfit needing a partner to form…

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FPO vs OVP: Who Will Form Austria’s Next Government?

Austria's parliamentary election on Sunday is a tight race between the ruling conservative Austrian People's Party (OVP) and the far-right Freedom Party (FPO). The FPO, which is critical of Islam…

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CIA says Swift concert plotters planned to kill ‘a huge number’

The CIA reported that the suspects in the foiled plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna intended to kill "a huge number" of attendees. The intelligence shared by…

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Austria battles major flooding

Heavy rains lashed Alpine regions of Austria and left parts of Vienna under water at the weekend, causing severe damage in parts of the country and disrupting road and rail…

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Austria plans tougher counter-terrorism moves after Taylor Swift plot

Chancellor Karl Nehammer said he would introduce steps to bolster Austria's counter-terrorism capacity after authorities last week foiled a suspected ISIS-inspired plot against a concert due to be held by…

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Iraqi teen detained in Vienna after Taylor Swift attack plot foiled

Authorities in Austria have detained a third suspect in Vienna connected to an alleged plot to strike a Taylor Swift concert in the Austrian capital, the interior ministry said on…

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UPDATED: Plot to attack Taylor Swift show in Austria linked to Islamic State

The 19-year-old Austrian who masterminded a foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift fans at a concert in Vienna with a bomb or knife had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State…

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Austria nominates Finance Minister Brunner as European Commissioner

Austria's conservative-led coalition government is nominating conservative Finance Minister Magnus Brunner as its next European Commissioner, Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on social media platform X on Wednesday. "Magnus Brunner is…

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Austrian ruling coalition will limp on after clash over EU nature law

Austria's ruling coalition of conservatives and Greens flirted with collapse on Monday after a minister went it alone to tip the balance in the European Union in favour of a…

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Austrian court lets incestuous rapist Fritzl move to regular prison

An Austrian court said on Tuesday the country's most infamous living criminal, incestuous rapist Josef Fritzl, could move to regular prison from a prison psychiatric unit but he was still…

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Austrian economy to nearly stagnate this year, institutes forecast

(Reuters) - Austria's economy is expected to nearly stagnate this year, pressured by a weaker European Union economy and higher interest rates, according to two leading economic institutes which cut…

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Exasperated by cost of housing, Salzburg could elect a Communist mayor

By Francois Murphy VIENNA, March 22 (Reuters) - Salzburg, the home of Mozart and "The Sound of Music", is not a place known for radical change. The picturesque Austrian city,…

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Austrian court orders rapist Fritzl must stay put in prison

VIENNA, March 11 (Reuters) - An Austrian court said on Monday it had overturned a lower court decision that 88-year-old incestuous rapist Josef Fritzl be transferred to a regular prison…

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UPDATED: Vienna court finds Austrian ex-Chancellor Kurz guilty of perjury

By Francois Murphy VIENNA, Feb 23 (Reuters) - A Vienna court on Friday found Austria's conservative former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz guilty of perjury and handed him an eight-month suspended prison…

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Austrian incest-rapist Fritzl to transfer to regular prison

VIENNA, Jan 25 (Reuters) - An Austrian court on Thursday ordered the conditional transfer of 88-year-old incestuous rapist Josef Fritzl to a regular prison from a prison psychiatric unit, his…

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Austrian incest father, Josef Fritzl, could soon be eligible to apply for release

An Austrian man who held his daughter captive for 24 years and fathered seven children with her could be transferred from a unit for the criminally insane to prison where…

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Austria makes conditional ‘Air Schengen’ offer to Bulgaria, Romania

VIENNA, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Austria, which has led opposition within the European Union to Romania and Bulgaria joining the Schengen open-travel area, said on Monday it was willing to…

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European countries tighten borders

The European Union is dealing with an increase in legal and illegal arrivals by migrants, prompting some member states to temporarily re-introduce border controls within what is normally a zone…

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Austrian ex-chancellor Kurz goes on trial for perjury

VIENNA, (Reuters) - Austria's conservative former chancellor Sebastian Kurz went on trial for perjury on Wednesday in a case separate from the corruption investigation that forced him from office but…

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Austria’s former foreign minister to move to St. Petersburg

Former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl will move to St. Petersburg to work at an academic centre there which she heads, the Russian TASS state news agency reported this week.…

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Austria strengthens controls at the Brenner Pass

Austria is to intensify monitoring at the Brenner Pass on the border with Italy in response to the uptick in the arrival of migrants and refugees to Lampedusa, the Austrian…

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Austrian leader backs far-right idea of enshrining cash in constitution

VIENNA, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Austria's conservative Chancellor Karl Nehammer wants the right to use cash enshrined in the constitution, he told Austrian media in remarks published on Friday, an…

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World’s oldest national newspaper prints final edition after 320 years

The world’s oldest national newspaper has printed its last daily edition almost 320 years after it began. Wiener Zeitung, a Vienna-based daily newspaper, will no longer print daily editions after…

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Austrian economy to stagnate in 2023 – economic institutes

June 28 (Reuters) - Austria's economy is expected to stagnate throughout the second half of the year, hindered by inflation, a tighter monetary policy and a weak international economy, before…

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U.N. report says cocaine market is booming as meth trafficking spreads

VIENNA, (Reuters) - Cocaine demand and supply are booming worldwide and methamphetamine trafficking is expanding beyond established markets, including in Afghanistan where the drug is now being produced, a United…

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Austria not liable for Ischgl ski resort COVID outbreak

Austrian state cannot be held liable for the Ischgl crisis that saw thousands catch COVID-19, a court has ruled, rejecting the plaintiff's claims of "catastrophic mismanagement." Vienna's Supreme Court of…

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Austria to summon Hungarian ambassador over migration spat

BRUSSELS, May 22 (Reuters) - Austria's Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg on Monday said his ministry would summon the Hungarian ambassador over a dispute linked to the release of people he…

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Eye In The Sky: Innsbruck, Austria

Innsbruck seen from the Hafelekar, at 2.256 m (approx. 7,000 ft) above sea level, on a warm winter day, Austria. Photo: EPA-EFE/CHRISTIAN BRUNA

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Austrian trains running again after technical failure

VIENNA, April 13 (Reuters) - Trains in the east of Austria, a swathe of the country that includes its biggest rail hub, Vienna, are running again after a technical disruption…

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Austria to extend checks at Hungarian, Slovenian borders

VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria plans to extend checks at its borders with Slovenia and Hungary by another six months from May 11, when the current six-month suspension of free travel…

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Austrian banks unaffected by banking turmoil – finance minister tells NZZ

ZURICH, April 8 (Reuters) - Austria's government is monitoring the global banking turmoil although there are so far no signs of it spreading to the country's financial sector, Finance Minister…

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Austrian economy set to pick up next year – economic institutes

BERLIN, March 30 (Reuters) - Austria's economy is expected to pick up starting next year, once price pressures that are set to slow growth this year should begin easing in…

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Austria not rowing back support for EU’s car CO2 law, minister says

By Bart H. Meijer and Kate Abnett BRUSSELS, March 16 (Reuters) - Austria has already supported the European Union's agreement on a law to phase out new sales of CO2-emitting…

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UPDATED: Police deploy to sensitive sites in Vienna, warning of Islamist attack

VIENNA, March 15 (Reuters) - Vienna police stepped up armed patrols at sensitive sites in the Austrian capital including churches on Wednesday after the country's domestic intelligence agency received information…

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IAEA board backs Grossi’s appointment to second four-year term

VIENNA, March 10 (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog's 35-nation board of governors on Friday backed the reappointment of Argentina's Rafael Grossi to a second four-year term as director general, diplomats at…

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Suspected trafficker held in Austria after Italy shipwreck disaster

ROME (Reuters) - A fourth suspected human trafficker has been arrested in connection with a shipwreck off southern Italy last month in which at least 72 people died, an Italian…

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Austria expels four Russian envoys for breaching international agreements

VIENNA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Austria is expelling four Russian diplomats for behaving in a manner inconsistent with international agreements, a reason often invoked in spying cases, the Austrian Foreign…

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Dutch hacker obtained virtually all Austrians’ personal data, police say

VIENNA (Reuters) - A Dutch hacker arrested in November obtained and offered for sale the full name, address and date of birth of virtually everyone in Austria, the Alpine nation's…

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UPDATE – All missing people found alive afterAustrian avalanche – APA

BERLIN (Reuters) - The last two people unaccounted for after an avalanche in the Lech/Zuers skiing area in western Austria contacted authorities late on Sunday, and a search and rescue operation was…

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Austrian economy to slow in 2023

BERLIN, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Austria's economy is expected to slow in 2023, according to forecasts by two leading economic institutes published on Thursday, as high energy costs and waning…

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Speed far above the limit and we’ll take your car, Austria says

Drivers in Austria guilty of extreme speeding will have their cars seized and auctioned off, the government said on Monday, seeking to deter "boy racers" by threatening to take away…

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Strike brings trains to standstill across Austria

VIENNA, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Austrian rail traffic ground to a halt from midnight, impacting around 8,000 connections and some one million passengers, as workers held a 24-hour strike on…

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Serbia, Hungary and Austria agree to bolster fight against illegal migrations

By Aleksandar Vasovic BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbia on Wednesday agreed with Hungary and Austria to deploy more joint police patrols along its southern borders and align visa policies with those…

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Austria says EU’s debt laggards are hurting the fight against inflation

VIENNA (Reuters) - Excessive debt in some EU countries is hampering the fight against inflation, Austria's finance minister said on Wednesday, adding that his country would soon press the worst…

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Austria seeks allies for legal challenge to EU green investment rules

Austria said it was seeking to enlist other European Union countries to support its legal action against Brussels for labelling investment in gas and nuclear power as "green". Vienna on Friday…

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