World News

Austria says it opposes EU plan to cap cash payments at 10,000 euros

Austria on Thursday reinforced its status as one of Europe's most cash-loving countries by saying it opposed a plan by the European Commission to cap cash payments at 10,000 euros…

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Austria to provide a million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Western Balkans

Austria will provide a million doses of coronavirus vaccine to the countries of the Western Balkans in addition to the doses it is funnelling towards the region on behalf of…

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Austria seeks to build coalition against softening EU budget rules

Austria is seeking to build a coalition of EU countries that would prevent a softening of EU budget rules when they come under review later this year and in 2022,…

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Austrian far-right leader quits

The leader of Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPO) Norbert Hofer stepped down on but pointedly did not back his high-profile deputy and rival Herbert Kickl to succeed him. Hofer, widely…

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Austrian hospital amputates wrong leg of elderly patient

An Austrian hospital amputated the wrong leg of a patient, blaming human error for what it called a “tragic mistake”. The elderly patient is suffering from many illnesses, the Freistadt…

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Austria’s Kurz expects to be charged but cleared in perjury case

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz expects to be charged but eventually cleared in an investigation into whether he gave false testimony to a parliamentary commission, he told Sunday newspapers, ruling out…

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Austria’s Kurz being investigated by anti-corruption prosecutors

Anti-corruption prosecutors are investigating Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz over possible false testimony to a parliamentary commission investigating the fallout from the so-called Ibiza sting video that felled a previous government.…

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Austria snubs EU plea to accept Lampedusa migrants

Austria on Tuesday rejected a plea for other European Union countries to accept migrants from Italy, following a surge in arrivals on Lampedusa that seems likely to expose deep-seated divisions…

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Austria says it will only buy Sputnik V vaccine after EMA approval

Austria will only buy Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine if the European Medicines Agency approves it, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's office said, further clarifying its position on the planned purchase. Facing…

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Austria to let restaurants, hotels and theatres reopen on May 19

VIENNA, April 23 (Reuters) - Austria plans to loosen coronavirus restrictions on May 19, letting restaurants, hotels and theatres reopen their doors for the first time in more than five…

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Austria to funnel 651,000 COVID vaccine doses to Western Balkans from EU

Austria said on Tuesday it plans to funnel 651,000 doses of BioNTech and Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine to six countries of the Western Balkans by August as part of a European Union scheme to…

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AstraZeneca could have COVID-19 vaccine against variant by end-2021

ZURICH, April 18 (Reuters) - A modified version of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine tailored to combat a coronavirus variant first documented in South Africa could be ready by the end of…

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Update – European countries vie to host US-Russia summit

Vienna/Geneva (dpa) - At least three European countries have offered to host the summit with Vladimir Putin proposed by Joe Biden amid rising tensions between the United States and Russia. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian…

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Easter lockdown in Austria extended in more provinces

Two provinces that are introducing a coronavirus lockdown over Easter along with Vienna will follow the Austrian capital in extending their restrictions by five days until Sunday, April 11, the…

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Austria likely to order Russian Sputnik V vaccine next week, Kurz says

Austria will probably order a million doses of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine next week, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said, without specifying whether the country would await approval by the European…

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Austria’s Kurz and allies seek ‘correction’ on EU vaccine distribution

VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Tuesday he and allies from eastern Europe were pushing for the European Union to adjust the way it distributes COVID-19 vaccines…

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Austria blames health advisor for failure to order additional Pfizer doses

An Austrian official who chaired the EU Commission's vaccination advisory board, Clemens Martin Auer, has resigned after the country's health minister Rudolf Anschober seemingly pointed his fingers at him for…

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Austria still has a half billion euros to spend on Covid-19 vaccinations

Austria still has a half billion euros to spend on vaccinations just as soon as the Alpine country can get its hands on enough doses, Finance Minister Gernot Bluemel said…

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Austria’s Kurz says COVID vaccines not distributed evenly within EU

VIENNA, March 12 (Reuters) - COVID-19 vaccine doses are not being distributed evenly within the European Union according to member states' populations, as was agreed by the bloc, Austrian Chancellor…

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AstraZeneca vaccine batch which Austria stopped using was distributed to 17 EU countries – UPDATE

Austria was one of 17 European countries to receive doses from a batch of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine that Austrian authorities have stopped using while investigating a death and an illness following their use, a…

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UPDATED: Austria suspends AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine batch after death

Austrian authorities have suspended inoculations with a batch of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine as a precaution while investigating the death of one person and the illness of another after the shots,…

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Netanyahu says Israel, Austria and Denmark will set up vaccine alliance

JERUSALEM, March 4 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel, Austria and Denmark will establish a joint fund for research and development of COVID-19 vaccines.…

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Austria plans to let cafe and restaurant terraces reopen this month

Austria plans to let cafe and restaurant terraces reopen this month in a further loosening of its coronavirus lockdown that will get an early start in a small Alpine province…

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Austria and Denmark to produce own Covid-19 vaccine with Israel

Austria and Denmark, chafing at the slow rollout of COVID-19 vaccines within the European Union, have joined forces with Israel to produce second-generation vaccines against mutations of the coronavirus. The move by the…

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Photo Story: Sachertorte for Valentine’s Day in Austria

An employee loads a car with bags of Sachertorte chocolate cakes for delivery at the traditional Hotel Sacher in Vienna, Austria. Due the ongoing Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic the Hotel Sacher…

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Austrian prosecutors search finance minister’s home in bribery probe

VIENNA, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Austrian prosecutors on Thursday searched the home of Finance Minister Gernot Bluemel, a close ally of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, on suspicion of bribery involving a…

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Austria tries to contain S.African variant outbreak by voluntary means

Austria on Monday opted against placing the whole Alpine province of Tyrol under quarantine to contain an outbreak of the so-called South African variant of the coronavirus, instead urging the…

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EU flags concern over Austrian minimum airfare plan

BRUSSELS, Feb 3 (Reuters) - The EU has raised concerns over Austrian plans to set a minimum airfare, a spokesman said, weighing in on an environmental policy debate that pits…

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Austria to loosen lockdown, allowing shops and schools to reopen

VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria said on Monday it will loosen its coronavirus lockdown from Monday next week, switching to a nighttime curfew and letting non-essential shops and schools reopen despite…

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Austria finds 96 foreigners in breach of lockdown rules at top ski resort

VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian police have found 96 foreigners from across Europe at the ski resort of St Anton am Arlberg in breach of pandemic-related rules on entering the country and…

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Apartment building near Vienna partly collapses after apparent explosion

An apartment building in a suburb of Vienna caught fire and partly collapsed after an apparent explosion on Friday morning, but police had no immediate information on injuries or how many people were inside.…

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Austria extends third COVID-19 lockdown to Feb 8 – Official – UPDATED

VIENNA, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Austria on Sunday extend its third COVID-19 lockdown into February, hoping to drive down infection rates despite an influx of variants that spread the coronavirus…

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New Austrian COVID cluster: mainly British group on ski teacher course

VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria said on Tuesday it has identified a new cluster of 17 COVID-19 cases, a mainly British group on a ski teacher training course, despite the country…

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Austrian labour minister resigns over plagiarism allegations

ZURICH (REUTERS) - Economic scholar Martin Kocher will become Austria's new labour minister, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced on Sunday after Kocher's predecessor resigned over alleged plagiarism in her academic theses.…

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Austria to roll out 5 million coronavirus tests for school pupils

Austrian schools will receive 5 million coronavirus testing kits from Jan. 18, the government said , as part of efforts to curb the spread of the virus when pupils eventually…

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Austria to roll out five million coronavirus tests for school pupils

ZURICH (Reuters) - Austrian schools will receive 5 million coronavirus testing kits from Jan. 18, the government said on Saturday, as part of efforts to curb the spread of the…

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Austria extends lockdown for another week until Jan. 24

Austria has scrapped plans to allow anyone with a negative coronavirus test to exit lockdown a week early, effectively extending strict measures and keeping restaurants and non-essential stores shut until…

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Two more suspects linked to Vienna attack arrested – prosecutors

ZURICH (Reuters) - An Austrian of Afghan descent whose genetic material was allegedly found on the weapon that a jihadist used to kill four people in Vienna last month has been…

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Austria readies extra 1 bln euro aid for lockdown-hit business

ZURICH, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Austria expects to pay out an extra nearly 1 billion euros ($1.23 billion) in support for companies hit by a new lockdown that the government…

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Photo Story: The traditional Christmas display in Bad Tatzmannsdorf, Austria

Photos of the so-called 'Christmas House' estate of the Gollnhuber family in Bad Tatzmannsdorf, Austria. Since 2010 the Gollnhuber family installs up to 6.000.000 Christmas lights and more than 180…

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Austria readies extra 1 billion euro aid for lockdown-hit business

Austria expects to pay out an extra nearly 1 billion euros ($1.23 billion) in support for companies hit by a new lockdown that the government imposed to curb the spread…

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Weapons intended for German extremists seized in Austria

Austrian police seized a huge cache of automatic weapons, explosives and hand grenades intended to arm right-wing extremist groups in Germany, Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said. Five people were arrested…

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Photo Story: Christmas time during COVID-19 pandemic in Salzburg

The illuminated fortress Hohensalzburg (top), the Salzburger Dom (Salzburg Cathedral) and the Salzach river during dawn in Salzburg, Austria, as the Austrian city gears up for the festive season amid…

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Hospitality hit hardest as Austrian unemployment rises during lockdown

Austrian unemployment rose in November as a coronavirus lockdown kicked in in the second half of the month, Labour Minister Christine Aschbacher said on Tuesday, with hospitality jobs especially hard…

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Austria to face further “massive restrictions” after lockdown

Austria should expect further heavy restrictions when its current lockdown measures expire in just over a week, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told Austrian paper Kleine Zeitung. Austria’s nationwide lockdown is due…

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Austria orders three-week lockdown to rein in surging coronavirus cases

Austria on Saturday ordered a three-week lockdown in a last-ditch effort to bring surging coronavirus cases under control and relieve the stress on the health service in time for retailers…

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Austria planning three-week lockdown from Tuesday, draft decree shows

Austria is planning to move from its current night-time curfew and partial shutdown to a full lockdown from Tuesday until Sunday Dec. 6 inclusive, a draft and summary of the…

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Austria likely to close schools in bid to contain COVID-19 spread

Austria will likely close schools and tighten contact restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, news website OE24 reported on Friday. The government is due to hold a…

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Vienna attacker seems to have acted alone, police chief says

At the moment there is no sign the jihadist who killed four people last week in a shooting rampage in central Vienna had help in carrying out his attack, Vienna's…

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Two arrested in Switzerland visited Vienna’s attacker

The two men arrested in the Swiss town of Winterthur near Zurich last week over possible links to a jihadist shooting attack in Vienna on Nov. 2 visited the attacker…

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Austria admits ‘intolerable mistakes’ in checks on Vienna attacker

Austria on Friday admitted "intolerable mistakes" in the handling of intelligence on the jihadist who killed four people in Vienna on Monday, saying it could have considered him a greater…

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Austria reports record high coronavirus infections

Austria reported a record high 8,421 new coronavirus infections within the last 24 hours, the Kronenzeitung newspaper reported on Saturday. The number of deaths related to the virus rose by…

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Austrian government criticised over Vienna attack intel failure

German police said on Friday they were conducting searches in several German towns in connection with four people believed to have ties to the suspected Vienna attacker who killed four…

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What is known about the man who killed four in Vienna shooting spree

Dressed in a black shirt and cap, with an automatic rifle, a handgun and a machete in hand, 20-year-old Kujtim Fejzulai looked into the camera for the last photo he…

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Vienna gunman acted alone

Large quantities of mobile phone footage have confirmed that the jihadist who killed four people in a rampage in Vienna on Monday was the only gunman, but Austria fumbled intelligence…

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Austrian police arrest 14 in manhunt after gunman’s deadly rampage

Austrian police raided 18 properties and arrested 14 people in a massive dragnet on Tuesday, after a gunman identified as a convicted jihadist killed four people and injured 22 in…

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Austrian Minister claims terrorist attack was “Islamist”

Hundreds of police fanned out across Vienna on Tuesday, searching for perpetrators of attacks that left five people dead in the city's centre, after what a government minister said was…

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