Austria

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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Vienna Terror Attack Update : At least 4 dead – Austrian news agency

Update 0753h - Austrian news agency APA says homes have been searched and arrests made in connection with a terror attack in Vienna which has left four people dead including…

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Austria announces nighttime curfew as health system reaches unsustainable level

Austria on Saturday announced a nighttime curfew and the closure of restaurants to all but take-away service as coronavirus infections approach what the government says is an unsustainable level for…

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Austrian coronavirus cases rise by a record 3,614 infections

New coronavirus infections in Austria rose by a daily record of 3,614 cases, health authorities said on Saturday. The count was well over the 2,571 reported on Friday. The total…

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Austria introducing rule of six for indoor gatherings

Austria is limiting gatherings to a maximum of six people indoors and 12 outside, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Monday, to battle a steady rise in coronavirus infections. Daily cases…

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Austria’s daily tally surpass 2,000 for first time

Austria's daily tally of new coronavirus cases has surpassed 2,000 for the first time, surging to a new record, newspaper Kronen Zeitung reported on Saturday. The tabloid, which has accurately…

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Austrian foreign Minister tests positive for Covid-19 after EU meeting

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg has tested positive for the coronavirus and might have caught it at a meeting with his European Union counterparts on Monday, a spokeswoman for his…

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Social Democrats set to win Vienna’s municipality

The Social Democrats are set to expand their power in the city of Vienna, while the far-right suffered a major defeat, according to initial projections following Sunday's municipal elections. Under…

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Viennese can vote for ‘Beer’ in Sunday’s municipal elections

Marco Pogo, singer of Austrian punk rock band Turbobier and leader of the BIER - Bierpartei Oesterreich (Beer Party Austria), poses for photographs next to an elections campaign poster of…

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Austria’s Kurz, ministers test negative for COVID-19 after scare

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and much of his staff and cabinet have tested negative for the coronavirus after an unidentified close colleague of Kurz's tested positive on Monday, the chancellor's…

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Civil lawsuits filed over COVID-19 outbreak at Austrian ski resort of Ischgl

A consumer rights group said on Wednesday it had filed civil lawsuits against the Austrian government over a coronavirus outbreak at the ski resort of Ischgl last winter, but it…

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Austria reports highest amount of coronavirus cases in a day since March

Austria reported 664 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, the biggest daily increase since late March, when an initial spike in infections was rapidly fading due to a…

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Photo Story: Perseid meteor shower over Austria

A digital stacked combination of long-time multiple exposures shows satellites and Perseid meteors crossing the sky over a chapel near the town of Herrnleis during Perseid meteor shower, Austria. The…

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Austria warns against travel to Croatia

Austria's foreign ministry on Friday warned against travel to Croatia, as concerns grow that vacationers could catch the coronavirus and spread it once they return. The warning is effective from…

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Austrian economy slumps by 10.7% as coronavirus bites

The Austrian economy shrank by 10.7% in the second quarter, marking its biggest contraction since World War Two, as the coronavirus pandemic hit both domestic and foreign demand, think…

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Weak response for Austrian coronavirus testing push in hotels

Austria's push to test large numbers of hotel staff for the coronavirus in a bid to reassure tourists is falling far short of its target as too few people have…

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Vienna Airport to suspend flights from 18 countries

Austria is expanding a list of countries from which planes won’t be allowed to land to include six nations in the western Balkans, as well as Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and…

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Cases of coronavirus in Austria surpass thousand threshold

For the first time since May 19, the cases of coronavirus in Austria have returned to above a thousand threshold. There are 1,012 'active' cases (+85 more than Sunday). In…

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Austria issues travel warning for six Balkan states

Austria has issued travel warnings for the whole of the Western Balkans, as the European Union added two of the six states in the region to a safe list. Several…

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U.S., Russian envoys to discuss arms control in Austria next week

U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Marshall Billingslea will travel to Austria on Monday and Tuesday to discuss "mutually agreed topics related to the future of arms control" with Russian Deputy Foreign…

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Austrian finance minister says new stimulus package 14 billion euro so far

Austria's new stimulus package that will be finalised at a special cabinet meeting on Monday and Tuesday amounts to around 14 billion euros ($16 billion) so far, Finance Minister Gernot…

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Austrian Airlines expects company to be 20% smaller in 2022

Austrian Airlines expects its business to end up a fifth smaller by 2022 and to have cut the number of its employees by around 1,100 from 7,000 currently, the head…

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Austria’s government plans giving one-off payments to unemployed and families with children

The Austrian government intends to make one-off payments to jobless people and boost spending on families with children as part of measures this year to cushion the blow from the…

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UPDATED: Austria to temporarily cut VAT for culture, restaurants

Austria plans to cut value-added tax (VAT) for restaurants and the culture sector to 5% until the end of the year to help them cope with the fallout from the…

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Austrian Airlines to resume long-haul flights in July, to start flying to 36 European destinations

Austrian Airlines is to resume regular flight operations in July due to a satisfactory demand. The flight schedule will be extended in the coming month. From July onwards, Austrian Airlines…

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Austria to open borders to Italy, 20+ European countries

Austria will reopen its borders to Italy and lift a quarantine requirement for travellers from over 20 other European countries next week, officials said, in a further easing of restrictions…

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Ryanair Austrian unit reaches deal avoiding shutdown

Ryanair's Lauda airline has reached a new collective wage agreement with the trade union to ensure that its Vienna base will not shut down, the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKO)…

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Austria lifting coronavirus border checks with all neighbours except Italy

Austria is lifting coronavirus-related border restrictions including quarantines for all neighbouring countries except Italy as of Thursday, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said on Wednesday. Austria borders eight countries and had…

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Austria opposing Europe’s recovery plan

Austria has stated its opposition to Europe's current 750 billion euro plan to help economies recover from the coronavirus pandemic and wants to negotiate changes to the proposal, the country's…

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Austria insists Italy still hotspot for coronavirus

Italy is still a coronavirus hotspot, the Austrian government said on Thursday. "Italy is still a hotspot, even though in some regions the situation has improved and there is a…

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Austria, Italy, Portugal, Spain receive €279m after natural disasters in 2019

On Thursday, Budgets Committee Members approved €279 million in EU aid following extreme weather events in Austria, Italy, Portugal and Spain in 2019. The draft report by rapporteur José Manuel Fernandes, (EPP,…

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EU approves €8 billion Austrian scheme to compensate companies for damages related to COVID-19

The European Commission has found a €8 billion Austrian scheme to compensate companies for damages related to the coronavirus outbreak to be in line with EU State aid rules. Under…

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Austria’s President apologises after being caught by police in restaurant after curfew

The President of Austria has apologized after he and his wife were caught by police in a restaurant after a curfew in place to slow the spread of coronavirus. Alexander…

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Ryanair’s Lauda airline to close Vienna base with loss of 300 jobs

Ryanair's Austrian airline Lauda on Friday said it would shut down its main Vienna base on May 29 with the loss of more than 300 jobs in Austria after it…

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Austria to expand its testing to screen hotel staff

Austria plans a hefty expansion of its coronavirus testing just to screen hotel staff, in the hope of luring Germans and other tourists this summer and banishing the uncomfortable memory…

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Austria says reopening Italian border now would be irresponsible

Reopening Austria's border with Italy now would be "irresponsible in light of the epidemiological data from Italy", Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told Austrian daily Tiroler Tageszeitung on Wednesday. He said he…

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Austrian borders with Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary to reopen June 15

Austria's borders with the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary will fully reopen on June 15, the interior ministry said on Saturday, extending an easing of border controls to its…

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Photo Story: Border between Austria and Germany to reopen completely from 15 June

The border between Austria and Germany will be completely opened from 15 June, Austria’s tourism minister, Elisabeth Köstinger, has told the country’s public service broadcaster, ORF. The German chancellor, Angela…

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Austrian Airlines plans to cut 1,100 jobs

Lufthansa unit Austrian Airlines, which has applied for 767 million euros (669.7 million pounds) in emergency aid from the Austrian government, plans to cut 1,100 of its 7,000 staff by…

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Alp resort in Austria at heart of Europe’s outbreak reopens

Austria has lifted the strict quarantine on three ski resorts in Tyrol which were coronavirus hotspots. The three include Ischgl, known as the "Ibiza of the Alps", where hundreds of…

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