Austria

Eurovision: Vienna to host European Song Contest 2026

Austria's capital will host the next European Song Contest, organizers have announced. Vienna last hosted the extravaganza in 2015 and 1967. Vienna beat out the Alpine city of Innsbruck to…

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Austria is preparing to deport a Syrian man whose asylum status was revoked due to a criminal conviction, in what an EU official and rights groups say will be Europe's…

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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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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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Extreme weather warnings in Germany, Poland, Austria; Czech Republic expecting heaviest rain in over 20 years

Large parts of central Europe are bracing for potential flooding this weekend with heavy rainfall expected across parts of Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria. Up to 400…

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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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European Parliament Election Results 2023: Implications for National Governments & EU Direction

Government's across Europe suffered a significant dent in their support during the weekend's electoral test. From Malta to France, same with Belgium, Germany and Hungary the results have indicated a…

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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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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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Romania, Bulgaria agree partial Schengen entry with Austria

Romania and Bulgaria have reached an agreement with Austria to join Europe's open-borders Schengen area by air and sea from March 2024, with talks set to continue next year about…

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Europe-wide police operation against criminal network behind shock calls terrifying elderly across Europe

In a coordinated action which ran between 27 November and 8 December, law enforcement and judicial authorities from five countries joined forces to take down a criminal network suspected of…

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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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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 to rebound from recession in 2024 – institutes

Oct 6 (Reuters) - Austria's economy is expected to shrink in 2023, dragged by high inflation, sharply rising interest rates and a weak international economy, but will rebound in 2024,…

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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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Austrian economy will grow but weighed down by stubborn inflation -central bank

VIENNA, June 16 (Reuters) - Austria's economy will definitely grow slightly this year but inflation will remain stubbornly high well into next year, when it will still come in at…

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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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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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EPA’s Eye In The Sky: Hafelekar, Austria

People enjoy a sunny warm winter day at the Hafelekar at 2.256 m (7,000 ft) above sea level over Innsbruck, Austria. Via EPA-EFE/CHRISTIAN BRUNA

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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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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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Austrian president secures re-election with clear win, avoiding runoff

VIENNA, (Reuters) - Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen secured a second six-year term in office on Sunday by winning a clear majority of votes in an election to avoid…

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Austrian president secures re-election in first round, projections show

VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen secured a second six-year term in office by obtaining more than 50% of the vote in an election on Sunday to…

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Austrian president seeks re-election by first-round knock-out

VIENNA (Reuters) - Candidates in Austria's presidential election began wrapping up their campaigns on Friday ahead of Sunday's vote in which the incumbent and clear favourite, Alexander Van der Bellen,…

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