Austria

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Josef Fritzl, Now 88, Is Up for Parole

Lawyer for Fritzl, who imprisoned and raped daughter, wants him in nursing home

(Newser) - Josef Fritzl , the Austrian man who kept his daughter Elisabeth prisoner for nearly a quarter century, raping her repeatedly and fathering seven children with her, was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes, which also included manslaughter for one of those children he fathered. In Austria, however, prisoners...

Heiress Has Plan to Redistribute Her Inheritance
Heiress Has Plan to
Redistribute Her Inheritance
in case you missed it

Heiress Has Plan to Redistribute Her Inheritance

Marlene Engelhorn's first step was to send letters to 10K randomly selected Austrians

(Newser) - "If politicians don't do their job and redistribute, then I have to redistribute my wealth myself," says Marlene Engelhorn, an Austrian-German heiress who is seeking to give much of her inheritance away. She has a plan on how to do it. The 31-year-old Vienna resident mailed 10,...

Zookeeper Killed While Putting Bug Spray on Rhino

The 33-year-old woman's husband tried to save her

(Newser) - A rhinoceros attacked a married couple working as zookeepers in Austria on Tuesday, killing the woman and seriously injuring the man as he attempted to save her, authorities said. The attack happened at the Hellbrunn Zoo in the western Austrian city of Salzburg. Zoo director Sabine Grebner told reporters that...

Residents of Frozen Town Protest Mass Tourism
Residents of Frozen Town
Protest Mass Tourism
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Residents of Frozen Town Protest Mass Tourism

Hallstatt wants to cap visitor numbers

(Newser) - Hallstatt is a gorgeous village located amid beautiful Alpine scenery in Upper Austria, and many of its residents would like you to stay away. The town, which sits next to a pristine lake, has fewer than 800 residents, who are far outnumbered by up to 10,000 visitors on busy...

Receding Glacier Reveals Long-Dead Man and His Pack
Receding Glacier Relinquishes
a 2-Decade-Old Body, With ID
in case you missed it

Receding Glacier Relinquishes a 2-Decade-Old Body, With ID

Body of man thought to have died in 2001 found alongside bag carrying ID

(Newser) - The body of a man thought to have died more than two decades ago has been found amidst a melting glacier in the Austrian Alps. A mountain guide discovered the remains Friday on Schlatenkees glacier in Tyrol province at an altitude of about 9,500 feet. Lienz Alpine Police later...

Austrian Climate Minister Pushes Public to Get Tattoos

Or, one specific climate-related tattoo, in exchange for a free train pass

(Newser) - The Austrian government isn't just encouraging tattoos—it's rewarding those who get them, or, at least, one specific tattoo. Climate officials set up pop-up tattoo shops at two festivals, where the first three people willing to get inked with the word "Klimaticket" landed a free year of...

Hitler Speech Broadcast on Austria Train

2 suspects allegedly had key to intercom system

(Newser) - Two men in Austria were arrested after excerpts of speeches from history's least popular Austrian were played over a train's loudspeaker system. Passengers say they were shocked to hear around 30 seconds of an Adolf Hitler speech on the intercity train from Bregenz to Vienna, along with the...

Austrian Citizens Aren't Going to Like This News

Police say hacker took personal data for nearly every person living there, put it up for sale

(Newser) - If you live in Austria, chances are good that some of your personal information is now accessible to criminals. That's because police have revealed that a suspect they nabbed in November got their hands on data for pretty much every Austrian citizen and put it up for sale on...

Johnson, Zelensky Meet in Kyiv
Boris Johnson Goes to Kyiv

Boris Johnson Goes to Kyiv

Austrian chancellor also visited, as allies promise more aid and support

(Newser) - In what he called "a show of our unwavering support for the people of Ukraine," UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson made an unannounced trip to Kyiv on Saturday to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky. While there, Johnson announced a new package of financial and military aid to help...

'Unprecedented' Avalanche Onslaught Leaves 9 Dead

Austrian authorities warn of continued 'considerable' risk in the Alps

(Newser) - Nine people are dead in the Austrian Alps after what's being described as an "unprecedented" spate of avalanche activity. On Saturday, officials there continued to warn of "considerable" risk of avalanches, due to heavy snowfall followed by warmer weather conditions, reports the AP . The Guardian details four...

Law Permitting Assisted Suicide Takes Effect

After completing a series of steps, Austrians may receive lethal drugs from a pharmacy

(Newser) - Austrians with a terminal illness or permanent, debilitating condition now may seek help in ending their life. Parliament approved legalizing assisted suicide last week after a Constitutional Court ruling that said the existing ban was a violation of the right to self-determination, Deutsche Welle reports. The Assisted Suicide Act took...

Holocaust Survivor Warned of Far Right as 'Mrs. Gertrude'

In a viral video, Gertrude Pressburger urged young people to vote in Austria's presidential election

(Newser) - Holocaust survivor Gertrude Pressburger, who became famous during Austria's 2016 presidential campaign with a video message in which "Mrs. Gertrude" warned of hatred and exclusion triggered by the far right, has died at 94. Pressburger died Friday after a long illness, her family said Saturday. The AP reports...

Surgeon Fined for Amputating Wrong Leg

Austrian surgeon blamed a problem with the chain of command

(Newser) - A surgeon in Austria who removed the wrong leg from an elderly patient earlier this year in what the hospital called a "tragic mistake" has been fined the equivalent of around $3,000, with half of it suspended. A court found the 43-year-old surgeon guilty of gross negligence, the...

Austrians Circulate Ahead of Lockdown
Austrians
Circulate Ahead
of Lockdown
photos

Austrians Circulate Ahead of Lockdown

As of Monday, there'll be no sipping mulled wine under holiday lights for a while

(Newser) - Under a clear blue sky, Austrians enjoyed a last day out in coffeehouses and at Christmas markets Sunday before the government imposes a nationwide lockdown to combat a surge of coronavirus infections. The measures, which take effect early Monday, are expected to last at least 20 days but will be...

Austria Announces Full Nationwide Lockdown
'All of Germany Is
One Big Outbreak'
THE RUNDOWN

'All of Germany Is One Big Outbreak'

Country may join Austria in announcing full nationwide lockdown

(Newser) - Days after ordering a lockdown for the unvaccinated , the government of Austria has extended it to the vaccinated as well. Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg says a full nationwide lockdown will begin Monday and last for a maximum of 20 days, the BBC reports. Under the European Union's first nationwide lockdown...

Austria Orders Unvaccinated to Begin 10-Day Lockdown

Police will stop and check people outdoors, chancellor says

(Newser) - The Austrian government ordered a nationwide lockdown for unvaccinated people starting at midnight Sunday to slow the fast spread of the coronavirus in the country. The move prohibits unvaccinated individuals older than 12 from leaving their homes except for basic activities such as working, grocery shopping, going for a walk—...

COVID Cases Hit Record Highs in Germany, Netherlands

Meanwhile, Austria plans a lockdown for the unvaccinated

(Newser) - Winter is approaching in Europe—and with it, a return to tighter COVID restrictions, at least for the unvaccinated. Reuters reports that, with strained ICUs and infections at a record high, Austria is planning a lockdown for the unvaccinated. Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said Thursday that the country is just days...

Wiped From Facebook, Vienna's Nude Art Moves to OnlyFans

City's tourism board speaks out on social media censorship

(Newser) - Have you checked out the Vienna tourism board's hot new account on adults-only OnlyFans? It's full of nudity, though of the century-old artistic kind. As the Guardian reports, Vienna museums have come up against bans and other forms of censure after sharing nude artworks on more traditional social...

Fleeing the Games, Sprinter Made a Last-Minute Switch

Wary of security, Belarus sprinter changed flight plans from Warsaw to Vienna at last minute

(Newser) - Change of travel plans for Krystsina Tsimanouskaya—she's headed to Vienna instead of Warsaw, at least initially. The Washington Post reports on the continuing drama swirling around the 24-year-old Olympic sprinter, who boarded a plane bound for Poland on Wednesday, less than three days after Belarus authorities took her...

She Broke Away at Start of Race, Figured She'd Be Caught—but Wasn't

Anna Kiesenhofer stuns Olympic cycling with her gold medal win

(Newser) - As Dutch champion cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten crossed the finish line of the Olympic women's road race Sunday, she raised her arms in the air, assuming she'd come in first. Not so: Anna Kiesenhofer, an Austrian cyclist who wasn't on any pre-race list of contenders, had crossed...

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