Daily gym class in schools
On 18 April, the initiative for more exercise for children and youth, called Tägliche Turnstunde (Daily Gym Class), brought to life by the Bundessportorganisation (BSO, Federal Sports Organisation), succeeded by gaining 150,844 signatures in favour of making a daily hour of physical exercise in schools mandatory. On 24 April, the Tägliche Turnstunde was already a [...]
No Second Kidnapper
Wolfgang Priklopil, the man who abducted Natascha Kampusch and imprisoned her for eight years, “almost certainly” acted alone, as Jörg Ziercke, president of the German criminal police BKA stated when presenting a special investigator’s report. A woman claimed to have seen a second person pull Kampusch into Priklopil’s van, but was found to be “objectively [...]
Five euro bill 2.0
In May, a cashier could surprise you with a new €5 bill in your change. The new paper money will be brought into circulation on 2 May in Austria and throughout the eurozone. The modernised bills have been planned for years and were developed to tackle insufficient security and to keep the bills state-of-the-art. The [...]
Whistleblower website
An anonymous whistleblower website was launched in March by the Austrian Ministry of Justice, allowing users to call attention to alleged cases of corruption without having to reveal their identity. Three senior prosecutors will be in charge of pursuing new leads, says Ilse-Maria Vrabl-Sanda, head of the WKStA (Public Prosecutor’s Office against corruption). The virtual [...]
Cursing in style
A new “integration” course called Schimpfen in Wien (Swearing in Vienna) is being offered by the Volkshochschule Wien-Meidling. Course Instructor Marcha Kellner teaches her students what Viennese swearing is about and, more importantly, how to do it with style. The German language contains a number of animal-related swear words ranging from Angsthase (scared rabbit) to poultry: [...]
Young terrorist arrested
The Austrian Mohamed Mahmoud, who posted a video in March threatening Austria and the rest of Europe, has been arrested in the Turkish province of Hatay near Syria, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In the video, the 28-year-old Mahmoud appears wearing a military vest and holding an AK-47, announcing attacks against cities, trains, [...]
Hofer supermarkets offer renewable energy contracts
In January, Hofer supermarkets began offering an energy deal with the Austrian sustainable power provider Oekostrom AG. Within three weeks, the 5,000 Hofer contracts sold out. This limited offer was priced at €0.08 per kilowatt hour (kWh), and guarantees customers that rate through 2014. The contracts also include no basic fee for a minimum annual [...]
Social services offered at Hitler’s birthplace
After many temporary uses, Hitler’s birthplace in Braunau am Inn might have found a long-term purpose. The city has entered into promising talks with Volkshilfe (People’s Aid). Their idea: Turning the premises into an integration office, offering social aid and language lessons for migrants. After WWII, Hitler’s birth house served as a school, bank, city [...]
Vienna nominated to host Olympic Games in 2028
Vienna may be nominated to host the 2028 Olympic Games, depending on the outcome of a local referendum from 7 – 9 March. It wouldn’t be the city’s first application. In 1964, Vienna already lost the role of host to Tokyo. Back then, the application documents cost 200.000 Schilling (about €14,500), while for the next [...]
