Today in Austria: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
Austrian extremist released after months held in Afghanistan, five women killed in Vienna, and more news from Austria on Monday.
Record-warm February in Austria
February ends as it began, namely warmer than average. According to the Geosphere Austria forecast, up to 16 degrees await us in the coming week.
After a fairly sunny start to the new week, more dense clouds will soon appear, Geosphere Austria predicted on Sunday. But the weather is becoming more unstable. However, it remains unusually mild.
What are the 13th and 14th wage packets that Austrians receive?
If you are working in Austria, you can expect to get paid 14 times a year - so what are these 'extra' payments, and how do they work?
Austrian extremist released after months held in Afghanistan
An Austrian far-right extremist who visited Afghanistan reportedly to prove it was a safe country was released on Sunday after nine months in detention there.
Herbert Fritz, 84, who, according to Austrian media, has close links to the far-right extremist scene, arrived in the Qatari capital Doha after being freed by Taliban authorities.
Fritz was arrested in May after defying Austria's long-standing warning against travel to Afghanistan, which in 2021 returned to the rule of the Taliban, who imposed a strict interpretation of Islam.
"I think it was bad luck, but I want to visit again," he told reporters on arrival in Doha when asked about his ordeal."There were some nice people, but there were some foolish people also; I'm sorry," Fritz added, describing his captors.
Austrian authorities thanked Qatar, the gas-rich Gulf emirate, for aiding Fritz's release and said he may receive medical care in Doha before flying home.
The Taliban government's interior and foreign ministries did not respond to a request for comment.
According to Austrian newspaper Der Standard, one of Fritz's passions was visiting "dangerous" places, including Afghanistan in the 1980s and eastern Ukraine in recent years.
Trying to prove that Taliban-ruled Afghanistan is safe, he travelled there last year and published an article titled "Vacations with the Taliban" via a far-right media outlet.
He was arrested shortly afterwards on suspicion of espionage, Der Standard said. Such travel reports might have been a bid to portray Afghanistan as a safe country to return Afghan refugees to, the newspaper added.
In the past, according to Austrian media, Fritz has met Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan -- currently jailed in Turkey. He also reportedly visited fighters of the People's Protection Units (YPG), the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the de facto army of the Kurdish semi-autonomous administration in Syria's northeast.
Turkey views the YPG as an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) -- a group designated by Ankara and many of its Western allies as a terrorist organisation.
Austrian ex-chancellor Kurz found guilty in false testimony trial
On Friday, an Austrian court found former chancellor Sebastian Kurz guilty of giving false testimony to a parliamentary inquiry, handing him an eight-month suspended jail sentence.
The verdict came at the end of a months-long trial for the former politician once hailed the “wunderkind” of Europe’s conservatives.
Kurz, 37, said he would appeal the verdict, calling it “surprising” and “not fair”.
“I am very optimistic” for the appeal, he told reporters outside the court.
Kurz was sentenced for having misled a parliamentary inquiry probing wide-ranging corruption scandals that brought down his first coalition government with the far-right in 2019.
The charismatic hardliner, who left politics in 2021, still faces another corruption investigation.
Five women killed in Vienna in a day
Austrian authorities were on Saturday investigating the killings of five women in the capital, Vienna, within a single day, including three found brutally stabbed to death in a brothel.
The bodies of three young women were found with fatal knife wounds in a brothel in Vienna’s Brigittenau district on Friday night after a witness alerted police.
A 27-year-old man still carrying a knife that was believed to be the murder weapon was arrested nearby on suspicion of committing the murders, police said Saturday.
No motive has been given for the killings, with the suspect still being questioned, the Austrian press agency APA reported.
In a separate case, a mother and her 13-year-old daughter had been found dead in a Vienna apartment earlier Friday.
They were possibly strangled or choked to death, with the father a prime suspect, APA said.
Austria’s association of autonomous women’s shelters recorded 26 femicides last year, and debate has raged in Austria and across Europe over the murder of women and girls, often at the hands of partners or ex-partners.
The Austrian government has vowed to crack down, pledging several measures, including increased funding for organisations helping victims of violence.
But NGOs say the government is not doing enough to stop the murders.
Between 2010 and 2020, 319 women were killed in Austria, mostly by their male partners or ex-partners, with a record high of 43 victims in 2019, according to a government study.
Austria's new speeding regulations
Austria witnessed a significant uptick in speeding violations last year, with a nearly 20 percent increase resulting in over 6 million reports issued by traffic police nationwide. As the country braces for stricter measures, the second phase of the "Raser Law" is set to take effect at week's end.
Transport Minister Leonore Gewessler's "speeder package" is poised to roll out this Friday, marking a pivotal moment in road safety enforcement.
Under the new regulations, drivers exceeding speed limits by 60km/h in urban areas or 70km/h on rural roads risk having their vehicles seized, explains Klaus Robatsch of the Road Safety Board. Initial impoundment for up to two weeks will be followed by further action, potentially leading to longer confiscation periods or vehicle forfeiture, particularly for repeat offenders targeted by the law.
For those flouting speed limits, such as driving at 130km/h in urban zones or 230km/h on highways, immediate permanent vehicle confiscation looms as a consequence for first-time offenders. In such extreme cases, authorities may opt for vehicle auctions, with proceeds divided between the Austrian Road Safety Fund and the enforcing agency, as elucidated by Robatsch.
It's worth noting that vehicles not owned by the driver, a friend, or designated for rental or leasing purposes may face alternative penalties, including lifelong driving bans as stipulated by the legislation.
If you have any questions about life in Austria, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected].
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Record-warm February in Austria
February ends as it began, namely warmer than average. According to the Geosphere Austria forecast, up to 16 degrees await us in the coming week.
After a fairly sunny start to the new week, more dense clouds will soon appear, Geosphere Austria predicted on Sunday. But the weather is becoming more unstable. However, it remains unusually mild.
What are the 13th and 14th wage packets that Austrians receive?
If you are working in Austria, you can expect to get paid 14 times a year - so what are these 'extra' payments, and how do they work?
Austrian extremist released after months held in Afghanistan
An Austrian far-right extremist who visited Afghanistan reportedly to prove it was a safe country was released on Sunday after nine months in detention there.
Herbert Fritz, 84, who, according to Austrian media, has close links to the far-right extremist scene, arrived in the Qatari capital Doha after being freed by Taliban authorities.
Fritz was arrested in May after defying Austria's long-standing warning against travel to Afghanistan, which in 2021 returned to the rule of the Taliban, who imposed a strict interpretation of Islam.
"I think it was bad luck, but I want to visit again," he told reporters on arrival in Doha when asked about his ordeal."There were some nice people, but there were some foolish people also; I'm sorry," Fritz added, describing his captors.
Austrian authorities thanked Qatar, the gas-rich Gulf emirate, for aiding Fritz's release and said he may receive medical care in Doha before flying home.
The Taliban government's interior and foreign ministries did not respond to a request for comment.
According to Austrian newspaper Der Standard, one of Fritz's passions was visiting "dangerous" places, including Afghanistan in the 1980s and eastern Ukraine in recent years.
Trying to prove that Taliban-ruled Afghanistan is safe, he travelled there last year and published an article titled "Vacations with the Taliban" via a far-right media outlet.
He was arrested shortly afterwards on suspicion of espionage, Der Standard said. Such travel reports might have been a bid to portray Afghanistan as a safe country to return Afghan refugees to, the newspaper added.
In the past, according to Austrian media, Fritz has met Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan -- currently jailed in Turkey. He also reportedly visited fighters of the People's Protection Units (YPG), the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the de facto army of the Kurdish semi-autonomous administration in Syria's northeast.
Turkey views the YPG as an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) -- a group designated by Ankara and many of its Western allies as a terrorist organisation.
Austrian ex-chancellor Kurz found guilty in false testimony trial
On Friday, an Austrian court found former chancellor Sebastian Kurz guilty of giving false testimony to a parliamentary inquiry, handing him an eight-month suspended jail sentence.
The verdict came at the end of a months-long trial for the former politician once hailed the “wunderkind” of Europe’s conservatives.
Kurz, 37, said he would appeal the verdict, calling it “surprising” and “not fair”.
“I am very optimistic” for the appeal, he told reporters outside the court.
Kurz was sentenced for having misled a parliamentary inquiry probing wide-ranging corruption scandals that brought down his first coalition government with the far-right in 2019.
The charismatic hardliner, who left politics in 2021, still faces another corruption investigation.
Five women killed in Vienna in a day
Austrian authorities were on Saturday investigating the killings of five women in the capital, Vienna, within a single day, including three found brutally stabbed to death in a brothel.
The bodies of three young women were found with fatal knife wounds in a brothel in Vienna’s Brigittenau district on Friday night after a witness alerted police.
A 27-year-old man still carrying a knife that was believed to be the murder weapon was arrested nearby on suspicion of committing the murders, police said Saturday.
No motive has been given for the killings, with the suspect still being questioned, the Austrian press agency APA reported.
In a separate case, a mother and her 13-year-old daughter had been found dead in a Vienna apartment earlier Friday.
They were possibly strangled or choked to death, with the father a prime suspect, APA said.
Austria’s association of autonomous women’s shelters recorded 26 femicides last year, and debate has raged in Austria and across Europe over the murder of women and girls, often at the hands of partners or ex-partners.
The Austrian government has vowed to crack down, pledging several measures, including increased funding for organisations helping victims of violence.
But NGOs say the government is not doing enough to stop the murders.
Between 2010 and 2020, 319 women were killed in Austria, mostly by their male partners or ex-partners, with a record high of 43 victims in 2019, according to a government study.
Austria's new speeding regulations
Austria witnessed a significant uptick in speeding violations last year, with a nearly 20 percent increase resulting in over 6 million reports issued by traffic police nationwide. As the country braces for stricter measures, the second phase of the "Raser Law" is set to take effect at week's end.
Transport Minister Leonore Gewessler's "speeder package" is poised to roll out this Friday, marking a pivotal moment in road safety enforcement.
Under the new regulations, drivers exceeding speed limits by 60km/h in urban areas or 70km/h on rural roads risk having their vehicles seized, explains Klaus Robatsch of the Road Safety Board. Initial impoundment for up to two weeks will be followed by further action, potentially leading to longer confiscation periods or vehicle forfeiture, particularly for repeat offenders targeted by the law.
For those flouting speed limits, such as driving at 130km/h in urban zones or 230km/h on highways, immediate permanent vehicle confiscation looms as a consequence for first-time offenders. In such extreme cases, authorities may opt for vehicle auctions, with proceeds divided between the Austrian Road Safety Fund and the enforcing agency, as elucidated by Robatsch.
It's worth noting that vehicles not owned by the driver, a friend, or designated for rental or leasing purposes may face alternative penalties, including lifelong driving bans as stipulated by the legislation.
If you have any questions about life in Austria, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected].
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