News from Austria

Surprise! Giant panda produces twins at Vienna Zoo
August 16, 2016
VIENNA (AP) — The giant panda that gave birth at Vienna's Schoenbrunn Zoo last week was hiding a tiny little secret — an extra cub. The zoo originally announced the birth of a one cub Aug. 7. On Tuesday it said mother Yang Yang actually bore twins, her fourth and fifth cubs after Fu Long, Fu Hu and Fu Bao.

http://www.mail.com/int/news/europe/4546912-surprise-giant-panda-produces-twins-vienna-zoo.html#.1258-stage-hero1-2

Oh, that's lovely, LL! I can't help suspecting that giant pandas are actually too daft to survive without human assistance and protection......

Pandas are anything but daft!    They have two problems, first that a female is in heat only once a year, in the spring, for 12 to 25 days—but she’s only receptive to mating for two to seven of those days, and she’s only actually fertile for 24 to 36 hours, and that their main food is bamboo which is decreasing due to human encroaching on where the plant grows.   LL

Poor things.

A camera set up at the zoo shows mym Yang Yang caring for her new-born pandas

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3743061/A-mother-s-love-Giant-panda-cradles-cubs-giving-birth-twins-despite-scans-showing-one-baby.html#ixzz4HXHfafTZ
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Some cute photos in the Mail.

Vienna ranked second most liveable city - again
http://www.thelocal.at/20160818/vienna-ranks-second-most-liveable-city-again
Published: 18 Aug 2016
Vienna has once again come second place in an Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) poll of the most pleasant cities to live in - after Melbourne which has topped the ranking for the sixth year running.

The EIU's survey assesses the liveability of cities based on a number of key factors, including stability and the quality of healthcare, culture, the environment, education and infrastructure.

Hamburg was the only other European city to appear in the top ten listed by the EIU as the most ‘liveable’ cities, scraping in at number ten after Sydney fell by four places due to a heightened perceived threat of terrorism.

The researchers noted a “continuing weakening of global stability scores” due to increasing insecurity around potential threats, which are seen as more likely to happen in urban regions.

On average, the global stability score has fallen by 2.4% over the past five years, from 73.7% in 2012 to 71.3% now.

Paris is the European city that has seen the biggest decline in liveability, dropping 3.7% on the scale and ranking 32 out of a total of 140 cities.

Compared to Vienna’s high score of 95 out of 100 for stability, the city with the lowest stability - Damascus - scored just 15.

Top spot for quality of life

It follows Vienna holding on to its top spot for overall quality of life, according to Mercer's 2016 Quality of Living survey published in February.

That study examined social and economic conditions, health, education, housing and the environment, and is used by big companies to assess where they should locate and how much they should pay expatriate workers.

Eugene Quinn, who moved to Vienna from London, is a founding member of culture group space and place and runs a walking tour which explores why Vienna is the best city in the world to live in.

"Vienna is unusual because poor people live well here," he told The Local. "It has a slightly old-fashioned approach to still paying higher taxes, with the benefits of those taxes much more visible than elsewhere. It is a city of beauty, space and opportunity. And the people are great looking! It may never be cool... but cool is overrated."

It may never be cool... but cool is overrated

Ain't that the truth!

Further Kurdish protests planned in Vienna
19 Aug 2016 13:28
Another Kurdish demonstration is set to take place in Vienna on Saturday, a week after Turkish and Kurdish groups clashed in the city in rival protests.
Kurdish residents of the Austrian capital of Vienna gather each Saturday in the city centre to draw attention to their people's plight in Turkey.
http://www.thelocal.at/20160819/further-kurdish-protests-planned-for-saturday-vienna-austria
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Austria considers "one euro jobs" for refugees
19 Aug 2016 10:06
Austria’s foreign minister calls on his party's coalition partners to support his integration proposals, including "one euro jobs" for refugees and migrants.
The measured announced by Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz this week include low paid mandatory community jobs for refugees who lack qualifications, commonly referred to the ‘one euro jobs’.

These would require recognised refugees and migrants to work between 15 and 30 hours a week, earning €1 an hour, similar to a scheme already in place in Germany for asylum seekers.

Kurz has suggested that were refugees to turn down this work, they could see a reduction in the financial support they receive from government,
http://www.thelocal.at/20160819/austria-proposes-one-euro-jobs-for-refugees
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Surge in passports stolen on Austrian public transport
19 Aug 2016 11:03 GMT+02:00
There has been a 50% increase in the number of British passports either lost or stolen in Austria in the first half of 2016, the British Embassy has reported.

From January 1st, the Embassy have issued 102 Emergency Travel Documents (ETDs) to replace missing British passports, of which 54 were lost and 48 were stolen.

“That’s an increase of about 50% compared to the same time last year,” Embassy spokesman Lukas Wiesboeck told the Local Austria. “In particular we noticed a surge in documents reported stolen on public transport.”
http://www.thelocal.at/20160819/surge-in-passports-stolen-on-austrian-transport

Another Kurdish demonstration is set to take place in Vienna on Saturday, a week after Turkish and Kurdish groups clashed in the city in rival protests

If they're so concerned about events in their homelands, I suggest they return to them, and fight it out there, instead of the streets of Vienna.

That does seem the obvious thing but maybe the poor dears don't want to get hurt or worse?

Demonstration: Kurdish groups marched through downtown Vienna
August 20, 2016
It was peaceful I have been told. LL

Good.

Austria considers stripping asylum from criminal refugees
22 Aug 2016 11:47
A survey of Austrians has revealed the vast majority are in support of refugees automatically losing their right to asylum if they break the law, an idea recently proposed by a government minister.

Austria’s Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka told Österreich newspaper that he wants those who have broken the law to automatically lose their right to asylum in the country.

“The question is whether someone who is a lawbreaker automatically loses their asylum status with the legal sentencing. For me, that would be a conceivable measure to consider,” he said.
http://www.thelocal.at/20160822/austrians-support-deporation-of-lawbreaking-refugees
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German learning cafe opens in Vienna
22 Aug 2016 09:56 GMT+02:00
A cafe where people learning German can go to practice the language with native speakers has opened in Vienna’s 9th district.
The ‘Sprachcafe’ is being hosted for the first time this Thursday from 5pm to 7pm at the local community group Agenda Alsergrund, where people are invited to drop in and practice their German.

“Actually everyone is invited to come by the Sprachcafe,” said Liette Clees from Agenda Alsergrund. “There is the possibility to practice the German language or of course to also offer your German language ability to others.”
http://www.thelocal.at/20160822/german-learning-cafe-opens-in-vienna

Turkey escalates diplomatic row with recall
22 Aug 2016 21:00 GMT+02:00
Turkey has recalled its ambassador to Austria to review relations after a series of disputes with the European Union member state, the Turkish foreign minister said on Monday.
"We have recalled to Ankara our ambassador to Vienna for consultations and reviewing our relations," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said, in quotes carried by the state-run news agency Anadolu.

The move came after Turkish media reported that Austrian authorities allowed the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) supporters to stage a demonstration in Vienna.

Cavusoglu, speaking at a news conference alongside his Moldovan counterpart, accused Austria of "supporting terror". More at link
http://www.thelocal.at/20160822/turkey-escalates-diplomatic-row-with-recall

Rome wants to send its rubbish to Austria
23 Aug 2016 09:03 GMT+02:00
Austria has received a request from Rome authorities to help them deal with the Italian capital’s ongoing rubbish crisis by taking some of it off their hands.
Austria has already been taking rubbish from Sicily and Naples for years and now might soon see the so-called ‘Rubbish Trains’ arriving from Rome as well.
http://www.thelocal.at/20160823/rome-wants-to-send-rubbish-to-austria-italy

“It concerns 70,000 tonnes of municipal waste - so house rubbish - coming to thermal recycling plants in Austria. We will now technically and legally examine this request,” spokesperson Magdalena Rauscher-Weber said.

Or Italy could build its own plants.

Police bitten and kicked by tourist in Salzburg
25 Aug 2016 08:59 GMT+02:00
Police called out to an incident in Salzburg ended up being spat, bitten, and kicked at by a tourist who was furious at being asked for ID while exchanging money.
A woman from the United Arab Emirates had got into an argument with a bank employee while trying to exchange money in the popular resort Zell am See.
http://www.thelocal.at/20160825/policeman-bitten-and-kicked-by-tourist-in-salzburg
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Chinese Lantern Festival delights and amazes
24 Aug 2016 23:50 GMT+02:00
Making its Central European debut, the traditional Chinese lantern festival highlights music, dance, costumes and the amazing art of the illuminated lantern, opening September 1st on Vienna's Donau Insel.
http://www.thelocal.at/20160824/chinese-lantern-festival-delights-and-amazes
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Austria plans to eject criminal asylum seekers
24 Aug 2016 23:02 GMT+02:00
Asylum seekers who break the law will be booted out under tough new plans being considered by Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka.
Confirming the plans an Interior Ministry spokesman said that they want to speed up the process by which an asylum application is terminated in the event of a criminal conviction by the applicant.
http://www.thelocal.at/20160824/austria-plans-to-eject-criminal-asylum-seekers
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Austrian wins ten year court battle over €2.50
24 Aug 2016 10:11 GMT+02:00
An Austrian has won a ten year court battle over an extra €2.50 he was asked to pay to get into a pool in Bavaria a decade ago.
The case concerns an incident at the spa pool in Germany's Berchtesgaden, just over the border from the state of Salzburg, when the Austrian claims he was overcharged.
http://www.thelocal.at/20160824/austrian-wins-ten-year-court-battle-over-250-germany-overcharged-court-victory

Turkey accused of 'systematic spying' in Austria
25 Aug 2016 10:50 GMT+02:00
An Austrian politician has accused Turkish authorities of spying on people living in Austria who are opposed to the Turkish leader President Tayyip Erdogan.
It follows similar accusations made in recent days in Germany and the Netherlands regarding possible networks of thousands of Turkish spies in Europe.
http://www.thelocal.at/20160825/turkey-accused-of-systematic-spying-in-austria

Surprise, surprise......

Expert says smuggling is as high as last year in Austria
26 Aug 2016 07:58 GMT+02:00
The gruesome discovery of 71 dead migrants in a truck in Austria last August shocked Europe and led countries to open their borders to a massive influx of people fleeing war and poverty, mainly from the Middle East.
But a year on, the mood in Europe has changed. Razor-wire fences have gone up, borders are firmly shut again, and the European Union has struck a controversial deal with Turkey to keep migrants from reaching Greece -- the main entry point into the bloc, along with Italy.
While the measures have led to a sharp drop in arrivals, experts warn the crisis is far from over.
http://www.thelocal.at/20160826/experts-say-smuggling-is-as-high-as-last-year-in-austria

Ghost of Austria's 'last monarch' still looms large
Published: 30 Aug 2016 08:19
Even a century after his death, Austria's mutton-chop whiskered emperor Franz Joseph still looms large in the national consciousness -- both as the custodian of imperial glory and the tragic figure responsible for its decline.

For 68 years, the head of the powerful Habsburg dynasty reigned over a multi-ethnic realm with more than 50 million people, making him one of the world's longest-serving leaders.   To commemorate the centenary of his death in November, the City of Vienna is currently showcasing six exhibitions at landmark locations, including the world-famous Schoenbrunn Palace where Franz Joseph was born in 1830.
http://www.thelocal.at/20160830/ghost-of-austrias-last-monarch-still-looms-large

'Sensational' mammoth tusks found in Vienna
Published: 29 Aug 2016 19:49
Experts in Austria have excavated two giant mammoth tusks thought to be over a million years old under roadworks just north of Vienna.
http://www.thelocal.at/20160829/million-years-old-mammoth-tusks-found-in-vienna

Never mind, LL. As Russia appears to have decided it rather likes having a Tsar, the Ottoman Empire is re-forming, and Britannia is showing signs of wishing to Rule the Waves again, it's probably only a matter of time before the rest of Europe decides this business of being ruled by the plebs isn't all it's made out to be and they'd rather have someone actually in charge.

I didn't even know there were different kinds of mammoth....

bb1 wrote:Never mind, LL. As Russia appears to have decided it rather likes having a Tsar, the Ottoman Empire is re-forming, and Britannia is showing signs of wishing to Rule the Waves again, it's probably only a matter of time before the rest of Europe decides this business of being ruled by the plebs isn't all it's made out to be and they'd rather have someone actually in charge.

Oh Gawd, Hollande - Napoleon! Help!!!! LL

Napoleon? That upstart? Heaven forbid!



The Duke of Anjou looks rather fetching.....