News from Austria

Oh, I see he and his wife have young children - excellent matches for William's offspring! Bring back the dynastic marriage, I say!

Seven things that surprised me about Austrians
Published: 02 Sep 2016
After three years working as a journalist in Austria, the Local’s Maddy French is leaving Vienna and making the move back to the UK. Below she muses about some of the things that surprised her about Austria and the folk here.
http://www.thelocal.at/20160902/things-that-surprised-me-about-austrians-culture-lifestyle-european

Lovely article, thank you, LL.

Do you have some lederhosen?

lily wrote:Lovely article, thank you, LL.

Do you have some lederhosen?  

Natürlich, and nice knees!! Slim but elegant, that's me! LL

That is a nice article - I've noticed that Austria does always look like a very attractive destination, very civilised.

Austrians are, my mum observed, the kind of folk Germans long to be. One thing I have been told by many German friends is that they love the softer accent of Austrians, it is less gutteral. I have no problems with German people, I like their differences from us Austrians. LL

It is Bonny. Although I have only been to Vienna - and to Sachers.

I'm sure all the ladies would like to see them, LL.

lily wrote:I'm sure all the ladies would like to see them, LL.  

See wot, norty lady? LL

For bonny, Plansee,   LL  

Beautiful!

LL.......your knees of course.

lily wrote:LL.......your knees of course.

Oh, du frecher Flirt! LL

Ja.....

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/12/austria-presidential-election-rerun-to-be-postponed-faulty-glue-ballot-papers?CMP=share_btn_tw

Austrian presidential election postponed due to faulty glue
Problem with glue used on ballot papers means contest is delayed until 4 December, exacerbating country’s political uncertainty

A rerun of Austria’s presidential election has been postponed after the adhesive seals on postal votes were found to have come unstuck.

The rerun, which was ordered after complaints of anomalies in the counting of postal votes from the rightwing Freedom party (FPÖ), had been due to take place on 2 October. It will now be held on 4 December.

The Austrian interior minister, Wolfgang Sobotka, said: “We’re going to request that parliament approves a postponement of the election.”

The postponement is acutely embarrassing for Austria and the government of the chancellor, Christian Kern. Austria has been without a president since 8 July, when Heinz Fischer stood down.....etc.


'Faulty glue'? That's the worst one yet. Are the powers that be actually TRYING to make the electorate as angry as possible?

No president for Austria until next year
Published: 19 Sep 2016
Austria, which has been without a president since July, will have to wait until 2017 for its next head of state to take office, parliament said on Monday as the country prepares to vote in a scandal-plagued election re-run.
http://www.thelocal.at/20160919/no-president-for-austria-until-next-year
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Green Party wins election re-run in Vienna's Leopoldstadt
Published: 19 Sep 2016
The Green party has won the re-run of the district election in Vienna’s 2nd district, Leopoldstadt. The SPÖ lost its previous lead and slipped to second place and the right-wing Freedom Party - which requested the repeat election because of “irregularities” - came third.
http://www.thelocal.at/20160919/green-party-wins-election-re-run-in-viennas-leopoldstadt
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Eagle clutches bananas in new version of Austrian coat of arms
Published: 19 Sep 2016 12:48
An architect and master builder who created a new flag to represent Austria's "banana Republic" status has been ordered to take the flags down by the police.
http://www.thelocal.at/20160919/new-version-of-austrias-coat-of-arms-shows-eagle-clutching-bananas
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V-J Day Kiss woman passes on
Published: 11 Sep 2016
The woman whose participation in an impromptu kiss celebrating the end of the war with Japan has died on Thursday after a brief illness at the age of 92.
http://www.thelocal.at/20160911/v-j-day-kiss-woman-passes-on-austrian

In comparison to some of the nasty stuff floating around nowadays as 'political satire', IMO, that's actually pretty harmless, and quite clever.

It is.

Asylum seeker used benefits to set up drugs network
Published: 20 Sep 2016
An Afghan asylum seeker has been arrested for using his social security benefits to fly back home to set up a drugs network.
http://www.thelocal.at/20160920/afghan-asylum-seeker-used-benefits-to-set-up-drugs-network

You can bet there are many more just like him.....

Austrian election set for early December after 'gluegate'
Austria's parliament has approved December 4th as the new date for the presidential election re-run in a scandal-ridden race that could usher in the European Union's first far-right head of state.
http://www.thelocal.at/20160921/austrian-election-set-for-december-after-gluegate

Diabetic boy 'treated like terrorist' at Eiffel Tower
Published: 23 Sep 2016 10:51
An Austrian family who visited Paris for a short holiday say they won’t be going back to the French capital after security officials treated them “like terrorists” because their 14-year-old son carries an insulin pump.

Son Samuel has type 1 diabetes, meaning his body doesn’t produce insulin. He has to have multiple insulin injections every day using an insulin pump, and has to wear an insulin pump patch on his upper arm.
https://www.thelocal.at/20160923/diabetic-boy-treated-like-terrorist-at-eiffel-tower

That's not very nice - and it doesn't even make sense. What did the little Hitler imagine the child was going to do with a diabetic pump?

Some people are just too thick for words......

Immigration to cause massive increase in benefit costs
Published: 27 Sep 2016 08:58
A new study suggests that social welfare is under pressure in Austria because of the influx of migrants over the last year.
The Austrian weekly magazine Profil reports that instead of leading people out of poverty and social decline, many people on social welfare slip into it more deeply according to a recent study.
https://www.thelocal.at/20160927/immigration-to-cause-massive-increase-in-benefit-costs