10 Best Bargains in Salzburg
by Karen Brown

Karen Brown -- traveling to Europe for over 30 years and best known as the author of Karen Brown's travel guides -- shares her 10 Best Bargains in Salzburg, Austria, a favorite tourist destination in Europe.

Wienerbergers quarterly profit shrinks by 83%
Wienerberger AG the worlds biggest brick-maker reported early last week that its net profit had dropped 83% to € 5.8 million Euro USD 8.6 million in the third quarter as lower demand and restructuring costs dragged down results Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa reported. The Austrian-based company said it would shut...

OMV third quarter profit drops 34%
Austrian oil and gas group OMV AG on November 10 reported that its net profit had dropped by 34% in the third quarter as crude oil prices fell and the difference in value between crude and refined products narrowed Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa reported. OMV made a net profit of...

Economic crisis still looms; Ski vacation packages to be slashed
Top Austrian ski resorts are expected to slash prices on package deals for families as tourism officials brace themselves for a bad season amid the credit crunch Austrian Times reported on 3 November. Officials are happy that as snow has arrived early in Austria but they are reportedly considering drastic action...

Erste Bank 3Q net 72% beats views
Austria-based lender Erste Group Bank AG on October 30 posted better-than-expected third-quarter results and gave details of a planned €1.65 billion capital increase to help see it through the financial and economic crisis Wall Street Journal reported. The bank which is focused on Central and Eastern Europe didnt provide full-year...

VIA welcomes audit of Skylinks cost overruns
Vienna International Airport VIA bosses have said the Audit Offices RH check on new terminal Skylinks cost overruns is welcome as they claimed costs of the controversial project would not be as high as reported Austrian Times reported on October 23. RH President Josef Moser already announced that a six-person...

TA early retirement surprise
More than 500 Telekom Austria TA staff have taken early employment ahead of a planned axe of 1 250 jobs at the end of the year company officials said on 23 October Austrian Times reported. TA chief Hannes Ametsreiter said the figure of 520 employees taking early retirement was more...

Koralm railway tunnel to be ready by 2020
The Koralm railway tunnel between Graz and Klagenfurt will be in operation by the end of 2020 according to ÖBB Austrian Federal Railways Infrastruktur AG Austrian Times reported on October 19. Firm board member Georg-Michael Vavrovsky said tendering for stage two of the project would occur next month and the end...

Austrian supermarket chain to send shoppers into space
Austrian supermarket chain Penny is offering space flights to its shoppers for 210 000 € 313 000 dollars the company announced 20 October. The discount retailer is selling tickets for flights to be operated by Oklahoma-based company Rocketplane Global from late 2011. After five days of training a rocket plane...

Quelle Austria launches investor search
Mail order firm Quelle Austria announced on 20 October it was looking for an investor as its German parent faces imminent closure Austrian Times reported. Wolfgang Binder the board chairman of Quelle Austria based in Linz said the firm was doing as well now as it had been before its...

Germanwings to offer Salzburg connections
There will be more connections between Salzburg and German cities aviation bosses said on 19 October Austrian Times reported. Salzburg Airport officials revealed low-cost carrier Germanwings would offer 13 flights to Germany per week five flights to Dortmund and Cologne/Bonn Airport respectively and three to Hamburg from this Sunday. Those...

Kotanyi sets sights on Turkey
Vienna spice and herb producer Kotanyi Gewurze has revealed plans to snatch a 15-20% share of the herb market in Turkey Austrian Times reported on 16 October. Erwin Kotanyi head of the tradition-rich family business said in Istanbul: Entering the Turkish market is a big challenge. Around €75 million are...

Voestalpine to take state credit guarantees
UPPER Austrian steel producer Voestalpine has applied for 300 million Euro of attractive state credit guarantees the company announced on 5 October Austrian Times reported. Firm spokesman Peter Schiefer said: The conditions including the five-year duration of the guarantees are attractive. He claimed it had become increasingly difficult to get long-term credit...

Chinese XAC takes over Austrian manufacturer FACC
CHINESE aircraft manufacturer XAC Xian Aircraft International has agreed to acquire 91.25% of Austrian company FACC Fischer Advanced Composite Components which builds composite parts for aviation Avio News reported on 5 October. Approval by regulators in the two countries is expected for the end of the year. After the operation...

Talks on Skylink terminal positive
Vienna International Airport VIA officials said they are in positive talks with firms on further work at the controversial new Skylink terminal Austrian Times reported on 5 October. VIA chiefs said that it was too soon however to say when construction would resume adding there was no indication that Skylinks...

Denmark service provider goes with Vectone
T-MOBILE with Vectone intends to capture a large chunk of the increasing migration of international calling minutes to mobile phones. Vectone is already established across Europe and has more than one million customers across Denmark Norway Austria the Netherlands and Switzerland. T-mobile claims to have more than 50% of the wholesale...

Strabag facing Bosnia finance problems
AUSTRIAN construction firm Strabag SE is facing problems financing the planned construction of a motorway in Bosnia-Herzegovina Austrian Times reported on 29 September. The contract awarder the government of Bosnias Republika Srpska said the 40 banks Strabag had approached about financing the project estimated to cost €3 billion had told the...

Alpine lands large Singapore contract
SALZBURG firm Alpine Bau GmbH has sealed a €322 million construction deal in Singapore Austrian Times reported on 29 September. The company will build two stretches of the second segment of the Downtown Line underground in Singapore to be finished in 2015. The work will entail construction of three new...

OMV warns of production target doubt
OIL and gas group OMV has warned that it may not be able to meet its 2010 production targets because of weak gas demand in Romania and OPEC quotas Austrian Times reported on 28 September. Company CEO Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer said that the company planned to keep to its target of...

More AUA lay-offs confirmed
AUSTRIAN Airlines AUA chiefs have confirmed plans for mass lay-offs Austrian Times reported on 25 September. AUA co-chief Andreas Bierwirth said that the airline would cut 1 500 jobs by the end of 2010 to bring its employees down to around 6 000 - 2 000 fewer than three years...

Austria removed from OECD tax-havens grey list
Austria is no longer grouped with countries that do not implement international tax standards according to the grey list updated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD on 22 September reported Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa . The government was in a hurry to be removed from the list...

GLV moves in on water treatment
Water-treatment group GLV Inc announced an agreed €153 million takeover of Christ Water Technology AG an Austria-based and Vienna listed group specialized in industrial and municipal water treatment technologies it was reported on 22 September. The bid is supported by CWTs largest shareholder Andreas Weissenbacher which holds approximately 27 per cent...

Strabag on short list for Rijeka harbour contract
Vienna construction firm Strabag SE is in the running for a €42 million contract for expansion of the harbour in Rijeka Croatia according to Croatian daily Novi List the Austrian Times reported on 22 September. The newspaper added that six other firms were also on a shortlist of potential firms...

Discount airline FlyNiki spreads its wings
Niki Laudas discount airline FlyNiki is to expand its fleet and increase the number of its flights following the sale of Austrian Airlines AUA to Lufthansa and the collapse of budget airline SkyEurope Austrian Times reported on September 15. Naturally we will profit from the crisis under the slogan of...

35 mln euros for Christ Water
Upper Austrian water processor Christ Water Technology CWT has won two contracts worth more than 35 million euros it was reported on September 9. CWTs subsidiary Aqua Engineering and a local firm have been awarded a 26.5 million Euro contract from the Federal Electricity and Water Authority in the United...

Romania looks at regional energy-market
Romania is close to a deal with Hungary and Austria to set up a regional energy market Economy Minister Adriean Videanu said on September 8 Romanian Times reported. We are very close to signing an agreement with Hungary and Austria to set up a regional energy market Videanu said adding...

Scrappage scheme for freezers and fridges
Austrian authorities have launched a new scrappage scheme for old refrigerators and freezers Austrian Times reported on September 7. The Household Environmental Forum UFH in cooperation with the environment ministry announced that Austrians would get 100 euros for the exchange of the old appliances for energy-saving A++ devices under the...

Builder Strabag boosts profits by 29%
Austria-based builder Strabag SE improved its net profit by 29 percent to 106 million euros USD 152 million in the second quarter the company announced on August 31 DPA reported. Operating income also rose by nearly a third to 142 million Euro compared with the March-June period last year. The...

Brussels clears Lufthansa-Austrian takeover deal
The European Commission on August 28 approved Lufthansas takeover of Austrian Airlines after the German carrier agreed to allow competitors to operate between Vienna and several European destinations Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa reported. The deal aims to create Europes biggest airline group in terms of passenger numbers. European Union regulators...

Dont tell anyone Austria to loosen banking secrecy rules
Austrias political parties have agreed to loosen banking secrecy rules in an effort to be removed from a list of countries not complying with international transparency standards. Austria is the last European Union country on the so-called grey list of tax havens drawn up by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation...

Vienna doubles trade-in fund for old bikes applicants line up
Viennas trade-in programme for old bicycles was expanded the city government announced on August 26 after hundreds of citizens signed up for a cash reward to upgrade to new pedals. The Austrian capital doubled the number of subsidised bicycles from 1 000 paying 70 Euro USD 100 for each trade-in....

Brickmaker Wienerberger hits the bricks and hard
Austrian brickmaker Wienerberger has announced that it would expand its savings plan and close more plants as it reported a net loss of 204 million Euro USD 288 million in the first half of the year company officials said. As housing markets in the United States and Europe declined more...

Air racing Lauda hits out at rival SkyEurope
FlyNiki boss Niki Lauda has revealed he approached struggling competitor SkyEurope about possible cooperation few weeks ago media reports said. Lauda said he had contacted SkyEuropes main shareholder York an American hedge fund to discuss participation of FlyNiki in SkyEurope or cooperation between the two discount airlines.The possible deal failed...

Strabag withdraws from Cemex purchase
Austrian construction group Strabag said it had withdrawn from a deal to buy parts of Mexican building materials giant Cemex after Austrias cartel authority had taken too long to mull the case. Strabag one of Europe leading construction groups agreed last July to buy Cemexs Austrian and Hungarian subsidiaries for...

Andritz lands 160 mln Euro contract from China
Styrian technology firm Andritz has won a 160 million Euro contract from Chinese firm Shandong Chenming Paper Holdings Limited. Andritz subsidiary Andritz Pulp Paper will provide process technology to the Chinese cellulose and paper producers subsidiary Zhanjiang Chenming Pulp Paper for a new plant for the manufacture of bleached kraft...

Azerdemiryolbank gets EBRDs 3 mln Euro
The European Bank for Reconstruction Development EBRD recently announced that it will allocate 13 million Euro for the next credit line for Azerbaijans Azerdemiryolbank an open joint-stock company and one of the leading private banking institutions in Azerbaijan majority owned by private individuals. Of the total three million Euro will be...

Austria won natural-gas deal
Austrian energy provider EVN one of the largest producers and transporters of electricity with more than three million customers in 14 countries and with activities also in the natural-gas sector is to supply natural gas to Croatia for 30 years the company said.EVN officials announced the firm had won the...

German Continental closing doors in Lower Austria
German tyre manufacturer Continental is to close the rest of its Lower Austrian Semperit facility at the end of the year Austrian Times reported. The move to close the facility in Traiskirchen will put 195 workers out of a job and only a few administrative workers will continue to be...

Hundreds of people losing jobs in Austrias Schenker
Schenker a company specialised in logistics solutions is to lay off 100 workers in Austria and 200 in south-eastern Europe on the back of the continuing recession the company said. Schenker had already moved to a flexible working hours arrangement for employees last autumn in a bid to combat the...

New cache of money for Bosnia-Herzegovina plants
Cement producer Asamer has decided to invest 105 million Euro USD 146.774 million in a plant in Bosnia-Herzegovina company officials said the Austrian Times reported. Authorities in the Upper Austrian family business said the companys second phase of investment in the site in Lukavac ended on June 5 making Asamer...

The mail is still going through without much loss
The Austrian postal service Post reported first-quarter results that showed it has been only slightly affected by the recession officials said. Post reported its turnover in the first quarter of 2009 had declined by 2.4 percent to 595.2 million Euro compared with the same period last year. Earnings before interest...

Elbit Systems firing away wins an order from Army
Elbit Systems Ltd has won a 25 million Euro contract from the Austrian Army for the companys new 12.7 mm unmanned electrically remote controlled weapon stations. Deliveries will be made over the next four years the company said. It was is Elbit Systems third international contract within a week. Elbit...

Cocaine-laced Red Bull yanked in Hong Kong
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Voestalpine US wing lands a big Boeing contract
Austrian steelmaker voestalpines US subsidiary Roll Forming Corporation RFC has gotten a USD 120 million 88.6 million Euro order from aircraft manufacturer Boeing the companies said. Roll Forming Corporation based in Shelbyville Kentucky will supply seat tracks for Boeings new 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Voestalpine announced the order was the largest...

Postbus will close Vienna-Erdberg workshop
Postbus GmbH owned by Austrian Federal Railways OBB has decided to close its Vienna-Erdberg workshop by the end of the year to save one million Euro annually company officials said. Postbus chief Christian Eder said: We service 50 buses there only three percent of the total number we have but...

Wienerberger hits the bricks off to a poor start
The worlds largest brick-maker Vienna-based Wienerberger reported that its profit has plummeted 65 percent to 103.3 million Euro and that it would not pay a dividend for 2008 after shareholders received 1.45 Euro per share in the previous year and that 2009 has gotten off to an even worse beginning....

Erste Bank profits fall 27% on CEE write-downs
Austrias Erste Group Bank has reported that its net profit declined by 26.8 percent to 860 million Euro in 2008 as it wrote down premiums on asset values in three Central and Eastern European daughter companies. Hit by the financial crisis Erste made a net loss of 603 million Euro...

OMV profits down 17% in 2008
Austrian oil and gas group OMV AG on February 25 reported that its annual net income fell 17 percent to 1.53 billion Euro with the company turning into the red in the fourth quarter. The drop in net earnings came despite a 7 per cent rise in operating income to...

Grass workers work week is cut to 4 days
Vorarlberg metal-fittings manufacturer Grass has announced employees at its plants in Hochst and Gotzis will begin four-day work weeks. Firm CEO Frank Nessler said workers in all divisions of the firm would be working one fewer day a week as of that date and would no longer be able to...

OBB has to make 100 million Euro in cuts
Austrian Federal Railways OBB said it had to save 100 million Euro in the next 1.5 years officials said. OBB chief Peter Klugar said it would be possible to do so without lay-offs but added management was engaged in negotiations with union leaders on more flexibility in dealing with employees....

Vienna chooses a 10 million Euro labour deal
Vienna has opted for a 10 million Euro package of measures to stimulate the labour market in the city during the recession the Austrian Times reported. Social Democrat SPO Social Minister Rudolf Hundstorfer and city SPO finance councillor Renate Brauner presented the package. They said the city government would increase...

A postcard-perfect Austrian ski trip
I've never seen such wide open slopes -- no trees, no houses, just field after field of newly fallen snow.

Frugal immigrant from Austria leaves $300K estate
New details have emerged about a Jewish immigrant who fled Austria as World War II was brewing, lived frugally in New York and left an estate whose size -- $300,000 -- astounded some.

Violence in India over guru's death
Tensions eased in the northern Indian state of Punjab on Tuesday, following widespread violence across the region after a Sikh guru was shot to death and another was wounded at an Indian temple in Vienna, Austria.

6 hikers killed in Austria avalanche
The bodies of six Czech hikers who died in an avalanche near the Soelden ski resort in the Austrian Alps were recovered Sunday, police and rescue services said Sunday.

US routs Austria, advances at worlds
BERN, Switzerland (AP) -- The United States found its ruthless streak -- eventually -- and beat Austria 6-1 Monday to advance to the second round of the ice hockey world championship.

Austria's beauty and attractions dazzle the whole family
It sparkles everywhere -- on the walls, the floors, on the ceilings in fanciful art displays guaranteed to make you say, "WOW!" no matter what your age.

Tragedy highlights skiing risks
The death of actress Natasha Richardson, who sustained a fatal head injury while skiing, has reignited the perennial debate around the safety of the sport.

A wunderbar welcome in Austria and Germany
Many sights in Germany and Austria have been renovated in the last year or two to better display this region's rich heritage, making 2009 a good time to visit.

Austria takes over bank hit by Madoff case
The Austrian government has taken control of a private bank with significant exposure to the alleged fraud by Bernard Madoff.

Dad raped daughters for 27 years
A British man was jailed Tuesday for raping two of his daughters and fathering nine children over 27 years, a case with echoes of Austria's Josef Fritzl.

Joerg Haider's Troubled Legacy
Rightist Joerg Haider's, dead in a car crash, marshaled anti-immigrant sentiment, nationalism and even a bit of Nazi sympathy to change Austrian politics forever

Austria's Far Right on the Rise
Though prosperous and safe, the country is chronically susceptible to politicians who rail against immigrants

Afghan Women Painters On Show
The first-ever independent exhibition of works is taking place outside the strife-torn country

View from the top of Germany
One of my favorite places to be in Europe is atop the Zugspitze -- the highest point in Germany. Standing on this 9,700-foot peak, you can't help but marvel at the thought that you are above everyone else in the entire country -- No. 1 out of 82 million. From here, facing south, I feel like a maestro conducting a symphony of snow-capped peaks, as the mighty Alps stretch seemingly forever to the right and left.

Gabriele Marcotti: From Austria to Zlatan, the best of Euro 2008 so far
ZURICH, Switzerland -- From top to bottom, here is an A to Z of the best and worst of the European Championship through two weeks of action.

Euro 2008: Germany Defeats Austria
The pre-tournament favorites put an end to the co-hosts' hopes in a fixture that is always about more than just football

Euro 2008: the Hosts' Fates Diverge
While the Dutch continue to reinvent 'The Beautiful Game', France's woes continue. And it's mixed fortunes for the tournament's hosts

Justices are well-off, well-traveled
Most of the Supreme Court justices piled up a lot frequent flyer miles in 2007, jetting to such exotic locales as Austria, India and Hawaii, according to financial disclosure reports released Friday.

Gabriele Marcotti: Five-minute guide to Euro 2008
SI.com's Gabriele Marcotti is in Switzerland and Austria for the 2008 European Championship. Here's his primer for the tournament.

Can Austria's Cellar Children Recover?
The three kids who emerged from an Austrian dungeon face a host of challenges adjusting to the outside world

Cellar Incest Case Shocks Austria
Josef Fritzl has confessed to holding his daughter captive for 24 years and fathering her seven children. How did it happen?

Austria Dad Admits Abuse
A 73-year-old man has confessed to holding his daughter captive in his home cellar for nearly 24 years and fathering seven children by her, Austrian police say

Avalanche buries street in Austria ski area
An avalanche fell on a street in an Alpine town in Austria, close to many ski resorts, covering the roadway in three to four meters of snow, but no one was hurt, Austrian police said Tuesday.

Celebrating with the Christkind
Like a German child's fantasy, Nurnberg's fairy-godmother-like teenage angel stretched out her arms and said, "If you're very, very gentle, you can touch my wings." I stayed seated while little Bavarian preschoolers mobbed the stage to touch their Christkind.

Pope fulfils vow to revisit shrine
Calling himself a "pilgrim among pilgrims" Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday visited the Marian sanctuary of Mariazell southwest of Vienna, fulfilling a promise he made in 2004 -- while still a cardinal -- to return to the shrine on its 850th birthday.

Pope Benedict Stays Lofty in Austria
But he may need to grapple again, and more diplomatically, with world affairs

Visiting pope honors Austrian Jews
Pope Benedict XVI paid solemn tribute to Holocaust victims as he began a three-day pilgrimage to Austria on Friday.

Ex-UN Chief Waldheim Dead at 88
Former U.N. Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim, who was elected Austrian president despite an international scandal about his secretive World War II Nazi connections, died Thursday

Global child-porn ring uncovered
Austrian police have uncovered a massive child-pornography ring on the Internet, tracking downloads of sexually violent material to more than 2,300 people in 77 countries, a government official said.

'This is our Mona Lisa'
At about midnight last July 5, the New York Police Department closed Manhattan's East 86th Street. Billionaire Ronald S. Lauder walked back and forth in the street, waiting. Employees of his boutiq...

Hiring expected steady for rest of year
U.S. employers project healthy hiring for the fourth quarter, despite talk of a possible downturn in the economy, according to a survey released Tuesday.

Breaking Tradition
The Problem

Europe scrambles to stop bird flu
European Union veterinary experts have backed plans to boost surveillance of migratory birds and impose stricter bans on imports as officials desperately tried to find ways to curb the spread of deadly bird flu on the continent.

EU 'on precipice' over Turkey
Britain said the European Union was on the "edge of a precipice" on Monday over terms for historic membership talks with Turkey.

Austria cable car accident kills 9
At least nine tourists have been killed after a helicopter dropped a concrete block on a cable car in western Austria, according to police.

Supplies arrive in flood-ravaged areas
Helicopters are delivering food and other supplies and lifting hundreds of people to safety in the aftermath of deadly floods in central and southern Europe.

Love the movie? Vacation in it
Sooner or later, there comes a point when vacationers don't care to see another museum, castle, landscape, or historical site.

Schwarzenegger: No country more welcoming than the USA
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, an immigrant, Tuesday night addressed the Republican National Convention where he spoke of the greatness of America. Schwarzenegger, born in Austria, is a former actor and body builder. Here is a transcript of his remarks:

THE WORLD'S HOTTEST SHARES
Is your investing antenna picking up irresistible international signals? It should be. Share prices of a number of corporations in Europe and Asia rose dramatically in the first six months of the y...

Gas Pipeline in Turkey Gains European Backing
Four European governments signed an agreement with Turkey Monday for a gas pipeline that would reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian gas.

Behind Bars ... Sort Of
Can a prison have glass walls, balconies, communal cooking spaces and private bathrooms and still be a prison?

Vienna’s New Opera House Since 1801
The Theater an der Wien, where Beethoven slept rent-free, continues as a boutique operation.

Polaroid Lovers Try to Revive Its Instant Film
An Austrian entrepreneur and a group of Dutch scientists hope to resurrect a retro form of photography.

Life Sentence in Austria Incest Case
The sentence for Josef Fritzl, 73, brought to a close a sensational tale of incest in a homemade basement dungeon.

Swiss Romeo Admits Guilt in Beguiling BMW Heiress
A man who admitted wooing, swindling and trying to blackmail Germany’s richest woman was sentenced to six years in prison.

The Armageddon Waltz
In 1913, Austria had to deal with a housing problem and a costly military commitment, as America does now.

Suspect Is Held in Slaying of Chechen Exile
Austrian police held a suspect in the public slaying of a Chechen exile who had accused Chechnya’s president of ordering and participating in kidnappings and torture.

Austria’s ‘Woman on Wall St.’ and Madoff
Sonja Kohn, who gathered billions for Bernard L. Madoff from investors in Russia and across Europe, has disappeared from view.

Austria Weighs Overseer for Bank in Madoff Case
Bank Medici, a small Viennese merchant bank, lost billions of dollars it invested with Bernard L. Madoff.

Austria Confronts a Leader’s Sexuality
Grieving over the death of Jörg Haider, the charismatic far-right politician who died in a car crash, the country has been forced to confront the question of his sexuality.

3 Nations Win Security Council Seats
Turkey, Austria and Japan won nonpermanent seats on the United Nations Security Council, defeating Iceland and Iran in elections in the General Assembly.

Mapping the Shadowy Corners of the Subconscious
The Neue Galerie’s “Alfred Kubin: Drawings, 1897-1909” is replete with the terrors of the freshly analyzed psyche.

Austrian Says Haider Was Drunk
Jörg Haider, the prominent Austrian far-right politician, was drunk when he died in a high-speed car crash early last Saturday, a party official said Wednesday.

Austrian Was Speeding Before Crash
Jörg Haider, the leader of the right-wing Alliance for Austria’s Future, who died in a car crash this weekend, was driving at more than twice the speed limit, court officials said.