Category: Austrian News

Since 1 January, around one million deposit containers have been returned following the introduction of the deposit system for all plastic bottles and metal cans with a capacity of 0.1 to three liters. How the take-back worksAt the end of January, around 25 million returnable containers were already in circulation. “We expect that a large number of beverage containers with a deposit will already be in circulation from March,” said Monika Fiala and Simon Parth, Managing Directors of Recycling Pfand Österreich. 2025 is a transitional year: containers without a deposit…

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Tomorrow, 14 February, is Valentine’s Day. The Austrian Retail Association looked at how much Austrians spend on gifts for the day of love and found major regional differences. Valentine’s Day continues to be a significant sales factor for local retailers. According to the latest Consumer Check by the Austrian Retail Association, in collaboration with Reppublika Research, two-thirds of Austrians intend to buy gifts for Valentine’s Day this year. Austrians spend an average of 70 euros on Valentine’s Day “On the day of love, respect and appreciation for your partner are…

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Austria is not spared from the cold currents either. Cold Arctic air is being directed far to the south between an area of high pressure off Norway and an area of low pressure over Russia, leading to unsettled weather conditions with snow, rain, and frosty temperatures.The icy air from the Arctic is causing temperatures to drop into double figures in Scandinavia, Germany and Poland in particular. Austria is not spared either: the country’s eastern half has to brace itself for frosty days. Snow down to low altitudesTowards the weekend, an…

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9,960 people were on sick leave due to influenza in the previous week, and another 109,440 due to flu-like infections, according to data from the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK). Corona affected 1,010 sick notes. “The number of illnesses due to real flu and flu-like infections is still rising, but not to the same extent as in previous weeks,” said ÖGK chief physician Andreas Krauter. Almost 10,000 people reported being sick due to influenzaThe circulating viruses A(H1N1)pdm09 and influenza B(Victoria) are exactly the same virus strains that are included in…

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On 12 February, the second full moon of the year—also known as the snow moon or hunger moon—will be visible. We can look forward to a spectacle in the night sky as early as mid-February. On Wednesday, 12 February, the so-called snow moon can be seen. This reaches its peak on Wednesday night. As soon as darkness falls, it will climb above the horizon in the east, visible to the Viennese. On its orbit, it reaches an elevation angle of exactly 45 degrees shortly after 10 p.m. The sun illuminates…

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In terms of weather, a low-pressure influence will ensure unsettled and uncomfortable days in Austria in the coming week. At the start of the week, high, fog-like clouds will dominate the east and southeast of the country. Geosphere Austria predicts that it won’t really be wintery. Even if the sunny week has already awakened feelings of spring, this is still far off. An area of low pressure will bring changeable weather to Austria in the coming week. On Monday, the low, high fog-like clouds will persist in the south and…

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Work on the so-called “airport link” is in full swing. This is a 26-kilometer high-capacity railroad line between northern Burgenland, eastern Lower Austria, and Vienna-Schwechat Airport. The total cost is 1.9 billion euros. “The necessary official procedures are currently being processed, including the environmental impact assessment,” says ÖBB General Director Andreas Matthä. The task now is to find appropriate solutions with local residents and citizens’ initiatives “so that we can find the best possible route for the line.” Direct connection without changing trains The airport link aims to provide direct…

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While the sun will prevail at times in many regions, fog, patches of high fog, and dense clouds will cloud the sky. Precipitation is to be expected, especially in the western parts of the country. Temperatures will remain in the wintry range and vary depending on the region. Sunday will be divided into two parts Today, Sunday, in the early hours of the morning, there will be areas of fog and high fog in the lower-lying regions of the north, east, and south. However, these will usually clear at least…

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Wholesale prices rose at the start of the year. According to preliminary calculations by Statistics Austria, there was an increase of 1.3% compared to January 2024. Compared to the previous month of December 2024, wholesale prices rose by 1.5%. “After Austrian wholesalers mostly lowered their prices in 2024, we are seeing an increase again at the beginning of 2025,” said Statistics Austria Director General Tobias Thomas in a press release on Friday. The slightly stronger price increase compared to the previous month can be explained, among other things, by the…

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