Category: Austrian News

With the new pension package, the federal government is planning a more flexible exit from working life: employees can reduce their working hours and draw a pension simultaneously through partial retirement. The federal government has agreed on a comprehensive pension package, which is to be passed by the National Council in July. The core of the reform is the introduction of partial retirement, which will supplement partial retirement in the future and enable a more flexible exit from working life from 2026. This will allow individuals to continue working at…

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For the first time in several years, Vienna is no longer at the top of the ranking of the world’s most livable cities. After three consecutive top rankings, the Austrian capital has been replaced by the Danish capital, Copenhagen. Vienna has the same score as the Swiss metropolis of Zurich, followed by Melbourne in Australia and Geneva in Switzerland, in the ranking of the British “Economist” group. In the 2025 Global Liveability Index, compiled by the Economist Group’s research and analysis department, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the list continues…

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The tunnel under Franz-Josefs-Kai is once again a primary construction site. After the section between Schwedenplatz and Schottenring has already been renovated, the area between Schottenring and Friedensbrücke will now follow. The U4 line will therefore be divided from June 28 to September 1. The trains will run from Hütteldorf to Schottenring and from Heiligenstadt to Friedensbrücke. The replacement lines E4 and D will run in between. The main line of the S-Bahn between Floridsdorf and Praterstern is also affected. Wiener Linien is increasing services on the U6, U2, U3,…

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The latest climate report provides alarming figures: the temperature increase in Austria is much more pronounced than the global average. Austria has already warmed by around 3.1 degrees since 1900. The impact on the country, its people, and the environment is enormous. There is an urgent need for action. “Especially since the 1980s, warming has increased noticeably by around 0.5 degrees per decade. This is also reflected in a significant increase in extreme events such as hot days or droughts,” explains Harald Rieder from BOKU in Vienna. Over the last…

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The Ministry of Social Affairs has finalized the draft law for introducing a partial pension. From next year, it will be possible to continue working reduced hours and, at the same time, draw a portion of the pension that has already been saved. To this end, partial retirement will be gradually restricted. In the future, it can only be used for three years instead of the previous five. The corresponding law is expected to pass the National Council before the summer. At a press conference, Social Affairs Minister Korinna Schumann…

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People in Austria feel safer, but less so than they did five years ago. This is the result of a representative study presented on Monday by the Association of Austrian Security Companies (VSÖ). The association surveyed around 1,400 private individuals between the ages of 16 and 75 and more than 600 security officers online about their perception of security before the shooting rampage in Graz. 55% stated that the security situation in Germany had developed in the wrong direction since 2020. Nevertheless, the feeling of security is “extremely high” in…

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A cold front will initially bring dense clouds, rain, showers, and cooling to Austria at the start of the week. From Tuesday, however, the sun will push through again and bring summery temperatures, as the Geosphere Austria forecasts showed on Sunday. The 30-degree mark is also expected to be broken again over the week in time for the Corpus Christi holiday. The start of the week will be cloudy. Thunderstorms are also expected in the southeast on Monday. The sun will only appear occasionally, and it will remain wet for…

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The number of fraudulent text messages pretending to be family emergency calls has risen sharply recently. According to RTR, there were more than 1,000 complaints about text message scams in May—the highest number in months. Messages with the so-called “family trick,” i.e., alleged emergency calls from children or grandchildren, are particularly common. Increase in scam text messages with daughter, son, and grandchild tricksThe perpetrators use familiar-looking messages such as “Hi Mom, my cell phone is broken. Write to me on WhatsApp” to obtain sensitive data or money. “Three-quarters of all…

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Saturday: The hottest day of the year so farToday, Saturday, temperatures in many regions are expected to reach between 26 and 34 degrees. In the west, especially in the Inn Valley and Walgau (Vorarlberg), local temperatures of up to 35 degrees are possible. It will be very sunny throughout the day. Only in the afternoon will a few large cumulus clouds form in Tyrol and Vorarlberg. In these two western provinces, there may be heat thunderstorms, occasionally heavy. It will remain dry in the other regions. It will also stay…

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