Civil defence rehearsal alert will take place this Saturday

The nationwide civil defence practice alarm is set to sound again this Saturday, October 7. Between 12:00 and 12:45, after the “siren rehearsal” signal, the three civil defence signals, “warning,” “alarm,” and “all-clear,” will be broadcast throughout Austria. This serves to check the technical equipment of the warning and alarm system and is also intended to familiarize the population with the signals and their meaning. With the sirens, KATWARN Austria/Austria will be tested again, the Ministry of the Interior announced on Tuesday. This system, which transmits information and warnings from…

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Weather fall: cold front brings rain and massive cooling

In the north and east, the day will often start sunny, especially over the peaks of the Alps, and in the south and southeast, there will initially be heavier clouds and rain showers. There will typically be sunny skies here in the afternoon as well. The wind will still blow from the northwest, especially in the east, but will become increasingly weaker during the day—the early temperatures are 8 to 16 degrees, and the daily highs are 16 to 23 degrees. The forecast in detailVienna: Not much remains of the…

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Study: 97% of children use their smartphones during school hours

A recent study found that an astonishing 97 percent of students use their smartphones during school hours, and 60 percent also use them at night, from midnight to 5 a.m. on school days. A study shows high consumption of mobile phones. Most screen time was spent on social media such as Instagram and Snapchat (32%), followed by YouTube and games during school hours. The nighttime use of the phone mainly used the same media, with YouTube being the app that was used the longest, as the videos were played all…

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More and more fraudsters call over stolen numbers

The trick is subtle: the phone rings, an Austrian number—even one that seems familiar to you—appears on the display, and there is a fraud right next. Cases are rising, and more and more Austrian phone numbers are being stolen, hijacked and abused by criminals for their illegal masks. “Spoofing” is the term for that. In most cases, the number’s valid owner does not learn anything about it until it is too late. In September alone, the telecommunications regulatory authority RTR had 2556 cases of misuse of its number. For comparison,…

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29 degrees come – then the weather changes abruptly

The second month of autumn also starts summery in Austria on October 3. Even monthly records are within reach on the northern side of the Alps. The hot autumn weather continues. According to the Austrian Severe Weather Center experts, the temperatures at the beginning of the week rise widely to a summery level; in the second half of the week, only a temporary moderate cooling is in sight. After the warmest September since the beginning of measurements in large parts of Central Europe, October also gets off to a hot…

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Color of the “Autobahn” vignette 2024 is yellow

The freeway sticker in the coming year will shine sunny yellow from the vehicles and be available from the end of November, as Asfinag announced on Friday. According to the statement, a price increase is not planned. The adhesive and digital annual vignettes for passenger cars will again cost 96.40 euros. The new vignette is valid from December 1 and can be purchased at approximately 6000 Asfinag sales partners in Austria and abroad. The current vignette is purple. It will be replaced no later than January 31, 2024. “The choice…

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What’s new in October 2023?

Autumn has arrived, and the leaves on the trees have begun to change color. In the coming weeks, there will again be some changes. Users of older cell phone models will soon no longer be able to use WhatsApp messenger service; in Upper Austria, the first new public university in 30 years will start operating, and we will be “given” an hour’s sleep. In addition, bargain hunters will get their money’s worth in October, as will comic fans. A pilot project is being launched in Upper Austria and parts of…

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September is warmer than ever before

September will go down in Austria’s history as the warmest on record. For long stretches, it was as warm as in the middle of summer, with little sign of autumn. With a temperature deviation of more than three degrees, an ancient record from 1810 was broken. By the end of the century, such a September could be the norm. Meanwhile, 2023 is on track to be one of the warmest years on record. The fact that the days are now shorter than the nights is not currently noticeable in the…

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Child subsidy for poor families to be paid out

The government has begun disbursing the new child subsidy for low-income families. The support is 60 euros per month per child. In the first month, 14 million euros will be paid to 232,365 children. Families are eligible for unemployment benefits, emergency assistance or equalization supplement, single parents with a gross monthly income of less than 2,000 euros, and social welfare recipients with children. The child allowance for low-income families is paid out.The transfer of the child allowance is automatic until the end of 2024, as stated in a release. So,…

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