Category: General Interest

This year, Customs have taken more illegal pyrotechnics and fireworks significantly out of circulation than the previous year. There is also a threat of severe penalties. While 954 fireworks were seized upon importation during mobile checks in the previous year, by mid-December 2022, the number had almost doubled to 1,720. On Tuesday, Finance Minister Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) said, “Do not rely on illegal firecrackers or rockets that are potentially dangerous to you or other people.” Danger from illegal fireworksOf 1,215 fireworks seized this year, there is a medium danger. However,…

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Those who still have to shop on New Year’s Eve in Vienna will have time to do so in most stores until the evening. Here are all the opening hours of supermarkets, drugstores and shopping centers on December 31, 2022. Whether it’s champagne, lucky charms or groceries: on New Year’s Eve, people often have a lot of things to get. December 31, 2022, falls on a Saturday, so many stores are open until the evening. According to Vienna’s opening hours ordinance, on New Year’s Eve, last-minute purchases in general retail…

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The streaming service Netflix has recently lost subscribers, and forecasts predict an even more significant loss of customers in the coming months. As a result, plans have been developed to cut costs, increase revenue and make the service more attractive. An essential part of this plan is to get money from all those Netflix users who have been using the streaming service for free for years. Account sharing is a thorn in Netflix’s side because the multiple profiles per subscription are only supposed to be used by family members in…

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From 2023, all plastic packaging such as yogurt pots, plastic bags or tubes will be collected together with plastic bottles and beverage cartons throughout Austria in the yellow garbage can or the yellow bag. From 2023, everything will go into the yellow garbage canSo far, light packaging has been handled differently in the provinces, and in Vienna, for example, it has been incinerated as residual waste. Vienna is also considering placing blue-yellow garbage cans in residential buildings in the future but is initially only testing this in a small part…

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More expensive vignettes, new currencies and changes in border controls. 2023 will bring some changes when travelling by car. The enormous inflation is currently hitting the population hard. Car drivers, in particular, can prepare themselves for significantly higher costs next year. Fuel tax, NoVA, engine tax, insurance, the vignette or speeding fines – prices will increase almost everywhere for motorists in 2023. An overview is available here. But in Austria and abroad, there will be some changes in the coming year. These are not only price-related but also of a…

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The holidays passed almost all over the country with a surprisingly warm thaw. Now it is getting a bit cooler again; frosty nights are imminent.On Sunday, under the influence of high pressure – starting from the western Mediterranean Sea – a weather-calming foehn southwesterly current is established over the Alps. On Monday, a weak cold front approaches from the northwest, causing a temporary temperature drop on Tuesday and Wednesday. Today, Monday, there will be partly tenacious ground fog or high fog at Lake Constance, in the southern valleys and basins,…

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The mild weather will remain in the coming days after Christmas. According to the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG) forecast, changeable weather and temperatures up to 13 degrees are expected in the coming days. Often sunny weather is expected on Christmas Day, especially in the western and southern half, away from fog zones. However, on the northern side of the Alps and in the east, a slight disturbance influence will be effective, leading to partly dense clouds and some rain until noon. With the departure of the disturbance…

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Yesterday, as I fell into my bed exhausted with a cold after a chaotic few days and the last of the Christmas stress, my thoughts gave me no peace. ‘It’s Christmas. Again.And, as usual, so incredibly fast.’I thought. ‘And how much has happened this year! What has happened? What has changed…? How many (unbelievably beautiful!) people did I get to meet, who entered my life (again) and who did I have to let go…? Crazy.’ I went my train of thought further. And so, caught in my maze of thoughts,…

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Waves of disease driven by different pathogens still have Austria firmly in their grip. Even the holidays do not change that. Thus, the Covid forecast consortium does not expect significant changes over the Christmas holidays – neither down nor up – in terms of new infections or hospital occupancy. Regarding new conditions, wastewater monitoring and officially reported case numbers also point to stagnation. An average of under 4,900 positive tests per day are reported throughout Austria. Corona protection measures are hardly in place, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take…

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