95 days off – how to make the most of your 2023 vacation

If you use your vacation days wisely in the coming months, you can take advantage of the available window days and maximize your vacation entitlement. For example, 43 vacation days left open can give you a total of 95 days off – that’s three whole months! With four vacation days used, you can already allow yourself a total of eight days off from January 1 to 8 Easter Monday falls on April 9 – with four used vacation days at Easter, there are nine free days from the 8th to…

Read More

The application deadline for the energy cost bonus extended

The federal government has once again extended the application deadline for the energy cost bonus. But applicants only have until this date. The energy cost subsidy is a federal government measure for energy-intensive companies to counteract the sharp rise in energy prices. A total of 1.3 billion euros is available for the subsidy period from February to September 2022. But: the deadline for the necessary applications has already expired. Minister of Economy Martin Kocher (ÖVP) is making amends with a new deadline. “The application procedure for the energy cost subsidy…

Read More

New Year in Austria with extremely mild weather

New Year’s Day in Austria again sunny and very mildOn New Year’s Day, it will again be sunny and very mild in most of Austria, with highs between twelve and 18 degrees. Especially in the east and south, however, fog or high fog may persist in places, and here it will remain significantly cooler with highs around seven degrees. Warmest turn of the year since measurements began in SwitzerlandIn Switzerland, meanwhile, one of the warmest turn of the year since measurements began in the middle of the 19th century became…

Read More

Croatia: The Euro replaced the Kuna overnight

Traditionally, there is little traffic on the streets of the Croatian capital Zagreb between Christmas Eve and Epiphany. Only in the bank branches, it jams here and there. “That’s how we Croats are,” smiles bank manager Matilda Aljinović, who comes from Split. “Everything that goes, we put off until the last deadline.” Since January 1, 2023, precisely zero o’clock, it is now possible to pay with euros in the youngest EU country. Croatian credit institutions prepared for the change of currency earlier than the citizens. “As a bank, we started…

Read More

What changes for car and motorcycle drivers

From February 2, 2023, the §57a certificate will have a new look and a QR code. With the help of this QR code, an electronic version of the expert opinion can be retrieved from the central database. As of May 20, 2023, the mileage and consumption data of vehicles registered for the first time as of January 1, 2021, must be recorded in the course of the §57a appraisal. This data, including the vehicle identification number, is sent to a central database at the Ministry of Transport and, from there,…

Read More

Salaries, cash bonuses and regulations – What awaits Austrians in 2023?

As of January 1, Austria has new rules, salaries and regulations.End of the cold progressionThe “cold progression,” a creeping tax increase, is wholly abolished on Sunday. With the January salary, the average Austrian will earn 31 euros more per month. CO2 taxAlthough the CO2 tax has already been in place since October, it will be even more noticeable for motorists next year. Currently, one ton of CO2 is priced at 30 euros; an increase to 35 euros was planned. Due to the energy crisis, it was possible to agree on…

Read More

Top 5 resolutions for 2023: Health at the turn of the year

What to do for your health? In 2023, this will undoubtedly be an essential topic again regarding New Year’s resolutions. That’s why we have five particular keys for you that will be particularly good for your health next year and are still easy to implement, even with little time. Do 20 minutes of sport twice a week – It doesn’t always have to be a marathon. Twice a week for 20 minutes of exercise is enough to be much healthier and can be done even if you don’t have much…

Read More

Where you can find most microbes and bacteria in your home

The bathroom, especially the toilet, is not exactly the cleanest place in a home. After all, we go there to relieve ourselves. That’s why dozens of bacteria per square centimetre cavort there. That may seem like a lot, but your toilet isn’t the biggest offender when harbouring microbes and bacteria – there are even dirtier places in your home. Curious about which ones they are? Read on to find out. But be warned: you’ll never look at your home with the same eyes again. Cutting BoardsYou use your cutting board…

Read More

Why there are so many languages

Wherever there are many different animals and plants, there are also many languages. This has been especially true since humans settled down around 12,000 years ago. With hunter-gatherers, the influence of the environment was less pronounced, as researchers now report. There are currently still around 7,000 languages worldwide. Today, this diversity is threatened with a fate similar to that of biodiversity: if only a few speakers remain, sooner or later, the language will disappear altogether. The study“Environmental factors drive language density more in food-producing than in hunter-gatherer populations,” Proceedings of…

Read More