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Austria

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Austria. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Vienna

Head of State

President Alexander Van der Bellen

Head of Government

Chancellor Karl Nehammer

last updated:

29 November, 2024

Russia

Russian gas exports to Europe via Ukraine halt as transit deal expires

The halt will not impact prices in the EU as the bloc has reduced its dependence on Russian energy since the start of the Ukraine war.

1 Jan 2025 - 8:05PM

Tourism

Straussomania: Austria to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Johann Strauss II’s birth

30 Dec 2024 - 5:01PM

Luxury Hotels

Inside the Rosewood Vienna, a modern classic hotel in the heart of the city

20 Dec 2024 - 12:25PM

Tourism

Vienna of the Viennese: 5 districts that give you a local experience

These parts of the Austrian capital invite you to look beyond its landmarks and get a taste of life in the city as lived by the Viennese.

11 Dec 2024 - 6:15PM

The Strudelhofstiege in Vienna, Austria. Photo: Shutterstock

Syria

European countries put Syrian asylum bids on hold after Assad’s fall

Britain, Germany, France, Italy and several other European countries to freeze all pending asylum requests from Syrians.

10 Dec 2024 - 11:59AM

Tourism

Austria’s alpine huts and trails crumble amid climate change

Thawing permafrost has damaged 50,000km of mountain paths, making them and many of the alpine refuges that summer hikers sleep in dangerous.

8 Nov 2024 - 5:15PM

Tourism

Follow the Mozart trail in Salzburg, Austria, birthplace of the genius

Stroll around Austria’s fourth largest city and take in the places where Mozart was born, lived, and composed and conducted music.

15 Oct 2024 - 4:15PM

The 1770 painting Portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the age of 13 in Verona.

European Union

Austrian rapper channels anti-racist rage in Romani hip-hop songs

Besides wanting to fight the racism facing her community, Horvath has been rapping as Nancy Black to keep her language, Romani, alive.

6 Oct 2024 - 1:49PMvideocam

European Union

Austrian far-right head urges rivals to let him govern after election win

The Freedom Party (FPO) secured about 29 per cent of the vote on Saturday, a historic first for a party founded by a Nazi.

5 Oct 2024 - 8:58PM

European Union

Austria’s far-right claim first national election since World War II

Austria far-right scores historic win, but party could struggle to find partners with whom they can govern.

30 Sep 2024 - 1:24PM

Head of Freedom Party, Herbert Kickl, as projections show that the party won the general election. Photo: Reuters

China-EU relations

EU mulls curbs on China’s surging fast fashion online retailers

European Commission considers punitive actions to curb explosive market growth of Chinese merchants deemed ‘direct threat’ to European producers.

27 Sep 2024 - 11:40PMvideocam

Surging shipments of low-value items from China to the EU have sparked calls for greater scrutiny, and curbs. Photo: Reuters

Style Edit

Style Edit: Rolex celebrates rising classical music talent at the Salzburg Festival

Cecilia Bartoli and Benjamin Bernheim are among the Rolex Testimonees who enthralled audiences in Mozart’s birthplace this summer.

19 Sep 2024 - 12:20PM

European Union

Death toll rises as Storm Boris lashes central and eastern Europe

8 people have died as swathes of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia hit by high winds and floods.

16 Sep 2024 - 2:22AM

China economy

Shanghai woos tourists with 700 shows featuring top global artists

Shanghai targets 20,000 extra overseas visitors with high-profile China Shanghai International Arts Festival, aiming to boost the city’s economy and international standing.

27 Aug 2024 - 7:30AM

Shanghai has been actively developing cultural tourism, banking on concerts and operas to lure visitors. Photo: Bloomberg

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift says scrapping Vienna shows ‘devastating’, filled her with ‘fear’

The pop star said she waited to speak until the European leg of her Eras Tour concluded to prioritise safety.

22 Aug 2024 - 9:20AM

Taylor Swift performs during her Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium in London on August 15. Photo: PA Wire/dpa

Islamic State

Bombs and knives: suspect aimed to kill ‘large crowd’ at Taylor Swift show

The 19-year-old man arrested in Vienna, Austria, had researched explosives online, and had quit his job ahead of his ‘big plans’.

9 Aug 2024 - 5:35AMvideocam

Islamic State

Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna cancelled over Islamist attack plot

Austria’s Chancellor Karl Nehammer says ‘a tragedy was prevented’, after news that two suspects had been arrested.

8 Aug 2024 - 5:49PM

Food and Drinks

Why Austria subsidises places serving ‘traditional food’

An US$11,000 handout to places serving dishes like schnitzel is a way of helping ‘dying’ rural businesses that are centres of their community, Austria’s right-wing government says. Critics cry discrimination.

28 Jul 2024 - 10:07AM

Kitchen chef Eva Leimer poses with a plate of schnitzel at Gasthaus Stich in Pfoesing, Lower Austria. Photo: AFP

Euro 2024

France battle past Austria at Euro 2024 but Mbappé suffers broken nose

France required own goal by Austria’s Max Wober to secure the three points; captain Mbappé went off bloodied with a broken nose.

18 Jun 2024 - 7:53AM

European Union

Far-right gains in EU election deal defeats to France’s Macron and Germany’s Scholz

Europe’s far-right parties were winners in many places, coming out on top in France and Italy, while Germany’s AfD surged to second spot.

10 Jun 2024 - 2:08PM

Cartier

Cartier’s Nature Sauvage offers a sparkling take on a menagerie of creatures

From a zebra to the iconic panther, here are the centrepieces of Cartier’s 87-piece collection, just unveiled in Vienna in an event attended by Sofia Coppola and Elle Fanning

30 May 2024 - 3:43PM

Kimberley Anne Woltemas attends the unveiling of Nature Sauvage, Cartier’s high jewellery collection, in Vienna, in May. Photo: @kimmmy_kimberley/Instagram

Iran

Iran’s near weapons-grade uranium stock grows ahead of elections

International inspectors issue quarterly safeguards report on Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

28 May 2024 - 12:37PMvideocam

Iranian missiles are exhibited in a park in Tehran in January. File photo: TNS

Food and Drinks

Hitler’s Nazi manifesto Mein Kampf turned into a recipe book for art project

Austrian artist Andreas Joska-Sutanto has been cutting up Hitler’s Mein Kampf letter by letter for the past eight years and recycling them to make a cookbook, with recipes for pizza, tiramisu and other dishes.

30 Apr 2024 - 7:15PM

Art

Claim of ownership lodged before Klimt portrait sold to Hong Kong bidder

Ahead of the US$32 million sale of a Gustav Klimt portrait unseen for 100 years, a claimant to its ownership, reportedly a potential heir to the legal successor of its original owner, came forward.

27 Apr 2024 - 7:31AM

Art

Hong Kong buyer snags long-lost Klimt painting for record US$32 million

The intensely coloured Portrait of Fraulein Lieser is one of the last works by the Austrian modernist artist.

25 Apr 2024 - 9:38AM

A man looks at the “Portrait of Fraulein Lieser” by Austrian painter Gustav Klimt in Vienna. Photo: AP

European Union

Police arrest 22 people over suspected €600 million EU Covid fund fraud

Of the 22 arrested, eight were put in detention pending trial and the other 14 were under house arrest, with one, an accountant, banned from practising.

4 Apr 2024 - 8:22PM

A gondolier propels a gondola along a patch of phosphorescent green liquid seen on the Grand Canal near the Rialto Bridge in Venice. Dozens of raids were conducted with arrests in Italy, Austria, Romania and Slovakia as a result of an investigation into an alleged criminal network. Photo: EPA-EFE

European Union

Romania and Bulgaria partially join Europe’s Schengen travel zone

After years of negotiations to join Europe’s ID-check-free travel zone, there is now free access for travellers arriving by air or sea from both countries, marking new step in countries’ integration with the EU.

1 Apr 2024 - 6:29AM

Classical music

No longer all male, the Vienna Philharmonic is catching up with the times

From 1842 to 1997, the Vienna Philharmonic was an all-male ensemble. Now it has 24 female musicians and is catching up with some of the world’s other leading orchestras.

10 Mar 2024 - 4:15PM

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