Austrians endure shock, horror after gunman kills 10 at school
Graz, Austria Reuters Austrians were dumbfounded by grief and horror after a 21-year-old gunman killed 10 people in a high school shooting spree on Tuesday morning, unleashing a new kind of violence to the Alpine country unaccustomed to such slayings. Parents of pupils, top government officials and local residents in the southern city of Graz […]
Attempt to form Austria’s first government led by far right collapses
Vienna, Austria Reuters Talks to form Austria’s first coalition government led by the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) collapsed on Wednesday, days after the FPO’s negotiations with the conservative People’s Party (OVP) ground to a halt, with each side blaming the other. The eurosceptic, Russia-friendly FPO was bidding to head a government for the first time […]
Austrian President tasks far-right leader with forming government
Vienna, Austria Reuters Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen tasked the leader of the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) on Monday with forming a coalition government after a centrist bid to assemble one without the FPO collapsed unexpectedly over the weekend. The announcement marks a dramatic reversal for the president, a former leader of the left-wing […]
Austrian Chancellor quits as coalition talks collapse
Vienna, Austria Reuters Talks between Austria’s two main centrist parties on forming a coalition government without the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) collapsed on Saturday, prompting conservative Chancellor Karl Nehammer to announce he would step down. A day earlier a third party, the liberal Neos, walked away from the talks, blaming the other parties for failing […]
Austrian President asks top parties to break coalition “stalemate”
Vienna, Austria Reuters Austria’s president said on Wednesday he could not task the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) with forming a government after it won a general election because no party wants to govern with it, so instead it and the next two largest parties should try to break the “stalemate” themselves. The FPO won the […]
Austria’s President takes charge as far right isolated after election victory
Vienna, Austria Reuters The far-right Freedom Party’s historic victory in an Austrian parliamentary election has left it isolated and partly at the mercy of a powerful critic: the President, who must oversee efforts towards forming a viable coalition government. The Eurosceptic, Russia-friendly Freedom Party (FPO) won for the first time, but its 29 per cent […]
StrangeSights: Dog bites…president; a controversial ‘Bird of the Century’; and, biggest plane yet lands in Antarctica
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…