Showing posts with label Austria. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Austria. Show all posts

Thursday, December 07, 2023

Putin Described as 'Most Intelligent Gentleman' by Former Austrian Foreign Minister | BBC News

Dec 7, 2023 | The former Austrian foreign minister Karin Kneissl, who hit the headlines when she danced with Vladimir Putin at her wedding in 2018, has moved to Russia. In an interview, Ms Kneissl claimed that “political pressure” had forced her out of Austria and described President Putin as “the most intelligent gentleman". It comes as this month European Union leaders are set to discuss imposing additional restrictions on Russia over the war in Ukraine, in what would be a twelfth round of sanctions.

Sunday, November 19, 2023

In Hitler’s Birthplace, Soul-Searching Over a Poisonous Past

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Austrian government is turning the house where Hitler was born into a police station. But many think it should be used instead to teach essential lessons about history.

The building where Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria. | Marylise Vigneau for The New York Times

The Austrian town of Braunau am Inn, sitting just at the border with Germany, has a 15th-century church tower, cobblestone streets and cluttered rows of charming, colorful houses, some in green, pink and blue.

It also has a fraught historical burden. On the upper floors of the house at Salzburger Vorstadt 15 on April 20, 1889, Adolf Hitler was born.

One recent afternoon, Annette Pommer, 32, a history teacher, stared through the window of the Sailer cafe at the three-story 17th-century building across the street where Hitler spent the first few months of his life. She could hear the pounding of jackhammers; an excavator was crawling over a pile of bricks at the rear of the house while workers in hard hats swept the soil.

For many years, Braunau residents say, few gave the house a second thought, except when tourists asked for a photograph, or the occasional neo-Nazi showed up on the anniversary of Hitler’s birthday with a candle or wreath.

But in 2017, the Austrian government, acutely sensitive to the house’s poisonous symbolism and potential for abuse, expropriated the property, and after a period of debate, announced the building would be renovated to become a police station. The goal was to stop it from attracting any modern supporters of Hitler and to sever associations with its painful history. Construction began in October.

“It’s a missed opportunity,” Ms. Pommer said.

Like many in Braunau, she had wanted the building to become a museum or exhibition space to explore Austria’s part in the Nazi regime, a usage that could provide an especially valuable lesson at a time when war again rages in Europe, antisemitism is rising and far-right parties are stirring.

“It should be about how people become Hitler,” she said. “It’s not a house of evil. It’s just a house where a child was born. But it’s right to explain what became of that child.” » | Graham Bowley, Reporting from Braunau am Inn, Austria | Sunday, November 19, 2023

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Austria to Use Hitler’s Birthplace for Police Human Rights Training

THE GUARDIAN: House in Braunau am Inn will become police station and training centre after €20m renovation

In a survey, 53% of those questioned said they would prefer it to become a centre for anti-fascism and tolerance. Photograph: Manfred Fesl/AFP/Getty Images

Austria has announced it will use the house where Adolf Hitler was born to provide human rights training to police officers, in what authorities hope will be the final chapter in a lengthy saga over what to do with the building.

The elegant 17th-century house in Braunau am Inn, near the German border, was bought by the government in 2016 under a compulsory purchase order after a long-running legal battle.
Hitler was born in a rented room on the top floor of the house in 1889.

Development to turn it into a training centre incorporating a police station, expected to cost about €20m, will begin in the autumn, according to authorities. » | Kate Connolly in Berlin | Wednesday, May 24, 2023

WIKIPEDIA: Braunau am Inn.

Monday, May 15, 2023

Two Charged after Hitler Speeches Played on Austrian Train Intercom

THE GUARDIAN: Suspects are also thought to be responsible for two other incidents on trains last week

Two people have been charged in Austria for allegedly playing speeches by Adolf Hitler via the loudspeaker system of a train running from Bregenz to Vienna.

The two suspects, who were not identified, also allegedly blasted “Heil Hitler” via the train’s intercom several times on Sunday. The authorities tracked them down by analysing video from the train cameras. Spreading Nazi propaganda is a criminal offence in Austria.

Passengers took notice of unusually loud messages being played over the high-speed Railjet train’s intercom shortly before its stop at St Pölten. Instead of announcing the upcoming stop, the system initially played a series of bloopers by the actor usually voicing the train’s announcements, as well as a fire alarm message. » | Philip Oltermann in Berlin | Monday, May 15, 2023

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Two Bears Life: We Can Get Married! Gay Couple Talks about Marriage Equality in Austria | 2017

We talk about the landmark decision of the Austrian supreme court that will open "marriage for all". This means that gay couples will be allowed to get married at the latest by the beginning of 2019.

Saturday, August 13, 2022

In Wealthy City, a Marxist Mayor Wins Over Voters

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Yes, this Communist politician in Graz, Austria, wants to redistribute wealth, but a focus on housing, her own modest lifestyle and a hard childhood have helped her popularity.

The iconic bell tower in the wealthy city of Graz, Austria, which is led by a Communist mayor, Elke Kahr. | Marylise Vigneau for The New York Times

THE SATURDAY PROFILE

GRAZ, Austria — That the conservative mayor would win yet again, and serve a fifth term, had been treated as a foregone conclusion in Graz, Austria’s second-largest city, a place where it’s not uncommon to encounter local residents proudly dressed in traditional lederhosen and dirndls.

Elke Kahr, the leader of the city’s Communist Party, was equally convinced she would lose again to the slick heir to a trading dynasty who had led the city for 18 years.

So she was as surprised as the journalist who told her the election news last September: The Communists had emerged victorious, and she would be the next mayor.

“He was completely bewildered — and I thought it was a joke,” Ms. Kahr recalled of her election night conversation with the reporter at City Hall.

Newspapers across Europe started calling the city “Leningraz,” a moniker the new mayor smiles about.

“Yes, 100 percent, I’m a convinced Marxist,” Ms. Kahr said in her mayoral office, flanked by the used Ikea shelves with which she displaced the stately furniture of her predecessor, Siegfried Nagl, of the Austrian People’s Party, or Ö.V.P.

Ms. Kahr, 60, is now trying to “redistribute wealth” as much as her role allows her to, she said.

But that doesn’t mean that her Communist Party of Austria, or K.P.Ö., plans to dispossess the bourgeoisie or abolish the free market. Ms. Kahr said her goal was “to alleviate the problems of the people in our city as much as possible.” » | Denise Hruby | Friday, August 12, 2022

Monday, July 04, 2022

Apfelstrudel: The Secret Behind How Original Viennese Apple Strudel Is Made | Food Secrets Ep. 10

Apr 28, 2021 Viennese apple strudel is probably the most popular dessert among the many great pastries Austria has to offer. It takes special skills and ingredients to make an original apple strudel by hand. We went to Vienna, Austria to see how an original apple strudel is made.


Viennese apple strudel:

Ingredients for ten people

Dough:

• 210 g plain flour
• 42,5 g table oil
• 95 g lukewarm water
• 2 g salt
• one small egg

Filling

• 1.7 kg tart apples (e.g.: Golden Delicious), cut into flakes
• 25 g lemon juice
• 65 g cinnamon sugar
• 35 g chopped walnuts
• 35 g rum raisins
• 65 g granulated sugar
• a pinch of cinnamon
• some melted butter

Butter crumbs

• 100 g breadcrumbs
• 50 g butter
• 50 g granulated sugar
• 5 g vanilla sugar

Preparation

To make the dough, place the flour in a food processor with the oil, water, a pinch of salt and the egg - if you decided on using one - and process with the dough hook until a smooth dough is formed. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour.

In the meantime, cut the apples into slices and mix them with lemon juice and prepare the butter crumbs.

For the butter crumbs, heat the butter in a saucepan and toast the crumbs in it, sweeten with sugar and vanilla sugar. After resting, sprinkle the dough well with flour and roll it out in an oblong shape with a rolling pin.

Sprinkle a large cloth with flour and stretch the strudel dough as thinly as possible to a size of 60 x 70 cm. (The dough should be so thin that you can read a newspaper through it.) Use the backs of your hands, not your fingers, so as not to poke holes in the dough. Drizzle the dough with melted butter and spread the butter crumbs on a strip of dough. Put the sliced apples on top, then the cinnamon sugar, the walnuts and finally the rum raisins.

With the help of the cloth roll up the dough and put it on a baking tray covered with baking paper and brush it again with melted butter. Bake in the preheated oven at about 200 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes until golden brown. Let the strudel cool down, cut it open and serve it sprinkled with powdered sugar and a dollop of whipped cream.

Sunday, July 03, 2022

Kaiserschmarrn: How the Original Austrian One Is Made

Apr 23, 2022 Kaiserschmarrn is perhaps Austria's most popular dessert – and rightly so!

There are various legends around its origins, but they all agree on one thing: The name refers to Kaiser Franz Joseph I.

His wife, Empress Elisabeth – known to most as Sisi – was reportedly the first person to be served Kaiserschmarrn. We traveled to the Austrian capital of Vienna to find out how the imperial dish is prepared.



Ingredients for 4 servings

Kaiserschmarrn:

270g flour
40g sugar
A pinch of salt
8 eggs
400ml milk
50g clarified butter (for the pan)
A pinch of powdered sugar for sprinkling

Plum roast:

800g plums
144g sugar
120ml water
1 stick of cinnamon
4 cloves lemon peel (grated)

Preparation

Kaiserschmarrn:

1. In a bowl: mix flour, sugar, salt, and 5 eggs. Add the milk, beat until smooth and thick.

2. In another bowl, beat the whites of 3 eggs, a pinch of salt and sugar and whip to a firm peak. Then fold it into the thick batter.

3. Heat the clarified butter in a large, shallow pan so that it is very hot. Slowly pour in the batter. Using a spatula, make sure it turns brown on both sides.

4. Then bake the pan in a preheated oven at moderate heat (hot air approx. 180°C) for 10-12 min. until the Kaiserschmarrn is light golden brown.

5. Then remove the pan from the oven and tear the finished dough into irregular pieces with two forks.

Stewed Plums:

1. Bring water to a boil with sugar, the cinnamon stick, cloves, the halved, pitted plums, and some grated lemon zest, stirring, then continue to boil gently, about 20 minutes. The plums should not have broken down yet – they shouldn’t be mushy!

2. Fill small jugs with stewed plums.

3. Arrange the Kaiserschmarrn on plates, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with the stewed plums.

Friday, July 01, 2022

Crispy, Juicy and Tender - The Secrets of the Genuine Wiener Schnitzel | Food Secrets | Ep. 4

Sep 4, 2020 Schnitzel is eaten all around the world and prepared differently in every locality. But what makes for a genuine Wiener schnitzel? Our series "Food Secrets" delves into the secrets of the one and only Wiener Schnitzel.

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

World Leader Describes Putin's Mindset during Meeting Yesterday

Apr 13, 2022 • CNN's Becky Anderson speaks with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who met with President Vladimir Putin of Russia to confront him over his actions in Ukraine.

Monday, April 11, 2022

Austrian Chancellor Confronts Putin over Ukraine War Crimes

THE GUARDIAN: Karl Nehammer becomes first western leader to hold face-to-face talks with Russian president since invasion of Ukraine

Karl Nehammer speaks during a news conference after his meeting with the Russian president.Photograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP

Austria’s chancellor, Karl Nehammer, has said he told Vladimir Putin that “all those responsible” for war crimes must be brought to justice and warned that western sanctions would intensify as long as people kept dying in Ukraine.

After becoming the first western leader to hold face-to-face talks with the Russian president since the invasion of Ukraine, Nehammer said his trip to Moscow was not “a visit of friendship” and that the two had had a “direct, open and hard” conversation.

“I mentioned the serious war crimes in Bucha and other locations and stressed that all those responsible have to be brought to justice,” Nehammer said in a statement.

Russian media reported that the meeting, which took place at Putin’s official Novo-Ogaryovo residence just outside Moscow, was behind closed doors at Austria’s request. Speaking before the meeting began, Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the two would discuss “the situation around Ukraine”, but declined to give further details. Peskov said he could not exclude that gas would be discussed as this was “very, very relevant for the Austrian side”, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency. » | Jennifer Rankin in Brussels | Monday, April 11, 2022

Österreichs Kanzler und sein Blick in Putins Augen: Beim persönlichen Gespräch in Moskau wollte Karl Nehammer den russischen Präsidenten „mit den Schrecken des Krieges konfrontieren“. Doch nach dem Treffen mit Wladimir Putin ist Österreichs Kanzler „eher pessimistisch“. »

Saturday, February 05, 2022

Austria's Covid-vaccine Mandate: Can It Be Enforced? | DW News

Feb 5, 2022 • Austria has become the first European country to mandate coronavirus vaccination for all adults. It is also the first country that will now have to enforce a vaccination mandate. Starting next month, Austrian police will carry out random spot-checks to see whether people can produce proof of vaccination. Those who can't face fines of 600 euros or more. Vienna set up mobile vaccination buses to increase that number. The willingness to get a jab is stagnant, despite the new bill.

Even before the controversial bill was passed, security was tight at vaccination centers. No other topic polarizes Austrians as much as mandatory vaccination. Those who administer the vaccines can do so only when security is nearby. There is concern about hostile outbursts by anti-vaxxers.

Tens of thousands of them have been taking to the streets almost every weekend across the country to protest against COVID measures. They are a minority. But Werner Reisinger, who is researching radicalism, says, the protests should not be underestimated.

He says the Austrian government failed to reach this crowd, especially when its declaration last summer that the COVID crisis was over was followed by a political crisis of its own. Austria expects an avalanche of lawsuits by those unwilling to pay possible fines starting at 600 euros and to be enforced from mid-March. Vienna is focusing on those whose opinion could still be swayed: The undecided. The city put up billboards in various foreign languages in their latest effort to counter misinformation.


Friday, January 21, 2022

How the Nazi Party Began | Germany's Fatal Attraction | Timeline

Jan 16, 2021 • Explores the genesis of the National Socialist Party, and how a failed artist and career soldier of the First World War would become one of the most prolific dictators and of modern history...


History Hit »

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

As Virus Cases Rise in Europe, an Economic Toll Returns

THE NEW YORK TIMES: A series of restrictions, including a lockdown in Austria, is expected to put a brake on economic growth.

Vienna decorated for Christmas. Austria is mandating vaccinations and imposed a nationwide lockdown on Monday. | Georg Hochmuth/Agence France-Presse, via Getty Images

Europe’s already fragile economic recovery is at risk of being undermined by a fourth wave of coronavirus infections now dousing the continent, as governments impose increasingly stringent health restrictions that could reduce foot traffic in shopping centers, discourage travel and thin crowds in restaurants, bars and ski resorts.

Austria has imposed the strictest measures, mandating vaccinations and imposing a nationwide lockdown that began on Monday. But economic activity will also be dampened by other safety measures — from vaccine passports in France and Switzerland to a requirement to work from home four days a week in Belgium.

“We are expecting a bumpy winter season,” said Stefan Kooths, a research director of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy in Germany. “The pandemic now seems to be affecting the economy more negatively than we originally thought.”

The tough lockdowns that swept Europe during the early months of the pandemic last year ended up shrinking economic output by nearly 15 percent. Buoyed by a raft of government support to businesses and the unemployed, most of those countries managed to scramble back and recoup their losses after vaccines were introduced, infection rates tumbled and restrictions eased.

In September, economists optimistically declared that Europe had reached a turning point. In recent weeks, the main threats to the economy seemed to stem from a post-lockdown exuberance that was causing supply-chain bottlenecks, energy-price increases and inflation worries. And widespread vaccinations were expected to defang the pandemic’s bite so that people could continue to freely gather to shop, dine out and travel. What was not expected… » | Patricia Cohen and Melissa Eddy | Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Friday, November 19, 2021

Austria Announces a Lockdown and Vaccination Mandate for All.

In Vienna, the Austrian capital, on Thursday. | Leonhard Foeger/Reuters

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Austria will go into a nationwide lockdown on Monday and impose a coronavirus vaccination mandate in February, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said on Friday. It is the first such lockdown in a European nation since the spring, and the first national vaccine mandate to be announced in a Western democracy.

Austria has one of Europe’s highest national coronavirus infection rates, with 14,212 new cases registered in 24 hours on Thursday. And the Alpine country has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Western Europe, with just 66 percent of the population fully inoculated.

Recent restrictions on unvaccinated people have failed to bring the outbreak sufficiently under control, leading to the measures announced on Friday.

“For a long time — maybe too long — I and others assumed that it must be possible to convince people in Austria to voluntarily get vaccinated,” Mr. Schallenberg said on Friday. “We therefore have reached a very difficult decision to introduce a national vaccine mandate.” » | Christopher F. Schuetze and Elian Peltier | Friday, November 19, 2021

Covid-19 : l'Autriche va rendre la vaccination obligatoire à partir du 1er février, une première dans l'UE : Le chancelier Alexander Schallenberg a en outre annoncé un confinement de sa population dès lundi, y compris des vaccinés. »

Sunday, October 10, 2021

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz Steps Down But Stays in Power | DW News

Oct 10, 2021 • Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has resigned. He has been under pressure over allegations he bribed a newspaper for favorable coverage prior to his election as party leader and then chancellor.

As he made that announcement on Saturday, Kurz said he wasn't involved in any criminal activity. And that he was standing aside to prevent a government crisis after his Greens coalition partner said he was unfit to lead the country. Kurz was expected to face a vote of no confidence in parliament next week.



Related links

Thursday, September 09, 2021

Austrian Man Mummifies Dead Mother to Keep Receiving Her Benefits

THE GUARDIAN: Man, 66, admitted to freezing her body after she died before wrapping her in bandages to absorb any fluid

Austrian police have discovered the body of an 89-year-old woman who died more than a year ago and was mummified in the cellar by her son who wanted to continue receiving her benefits.

In a statement, police said the woman, who is believed to have suffered from dementia, had died in June last year.

“The 66-year-old man kept her body in order to continue receiving benefits,” they said.

The suspect lived with his mother near Innsbruck in the Tyrol region. » | AFP in Vienna | Thursday, September 9, 2021

Monday, November 02, 2020

Gunmen on Loose in Vienna after String of Terror Attacks

THE GUARDIAN: Two people dead – including one attacker – after string of incidents in Austrian capital

Police in Vienna were hunting for a group of “heavily armed and dangerous” gunmen on Monday night after a string of shootings described by the Austrian chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, as a “repulsive terror attack”.

Two people were killed and 15 others – including at least one police officer – were seriously injured in exchanges of gunfire in the centre of the Austrian capital.

One of those killed was an attacker who was shot dead by police. But several other gunmen were still on the loose on Monday night, and Karl Nehammer, the interior minister, warned that they were “heavily armed and dangerous”.

“We have brought several special forces units together that are now searching for the presumed terrorists. I am therefore not limiting it to an area of Vienna because these are mobile perpetrators,” Nehammer told broadcaster ORF, urging the public to stay indoors until the all-clear was given.

Shootings occurred in a string of incidents at six locations close to Seitenstettengasse street in the heart of the Austrian capital, a spokesperson for Vienna’s police force told ORF. » | Philip Oltermann in Berlin | Monday, November 2, 2020