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☆ Police deploy to sensitive sites in Vienna, warning of Islamist attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VIENNA, March 15 (Reuters) - Vienna police stepped up armed patrols at sensitive sites in the Austrian capital including churches on Wednesday after the country's domestic intelligence agency received information suggesting an Islamist attack was being planned. The city's police took the rare step of warning the public on social media that there would be a heightened presence of armed police, including special forces, in the city. Vienna is among the safest capitals in the world and militant attacks are rare. "Our intelligence services have reason to believe that an assault with an Islamistic motive is planned to be carried out in Vienna," Vienna police said in English on Twitter. The tourist-filled streets of central Vienna were busy as usual after the police warning.

☆ Exclusive: Agrofert to win EU approval to buy Borealis' nitrogen unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, March 10 (Reuters) - Czech group Agrofert is set to win unconditional EU antitrust approval for its purchase of the nitrogen business of Austrian energy group OMV's (OMVV.VI) unit Borealis, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said on Friday. Borealis in June last year announced the deal to sell the business, which includes fertiliser, melamine and technical nitrogen, on the basis of an enterprise value of 810 million euros ($863.5 million). Borealis is 75%-owned by energy group OMV and 25% by Abu Dhabi state fund Mubadala. It finalised a turnaround programme in its fertiliser business two years ago. Agrofert has manufacturing facilities in Germany, Slovakia and the Czech Republic and is owned by Czech ex-premier and now opposition leader Andrej Babis.

☆ A startup raised $79 million for its open smart-locker network. Check out the pitch deck it used to raise the funds.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Maybrit Martschin | Nathan Rennolds | Business Insider Deutschland | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Myflexbox is an Austrian startup that offers a smart-locker network. The company uses an open API to connect operating systems from different delivery providers. Insider has an exclusive copy of the pitch deck it used to raise 75 million euros. To help them achieve this, the founders recently secured 75 million euros, or about $79 million, in new funding. Insider has an exclusive copy of the pitch deck it used to raise the funds.

☆ Italy's Visco raps ECB colleagues in widening hawk-dove divide
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Gavin Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, March 8 (Reuters) - European Central Bank governing council member Ignazio Visco on Wednesday criticized some fellow policymakers for comments on future interest rates that diverged from what had been agreed at ECB meetings. "For this reason I don't appreciate comments by my colleagues regarding future and prolonged increases in rates," Visco added, in unusually blunt remarks that highlight a widening rift at the Frankfurt-based ECB. Visco said that while the ECB had managed to stabilise inflation expectations, geopolitical uncertainties meant economic developments were hard to predict. Other governing council members, considered policy hawks who attach overriding importance to curbing inflation even if it means hurting growth and employment, have gone further. The ECB has no policy meeting in April.

☆ Europe is trying to move from planes to trains. Here's how that's going
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Miquel Ros | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Aviation emissions in Europe increased an average of 5% year-on-year between 2013 and 2019, according to the EU. Not surprisingly these moves have set alarm bells ringing in the aviation industry. “For many decision-makers, banning short-haul flights and showing support to the rail industry is an easy win to gain favor with the public, especially in Europe,” Montserrat Barriga, the ERA’s director general, told CNN. “Governments continue ignoring the biggest source of aviation emissions – long-haul flights, that remain unpriced and unregulated,” says T&E’s Dardenne. Better connectivity between intercity rail and airports would also reduce the need for short-haul flights.

[1/2] U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks to David Rubenstein (not pictured) during a meeting of The Economic Club of Washington, at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 7, 2023. REUTERS/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/File PhotoMarch 7 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever. Arguably the main event in Asia will be the expected quarter point rate hike from the RBA, which would take the cash rate up to 3.60%. Tuesday's focus rests squarely on the first of two Congressional appearances this week from Powell. On the Asian data front, China's FX reserves for February could cast a light on whether Beijing is starting to reduce its huge holdings of dollar-denominated assets amid the sharp rise in U.S.-Chinese tensions.

☆ ECB's Holzmann calls for four more 50 bps rate hikes- Handelsblatt
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, March 6 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank should raise interest rates by 50 basis points at each of its next four meetings as inflation is proving to be stubborn, Austrian central bank chief Robert Holzmann told German business daily Handelsblatt. The ECB has raised rates by 3 percentage points since July and flagged a 50 basis point increase for March. Holzmann, an outspoken conservative - or hawk in policy terms - however said that based on current trends, he would favour 50 basis point moves in March, May, June and July. "I expect it to take a very long time for inflation to come down," Holzmann was quoted on Monday as saying. The four steps advocated by Holzmann would take the deposit rate to 4.5%, well above the 4% peak rate priced in by markets, a level no other policymaker has so far advocated in public.

☆ Shiffrin claims fifth overall World Cup title
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 4 (Reuters) - Mikaela Shiffrin secured her fifth overall women's World Cup title when she took fifth place in the downhill in Kvitfjell, Norway, on Saturday, but her wait for a record-equalling 86th World Cup win continues. Shiffrin, who won three consecutive overall World Cup titles from 2017-19 as well as one in 2022, is now one shy of the women's record held by Austrian Annemarie Moser-Proell, winner from 1971-75 and in 1979. Shiffrin is also one race win away from equalling Swedish men's slalom great Ingemar Stenmark's decades-old record of 86 World Cup victories. She broke the women's record of 82 World Cup wins in January. Home favourite Kajsa Vickhoff Lie won the race, becoming the first-ever Norwegian woman to win a World Cup downhill.

☆ Raiffeisen Bank's Russian branch halts opening of new corporate accounts
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, March 3 (Reuters) - The Russian branch of Austrian lender Raiffeisen Bank International <RBIV.VI. said on Friday that it was temporarily suspending the opening of accounts for new corporate clients and restricting the opening of new foreign currency for existing corporate clients. In a statement to Reuters, the bank's press service said: "The bank faced a large number of new applications for opening accounts and, in the face of increased requirements, including for checks and currency payments from correspondent banks, decided to concentrate on servicing the existing volume of transactions". The U.S. Department of the Treasury Sanctions Enforcement Office launched an investigation earlier this year against Raiffeisen Bank International in connection with the bank's activities in Russia. Reporting by Reuters; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Austria plays down concerns over U.S. scrutiny of RBI over Russia business
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Alexandra Schwarz-Goerlich | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VIENNA, March 2 (Reuters) - Austria's finance ministry on Thursday played down concerns about U.S. sanctions officials scrutinising Raiffeisen Bank International (RBIV.VI) over its Russia business. "The inquiry from the U.S. sanctions authority is a normal process that gives no cause for concern, because sanctions authorities naturally keep informing themselves about Austrian companies doing business in Russia," Austria's finance ministry told Reuters in a statement. The Austrian finance ministry said it would in due course address questions from parliament about Raiffeisen, as the lender's activities drew more domestic political scrutiny. "A risky deal for the Austrian Raiffeisen, which instead of - like other European banks - ending its business in Russia, is focusing on intensifying business relations," Greens lawmaker Nina Tomaselli said in a parliamentary question. The finance ministry welcomed the prospect of such a deal, suggesting it could prevent losses to savers and deposit insurance of hundreds of millions of euros.

☆ Fisker reports higher orders, maintains annual production target
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 27 (Reuters) - Electric-vehicle startup Fisker Inc (FSR.N) on Monday flagged increased orders for its sports utility vehicle Ocean and maintained its production forecast for the year, sending its shares higher by 7% in trading before the bell. Fisker said reservations for the first model of Ocean rose to more than 65,000 as of Feb. 24, 2023, from 62,000 as of Oct. 31, 2022. In August, Fisker said it was exploring options to manufacture in the United States in 2024. Its net loss stood at 54 cents per share, compared with analysts' average estimate of 42 cents per share, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. Last year, its net loss was $138.4 million or 47 cents.

☆ One year of war in Europe: How the dollar, energy and food prices swirled
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

LONDON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Russia's invasion of Ukraine has disrupted economies and markets around the world, from energy and food prices to European banks, emerging market stocks and the Russian currency. Below are five charts that show how Europe's biggest conflict since World War Two has shaped global financial markets in the last 12 months. But when Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine in late February, European natural gas prices rocketed by almost 400% in two weeks. Energy prices soared, bringing the threat of blackouts, recession and a worrying switch back to dirtier sources of fuel. Food price pressures are easing, but that does little to soften the blow for many developing nations, where food and energy prices make up a larger share of spending.

☆ A record number of Americans applied for second citizenship in 2022. These are the 11 countries where you can buy a 'golden passport.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Austria: estimated $9.5 million investment requiredVienna, Austria. Sylvain Sonnet/Getty ImagesEven if you can afford the multi-million dollar price tag, Austria's citizenship by investment program is incredibly selective. Under Article 10, Section 6 of the Austrian Citizenship Act, the Austrian government is able to award citizenship to foreigners who show "extraordinary merit" and contribute significantly to the state's interests — either scientifically, culturally, or economically. This can include setting up a business, creating jobs, or introducing new technologies, according to Austrian law experts. The exact investment amount required for the award is not clear, but is estimated to be around $9.5 million, Forbes reports.

☆ Helen Mirren: Starring in 'Golda' like playing British monarch
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Miranda Murray | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Feb 20 (Reuters) - For Helen Mirren, playing Israel's only female prime minister, Golda Meir, was not unlike a role as a British monarch. "Golda," which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival on Monday, focuses on Meir's leadership during the Yom Kippur War between Israel and a coalition of Arab states in October 1973. "It's not a biopic, it's not her whole life, it's just a little section where she's most challenged," said Mirren. Mirren is nearly unrecognizable as Meir thanks to prosthetics and a make-up regimen that took hours, re-creating the Israeli leader's nicotine-stained fingers and swollen ankles. Nattiv also explained his decision to cast Mirren even though she is not Jewish, saying that besides being an excellent actor, she felt like a family member.

☆ Raiffeisen stock slumps after U.S. sanctions authority asks about Russia business
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 20 (Reuters) - Shares in Raiffeisen Bank International fell more than 7% at the open on Monday after the Austrian Bank had said on Friday it had received a request for information from the United States' sanctions authority about its business related to Russia. Earlier in February, Raiffeisen reported it earned more than half of its 2022 profit from Russia, a market it is considering exiting after the country's invasion of Ukraine. RBI has operated in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union and is Russia's 10th-largest bank by assets. The bank's shares have fallen 19% since the start of the war in February last year. Reporting by Bartosz Dabrowski in Gdansk Editing by Paul CarrelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Austrian poet seeks solace from gender roles in Berlinale biopic
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Miranda Murray | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Michele TantussiBERLIN, Feb 19 (Reuters) - For German director Margarethe von Trotta, "Ingeborg Bachmann - Journey into the Desert," chronicling six years of the titular Austrian poet's life, is part of a dialogue with the past about how life for women has changed and how much they have achieved. "Bachmann's search for liberty and freedom - she said 'I cannot be subjugated by men' - what she was searching for, we have achieved now," said von Trotta of the poet and author, who rose to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s. "She arrives in the desert very weak ... and in the end she says it's her salvation, I'm liberated," said von Trotta. Born in Berlin, she began working as an actor in the late 1960s before moving into directing, making her first solo debut in 1977. Reporting by Miranda Murray; Editing by David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

An Austrian official said that Austrian authorities were monitoring the situation at Raiffeisen and its business in Russia closely because of the bank's importance. Almost a year since Moscow launched what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine, Raiffeisen is among a handful of European banks that remain in Russia. Raiffeisen made a net profit of roughly 3.8 billion euros last year, thanks in large part to a 2 billion euro plus profit from its Russia business. Alternatively, OFAC can also resort to less stringent measures such as levying fines and sending warning letters over sanctions violations. OFAC has sanctioned five major Russian banks, including state-backed Sberbank (SBER.MM) part of a response to that country's invasion of Ukraine, as well as wealthy oligarchs.

☆ See the photos that won National Geographic’s ‘Pictures of the Year’ contest
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Audrey Wan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

National Geographic announced the winning photographs from its first "Pictures of the Year" photo competition. The photo will be featured in an upcoming issue of National Geographic's U.S. magazine. Their photos will be published on National Geographic's Your Shot Instagram page, which has some 6.5 million followers. Salt wells on a hillside in the Salt Mines of Maras in Peru. An LiThe mines comprise around 4,500 salt wells, each of which produces some 400 pounds of salt per month.

☆ Wealthy Americans are racing to get the EU's last remaining 'golden passport' before it's gone
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

For the first time, Americans are applying for "golden passports" more than any other nationality. For the first time, Americans are applying for golden passports and visas more than any other nationality, according to Henley & Partners' 2023 USA Wealth Report, released Thursday. Henley & Partners' Head of North America Mehdi Kadiri said Malta's golden passport scheme was the second-most sought-after program among Americans, in part because Malta's program is accessible through real estate investment. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt reportedly applied for European citizenship in 2020 through Cyprus' now-defunct golden passport program. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, golden passports and visas faced global scrutiny for allowing sanctioned oligarchs access to the UK.

This is causing flight delays and cancellations. We regret the inconvenience this is causing our passengers,” Lufthansa said on Twitter. Lufthansa owns carriers Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings and Swiss. In a separate statement on its website, Lufthansa recommended that passengers in Frankfurt avoid traveling to the city’s airport. Passengers with domestic flights can switch to Deutsche Bahn — Germany’s national rail service — for free until Sunday, the airline added.

☆ Lufthansa: IT fault causes massive flight disruptions worldwide
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Feb 15 (Reuters) - An IT fault at Germany's flagship carrier Lufthansa has caused massive flight delays and disruption at airlines across the group worldwide, the company said on Wednesday, adding that the fault cause was still unclear. "There is a group-wide IT system failure," a Lufthansa spokesperson told Reuters. In a tweet, Lufthansa said, "Currently, the airlines of the Lufthansa Group are affected by an IT outage. This is causing flight delays and cancellations. The IT system failure comes two days ahead of planned strikes at seven German airports expected to lead to major disruptions.

☆ Moscow's decades-old gas ties with Europe lie in ruins
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Vladimir Soldatkin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

Washington has long criticised Germany's policy of reliance on Russian energy, which until last year, Berlin had said was a means to improve relations. In October, he mooted an idea of a gas hub in Turkey to divert the Russian gas flows from the Baltic Sea and North-West Europe. The 20-year supply deal is worth about $30 billion in current gas prices. In Europe, gas prices hit record levels and international oil prices shortly after the special military operation began spiked close to their all-time high. Domestic gas prices are regulated by the government and there have been discussions about liberalising the gas market, a sensitive issue for Russian households.

☆ 'Day of pain': Wirecard boss denies charges in massive fraud trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Jörn Poltz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUNICH, Feb 13 (Reuters) - The former boss of Wirecard on Monday expressed his "deepest regret" over the collapse of the defunct payments company but denied all allegations as he took to the stand in Germany's biggest post-war fraud trial. Austrian-born Braun, 53, and two other ex-Wirecard managers Oliver Bellenhaus and Stephan von Erffa are on trial on charges including market manipulation and fraud and face up to 15 years each in prison if convicted. "There was in reality no life outside the company," he said, speaking throughout in a calm and concentrated voice. Braun's lawyers have alleged that Bellenhaus was the main perpetrator of the fraud at Wirecard, which began processing payments for pornography and online gambling and rose to be a blue chip DAX company worth $28 billion. Reporting by Jörn Poltz and Alexander Hübner Writing by Matthias Williams Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/4] A Russian police officer stands in front of a branch of the Raiffeisen Bank in Moscow, Russia, February 27, 2016. It made a net profit of roughly 3.8 billion euros last year, thanks in large part to a 2 billion euro plus profit from its Russia business. Of UniCredit's more than 20 billion euro total revenue last year, Russia accounted for more than 1 billion euros. Meanwhile, Russian savers lodged more than 20 billion euros with the bank, which offers a place to deposit funds with fewer sanctions risks. It banned investors from so-called unfriendly countries from selling shares in banks, unless the Russian President grants an exemption.

☆ Austrian army suspends Turkey quake rescue
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Feb 11 (Reuters) - The Austrian army has suspended rescue operations in quake-hit Turkey due to "an increasingly difficult security situation", its spokesperson said in a tweet on Saturday. Ministry spokesperson Michael Bauer tweeted that the Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit (AFDRU) was available for further rescue operations when the working environment became safe. News agency AFP reported clashes between unidentified groups, and that Austrian troops were sheltering in a base camp with other international organizations and were awaiting instructions. Some 80 rescue workers from Austria's armed forces have been in Antakya, Turkey, since Feb. 7 and their specialists have freed nine people from the rubble. Reporting by Shubhendu Deshmukh in Bengaluru and Riham Alkousaa in Berlin Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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