A breakthrough of more than 20,000 migrants preparing to cross the Bosnia-Croatia border and on to European Union (EU) nations is imminent, according to Austrian intelligence, which warns many are “armed”.
Populist Austrian Vice-Chancellor Heinz Christian Strache defended his country’s move to pull out of the UN migration pact saying he was only concerned with what is best for Austrians.
Citing concerns over the protection of national sovereignty, central European nation Austria has announced its withdrawal from the United Nations (UN) Migration Compact, which claims mass migration is “inevitable, necessary, and desirable”, and that it will not be signing the treaty.
The Austrian government has enacted a headscarf ban in kindergartens across the country and is now considering widening the ban to include elementary schools.
BERLIN (AP) — The European Court of Human Rights says an Austrian woman’s conviction for calling the prophet of Islam a paedophile didn’t breach her freedom of speech.
A Syrian general who worked for the country’s intelligence service and was granted asylum by Austria during the height of the migrant crisis is now being investigated over allegations of war crimes.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has set his sights on the Italian populist coalition saying that if the European Commission does not act, the Italian budget could take Europe “hostage”.
The former vice-president of a group linked to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is forming a political party in Vienna to counter “xenophobia” and to specifically give a voice to migrants.
The Council of Europe has asked the Islamist government of Turkey to stop funding Islam overseas for political purposes.
Germany and Denmark have both elected to continue emergency border controls that were first instated during the migrant crisis for a further six months.
Austria may join the U.S. and Hungary in withdrawing from the United Nations (UN) migration pact, Sebastian Kurz has said, following news that Poland is preparing to quit the agreement over security concerns.
Austria is set to ban refugees and asylum seekers from owning knives as figures showed the number of attacks using stabbing and slashing weapons in the country has almost doubled over the past five years.
An Austrian court has rejected appeals by eight Iraqi citizens against their prison sentences for gang-raping a German tourist on New Year’s Eve in 2015.
Policies to discourage and drive down illegal immigration created by Austria’s conservative-populist coalition government are proving so successful the government is reportedly to close seven asylum centres across the country.
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) – Bulgarian customs officials say they have seized 712 kilograms (1,566 pounds) of heroin found in two Iranian trucks entering Bulgaria from Turkey.
Austria’s conservative-nationalist coalition government wants police to be more transparent about sex attackers, and to reveal their nationality and whether they are an asylum seeker as a matter of course.
BERLIN (AP) – Austrian police say six men have been hospitalized with serious injuries after setting alight the mattresses and bedding of the deportation cell in which they were being held.
Austria’s interior minister says the European Union’s migration commissioner is prematurely “throwing in the towel” on the idea of setting up centers for migrants in North Africa.
Austria has rejected the asylum claim of an Afghan national who claims to be fleeing persecution for being homosexual after not being able to find any gay pornography on his mobile phone.
Matteo Salvini has questioned the priorities of the new United Nations (UN) human rights chief after the announcement she is sending teams to Italy and Austria to investigate “racism against migrants”.
Polish MP Dominik Tarczyński has slammed the left-wing government of Vienna after they cancelled the erection of a statue to commemorate the Polish King who saved the city, claiming the statue might offend Turks.
Newly chairing the EU’s six-month rotating presidency, Austria has called for European defence ministers to send soldiers to secure the continent’s borders and repel illegal immigrants.
Austrian police have offered the public a 2,000 euro reward to identify a man who robbed a Vienna bank while disguising himself as a woman wearing the Islamic veil.
BERLIN (AP) – Austria’s foreign minister is defending a curtsy to Russian President Vladimir Putin at her wedding, saying that it was a traditional dance move and she doesn’t “submit” to anyone.
Austria deported 21 African failed asylum seekers late last week to Nigeria and Gambia with the Interior Ministry revealing that the vast majority of the deportees had been drug dealers.
The flow of third world migrants must be brought to a halt, European leaders said over the weekend, with Sebastian Kurz calling for EU nations to begin blocking boats from Africa.
BERLIN (AP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin made a flying visit to Austria to attend the wedding of the country’s foreign minister Saturday before heading to Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) Interior Minister Herbert Kickl has floated the idea of charging radical Islamic adherents if they advocate for Sharia law over the constitutional law of Austria.
Up to 100,000 Austrians with dual Turkish citizenship could be stripped of their Austrian citizenship as courts in the country look into violations of the country’s dual nationality laws.
Despite an average decline in crime across Austria, foreigners now make up nearly half of the suspects in criminal cases with the capital city of Vienna seeing foreigners account for more than half.
A poll in Austria shows that less than half of Austrians are willing to tolerate a cityscape dominated by women wearing headscarves while a vast majority also condemn migrants who refuse to integrate.
The 17 Austrian Identitarian Movement activists accused of forming a criminal hate speech organisation under the country’s mafia laws have been found innocent of all major charges with two defendants forced to pay minor fines by a judge in Graz.
The new chief of staff of the Austrian army, the Bundesheer, Major General Robert Brieger has warned that the greatest threat the central European country faces is from uncontrolled mass migration.
Austrian populist Transport Minister Norbert Hofer has banned the option for driving tests to be taken in the Turkish language, calling it a waste of government money and resources.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was in Vienna on Wednesday to seek to secure what is left of the Iran nuclear deal.
Elvis Costello has canceled the rest of his European summer tour after undergoing surgery for a “small but very aggressive” cancerous tumor.
Populist Austrian Vice Chancellor and leader of the Freedom Party (FPÖ) Heinz-Christian Strache has said that Turks in Austria who voted for Islamist Recep Tayyip Erdoğan should return to Turkey.
BERLIN (AP) – Austria has taken over the rotating presidency of the European Union with a pledge to better secure the 28-nation bloc’s external borders.
The Austrian interior minister inspected troops and police and looked on as the newly formed border patrol unit held exercises to demonstrate their readiness Tuesday, in a move that has been interpreted by some as a political challenge to German leader Angela Merkel.
Austria has said it will close its border with Italy if Germany begins turning back some migrants at its border with Austria, while Italy and Malta have rejected another migrant ferry — but Spain’s new leftist government is going in the opposite direction and relaxing migration controls.
