Stories from Austria

Russian opposition members and Ukrainians organized a protest at the entrance to an exhibition in Vienna. The protesters displayed dates of Russian aggressions against various countries and peoples on posters at the entrance.

A Foodwatch Austria test found that most fish products lack clear origin information. Only three out of 84 tested products provided complete traceability. Twenty-six products offered no way to determine origin, while 55 products yielded ambiguous results.

An author won the main prize in the prose category at the Orange Maus awards. The literary prize aims to increase the visibility of authors with learning disabilities in public spaces. The award ceremony took place at the end of March at the Wiener Reifhausenhaus in Vienna.

Caroline List, the President of the Graz Regional Court for Criminal Matters and widow of Christian Pilnaček, is accused of destroying evidence. List allegedly used a Bunsen burner to destroy Pilnaček's smartphone.

The Austrian Ministry of Justice has decided to update espionage laws to protect the interests of international organizations, such as the European Union and the United Nations. Currently, espionage in Austria is only punishable if it directly harms the country's own interests, according to reports from ORF, Kronen Zeitung, and Kurier. The move aims to counter Russian espionage activities targeting these international bodies. The decision was reported by the Austrian public broadcaster ORF. Austria has expanded its espionage laws, following a terrorist attack that occurred on December 14, 2025, during a Jewish traditional festival. The new measures aim to counter growing intelligence operations.

A 12-kilometer stretch of road has been identified as affected by asbestos contamination, according to a local mayor. The mayor has filed a report against unknown perpetrators regarding the incident.

The 7th Mozart Junior Festival is scheduled to begin on May 16.

The court imposed a conditional sentence and a 10,000 euro fine for his role in lobbying behind the scenes to secure a key position for a party colleague. Weukinger is resigning from his position as ÖVP parliamentary group leader.

Austrian politician Ernst Gödl has been nominated by the ÖVP federal party presidium to succeed August Wöginger as parliamentary group leader. The nomination was reportedly favored by ÖVP federal party chairman Christian Stocker. Gödl is associated with the Chamber of Labour (Arbeitnehmerbund). The announcement was made by three parties and numerous top politicians from their ranks. Gödl is affiliated with the Austrian Trade Union Federation. Wöginger remains a member of the National Council and intends to appeal the verdict. The Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) has selected Styrian representative Ernst Gödl to succeed Wöginger as club chairman. The party is finalizing the succession process this morning. The Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) deputies met in Parliament on Tuesday morning to elect a new club chairman.

Several West European public service broadcasters have joined together to establish the European Broadcasting Union.