A provocative video in which an Austrian far-right politician explains to asylum seekers, using a blonde mannequin and posters in Arabic, that European women generally don’t like being groped in public by strangers has stirred controversy. The video has sparked a lot of negative comments and a series of video responses, forcing Freedom Party politician Armin Sippel to take the video down due [...]

Austria’s interior minister has rejected a proposal that would require EU member states to grant asylum seekers the right to work, calling the plan “unthinkable,” as the country’s job market could not absorb the flood of new workers. [...]

Today, Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz warned about the negative consequences of the current migration crisis and possible collapse of Europe. In an interview with Sputnik Austrian politician Johannes Hübner commented on this statement as well as prospects for Austria's withdrawal from the EU. [...]

Politicians like Norbert Hofer, the Austrian presidential candidate from the Freedom Party of Austria, are becoming increasingly popular in Europe because people don’t like how the EU is being run. Petr Hájek, press secretary to the former Czech president Vaclav Klaus and head of the media portal Protiproud told Sputnik that people listen to Hofer because he talks about things that they feel [...]

The Austrian and Hungarian Governments are in a diplomatic row over thousands of migrants in Austria that Vienna says should be returned to Hungary under EU rules, which the Budapest administration is refusing to accept. Under the Dublin agreement, migrants arriving within the Schengen area — the zone in Europe where all countries remove internal borders — must be processed in the country o [...]

Austria’s extremely close-run presidential vote reveals people are disappointed with the political system and don’t feel represented any longer, while the refugee crisis, the euro crisis and dissatisfaction with the EU have also caused the shift to the right in Austria, experts say. [...]

The Green Party’s Alexander Van der Bellen has won Austria’s presidential election, beating the Freedom Party’s Norbert Hofer in a neck and neck race, according to the Interior Ministry. A mere 0.6 percent of the mail-in ballot made the difference. [...]

A new study reveals that the increasing numbers of Germans living in Austria feel that they are the subject of "Anti-Germanismus" (Germanophobia), Die Presse reported. Not only are Germans sick of being the butt of Austrian jokes, they also face daily discrimination based on their nationality, Austrian newspaper Die Presse reported. [...]

Europe wants a restrictive policy on refugees because small countries like Austria cannot handle unlimited number of arrivals, Laszlo Maracz, assistant professor of European studies at the University of Amsterdam, told RT. Tensions are rising at the Brenner Pass between Austria and Italy. [...]

The far-right triumph in the first round of the Austrian presidential election is a new page in the country’s history as it marks the end of the domination by socialists and conservatives, says Alexander Markovics of the right-wing Generation Identity movement. [...]

No side wins from the sanctions introduced by the European Union against Russia, it is necessary to find a way that would lead to the removal of most of them, Austrian President Heinz Fischer said Wednesday. Fischer arrived on an official two-day visit to Moscow on Tuesday at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invitation. [...]

Chief of the General Staff of the Austrian Armed Forces, Lt. Gen. Othmar Commenda said that Russia for Austria is much closer than other great powers. The Austrian Armed Forces are ready to develop cooperation with Russia, despite recommendations of other world powers, the Chief of the General Staff of the Austrian Armed Forces, Lt. Gen. Othmar Commenda said Wednesday. [...]

The Austrian government is about to enforce a tougher asylum law. According to it, the government will be entitled to declare a state of emergency. If this happens, no refugee would be able to apply for asylum in Austria any longer. The opposition and other critics speak of a “de facto abolition of the right to asylum”. [...]

The Austrian President Heinz Fischer says the EU has to find a way to lift sanctions against Russia. "I always say that sanctions are disadvantageous for both sides," Fischer said at Wednesday’s meeting with Russia's State Duma Speaker Sergey Naryshkin. "It is important to find a way to lift them in the near future." [...]

Austrian armed forces are ready to cooperate with Moscow as “Russia is much closer to Austria than other major world powers,” chief of the Austrian General Staff said in Moscow, according to TASS. Vienna’s top military figure noted that one of the reasons for his visit to the Russian capital was to disobey others’ orders. [...]

Austria intends to send military to the Italian border to boost protection amid the refugee crisis, the country's defense minister said. Austria is planning to send soldiers to the border with Italy to enhance border protection amid a migrant inflow, Austrian Defense Minister Hans Peter Doskozil said Saturday. [...]

Austria’s interior minister signaled its opposition towards a mooted but not yet finalized EU-Turkey refugee deal. The minister says she is “extremely critical” of the agreement, citing the situation with freedom of speech in Turkey. "I am extremely critical. I am seriously wondering whether we are taking ourselves and our values seriously or if we are throwing them overboard," Johanna Mi [...]

Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann has blamed Germany's open door policy as well as a lack of cooperation between EU member states on the refugee crisis and has said that Austria will no longer be a ‘distribution hub’ for refugees. [...]

The head of Austria's government says the EU's border agency Frontex should send asylum seekers entering the EU via Greece back to Turkey. Austria has also requested €600 million from the EU to cover extra costs for accepting more refugees. "Frontex must pick up the people fleeing to Greece. [...]

Vienna is considering deploying troops and police to the Balkans to reduce the flow of refugees on the route between the Turkish coast and Central Europe. “In the worst case” they will be stopped on the Austrian border, officials warn. At an informal meeting of EU’s foreign and defense ministers in Amsterdam on Friday, Austria’s top officials said Vienna is working out hardline approach [...]

EU sanctions against Russia have made no political progress and brought negative effects to Austria’s economy, said Austrian Vice-Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner during a visit to Moscow. We have over a thousand companies doing business with Russia from Austria, and another 500 Austrian firms working in Russia. 40,000 employees are being affected,” said Mitterlehner. [...]

Austrian police records in Vienna and the Styria district bordering Slovenia show the number of applications for handgun permits has risen fourfold in the past months, while firearms dealers say the number of weapons sales has skyrocketed. [...]