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Snow shortage threatens Alps with wet winter season

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The Adelboden resort in Switzerland has been holding its breath as temperatures touched a record high of 20C on January 1st, the hottest recorded north of the Alps.  The normal snowy slopes were actually dirt and grass, raising concerns about whether the ski World Cup would go place the following weekend.

It was warm even at 2,000 metres (6,500 feet), which is above freezing. In the end, it was decided to use the renowned Chuenisbärgli piste for the major slalom competitions.

It required an army of snow cannons and a little drop in temperature at the top of the run to make it happen. However, they will be skiing on synthetic snow when the best male skiers in the world sprint across the finish line.

The start of the ski season has been seriously hampered by the extremely warm and rainy weather across the Alps.

It’s called a snow scarcity or Schneemangel in German. Additionally, there is a term for when there is an abundance of snow: das Weisse Gold, or white gold. It serves as a reminder of how many mountain communities rely on winter sports for their economic survival. They are being forced to reconsider in January.

The ski resorts near Salzburg last received snow in Austria a month ago. Due to a lack of water to feed them, the snow cannon at Chamonix, France, are not in service. Some resorts in Switzerland have even begun to expose their summer bicycle routes in lieu of attempting to offer winter sports. Others have simply stopped operating their ski lifts.

Experts on climate suggest that we shouldn’t be shocked by the weather this January. Winters will get warmer and wetter due to global warming, they have long predicted. The rate at which ski resorts lose their viability, however, appears to be increasing, much like the Alpine glaciers’ diminishing.

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Austria admits it failed to follow up Slovakia’s warning over Vienna gunman

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The European country of Austria has admitted that it failed to follow up the warning given by Slovakia over the gunman who carried out a deadly terror attack in the city of Vienna.

The attack left as many as four people killed. It also left more than 23 people injured. The brutal attack occurred on Monday.

The attacker was killed few minutes after he had carried out the attack in the city of Vienna.

As per a statement released by Slovenia police, days before the gunman carried out the attack, he had travelled to Slovenia to purchase a gun.

According to the statement, he returned to Austria emptyhanded from the country as he could not purchase a weapon from the country.

Slovenia has strict gun laws.   

The gunman was just 20 years old.

The attack which took place in the city of Vienna was the most serious attack the city witnessed in recent past.

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Austria issues travel warning for Western Balkans

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The European country of Austria has issued serious travel warnings for the whole of the Western Balkans.

Meanwhile, in an unusual move, the European Union has added two of the six states in the same region to a safe list.

Notably, some Balkan states in the region are seeing a spike in cases.

As per a recent arrangement, the European Union has agreed to reopened its borders with Serbia and Montenegro.

The category-six warning affects all travel to the Western Balkans and recommends that Austrians return from the countries involved immediately.

Those coming back will either face a 14-day quarantine or must show proof of a negative Covid-19 test.

As per a latest report, the UK, Portugal, Sweden and Turkey are also subject to Austria’s highest warning level in Europe.

It remains unclear how the European Union and its member countries will react to the action taken by the Northern European country.

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Hitler’s house to become police station

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The European country of Austria, in which the house of infamous dictator Adolf Hitler is located, has decided to turn his house into a police station.

It is an effort to eliminate the capability of the site to attract neo-Nazis and to prevent the transformation of the site as a meeting point of neo-Nazis.

The building was recently purchased by the Austrian government using a compulsory purchase order following a lengthy legal battle.

The transformation is expected to complete in few months itself. Probably in November, the inauguration of the proposed police station may happen.

As per a report published in an International media, an Austrian architecture firm will carry out the changes.

Hitler is one of the most fearful leaders the world has ever seen. Though the Nazi movement was stopped with the defeat of Germany in the Second World War, its supports still remain strong in certain pockets across Europe – particularly in Germany and Austria.

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Austria, Italy ease restrictions

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Shortly after the European Commission advised its members countries to prepare a road map to return to normal, the European countries of Austria and Italy have eased certain restrictions they imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19.

As certain restrictions have been removed, several shops have reopened in Austria, as well as in Italy – which is one of the worst affected regions in the continent.

Though some restrictions have been removed, the countries have not decided to give any relaxation of the matter of social distancing.

The shops, which has benefited from the relaxation, have been directed to maintain the measures necessary to avoid the spread of virus.

In Italy alone, over 20,000 people have lost their lives due to the disease outbreak – which originated in the Asian region of China.

Austria, though better than Italy, is far away in this matter.

Both countries have avoided their worst-hit regions from the scope of the relaxation they have announced.

Meanwhile, the European country of Denmark has also hinted its intention to bring some serious changes on its restrictions.

It has recently allowed its schools to reopen.

The country has already clarified that it might be able to return to normal much earlier than expected.


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Austria: People’s Party joins hand with Greens to form unusual coalition

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The conservative People’s Party has joined hand with the leftist Greens in Austria to form an unusual coalition.

The People’s Party had been a partner of the far-right Freedom Party until it was toppled by a scandal.

In the recent snap election, the People’s Party emerged victorious.

The decision of the conservative faction to reach an agreement with the leftist has come as a surprise.

It is the first time the leftist has gotten an opportunity to become a part of the government.

Many have expressed their concerns about the sustainability of the coalition.

If securing borders is the main concern of the conservative faction, preventing climate change is the concern of the leftist faction.

In a statement released by a member of the sensational coalition government, it is said that both the climate and border concerns would be addressed by the new government.


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Austrian Olympic champion awarded five years imprisonment for child abuse

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A renowned Austrian Olympic judo champion, Peter Seisenbacher, who won two Olympic gold medals in the year 1984 and the year 1988, has been awarded a tough sentence of five years imprisonment for abusing two of his students while working as a coach.

The incidents led to the cases happened in 1990s and 2000s. The victims were children then.

The court has found no reason to disbelief the statements given by the victims.

The trial was supposed to begin in the year 2016 itself. But, it was delayed as he briefly disappeared prior to the scheduled date. Later, he surfaced from his hiding in Georgia and fled to Ukraine. Only few months has passed since he was handed over to Austria by Ukraine.

He denied all allegations triggered against him.

As per the judgement, the Olympian will have the right to approach a higher court challenging the verdict delivered by the present court.


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