Austria

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Climber Guilty of Manslaughter in Girlfriend's Death

Austrian judge says experienced climber failed duty of care on ascent

(Newser) - An Austrian climber has been found guilty of manslaughter caused by gross negligence in his girlfriend's death on the country's highest mountain, but he's not going to prison. Thomas Plamberger, 39, was given a five-month suspended sentence and a fine of around $11,600 over the death...

Climber Tells Austrian Court Girlfriend Told Him, 'Go Now!'

Manslaughter trial tests liability for mountaineers in extreme conditions

(Newser) - An Austrian court is weighing a rare questio n: When does a climbing partner become legally responsible for another's death on the mountain? On Monday, 37-year-old identified as Thomas P told a judge in Innsbruck he is "endlessly sorry" that his girlfriend, 33-year-old Kerstin G, died of hypothermia...

One Side Calls It an Accident. The Other Calls It Manslaughter

Man heads to trial, accused of abandoning girlfriend who froze on Austria's highest peak

(Newser) - A fatal climb on Austria's tallest peak is now at the center of a courtroom fight that could reshape how blame is assigned in the mountains. More than a year after 33-year-old Kerstin G. died of hypothermia near the summit of the 12,460-foot Grossglockner, her boyfriend goes on...

Alleged Plotter in Taylor Swift Concert Attack Scheme Charged

Suspect allegedly pledged to ISIS, sought weapons and bomb materials

(Newser) - A man allegedly involved in plotting a terrorist attack at a Taylor Swift concert in Austria is now formally facing terrorism charges, the New York Times reports. Prosecutors in Vienna say a 21-year-old Austrian man, not publicly named, pledged support to the Islamic State terrorist group online and planned an...

Scientist Document First-Ever Cow Tools Case
Scientists Amazed by
'Cow Using an Actual Tool'
in case you missed it
Jan 24, 2026 3:46 PM CST

Scientists Amazed by 'Cow Using an Actual Tool'

They believe bovine intelligence has been underestimated

(Newser) - A 13-year-old Austrian cow has just nudged cattle a little higher up the intelligence ladder. Veronika, a pet cow in the Alpine village of Nötsch im Gailtal, caught the attention of animal cognition researchers after her owner, organic farmer Witgar Wiegele, noticed she liked to play with sticks and...

5 Skiers Are Killed in Alps Avalanches

Heavy snowfall has contributed to a series of deaths in region

(Newser) - Five skiers were killed in a pair of avalanches in the Salzburg Pongau region of western Austria on Saturday, authorities said. Four of them were killed by a snow slide in the Gastein Valley, south of the city of Salzburg, that swept away seven people. Two people were injured—one...

Anne Frank's Stepsister Dies at 96
Anne Frank's
Stepsister
Eva Schloss
Dies at 96
OBITUARY
Jan 5, 2026 1:30 AM CST

Anne Frank's Stepsister Eva Schloss Dies at 96

Holocaust educator remembered for lifelong work against hatred and prejudice

(Newser) - Eva Schloss, a Holocaust survivor who later became Anne Frank's stepsister and a prominent educator on Nazi atrocities, has died at 96, the Guardian reports. Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles and Queen Camilla were "greatly saddened" by her death, with the king saying they had "admired...

Man Dies, Wife Critical After 200-Foot Sledding Fall

Couple plunged from Austrian sledding trail; daughter gave first aid

(Newser) - A holiday sledding run in the Austrian Alps ended in catastrophe when a couple plunged more than 200 feet off a mountainside, killing the husband and leaving his wife in critical condition. Authorities in Tyrol say the 63-year-old man and his 58-year-old wife were descending the Rabantalm mountain in East...

Climber Charged After Partner Dies in Winter Ascent

Austrian prosecutors allege Thomas Plamberger's gross negligence led to death on Grossglockner

(Newser) - A mountain tragedy in Austria has taken a legal turn as climber Thomas Plamberger now faces grossly negligent homicide charges following the death of his partner, 33-year-old Kerstin Gurtner, on Grossglockner, the country's highest peak. Per Climbing.com , their winter ascent of the 12,461-foot mountain began on Jan....

Renegade Nuns Can Stay, as Long as They Log Off

Three elderly sisters in Austria fled their nursing home and snuck back into former convent

(Newser) - Three Austrian nuns in their 80s who gained international attention after fleeing their care home to return to their former convent have been granted permission to stay—provided they stay off social media. The sisters identified as Bernadette, 88, Regina, 86, and Rita, 82, defied church authorities in September by...

Nuns Flee Old Folks Home, Sneak Back to Old Convent

Sisters were forced to move out of Austria's Kloster Goldenstein in late 2023

(Newser) - In what Katholisch describes as the possible "plot of a Netflix series," three Austrian nuns in their 80s have found their way back to the only home they've known for decades—a convent near Salzburg—after a stint in a Catholic care home left them unhappy....

Elderly Hiker Fatally Trampled by Cows in Austrian Alps
Hiker, 85, Killed
by Herd of Cows
Sep 1, 2025 3:10 PM CDT

Hiker, 85, Killed by Herd of Cows

Elderly couple were trampled in Austrian Alps

(Newser) - An 85-year-old man lost his life after a herd of cows charged him and his wife during a hike in the Austrian Alps, police said Monday. The retired couple from Vienna were walking their dog near a mountain hut in Styria province when nine cows, including three calves, suddenly...

As High-Speed Train Departs, Man Grabs On
As His Train Leaves,
Guy Jumps On
Aug 11, 2025 10:23 AM CDT

As His Train Leaves, Guy Jumps On

Algerian passenger left behind regained his seat, only to be brought to police

(Newser) - A man watched as the high-speed train he'd been riding through Austria began to leave a station without him—then decided to grab on. The unnamed 24-year-old Algerian survived Saturday's incident, but it's a wonder, said Austrian Federal Railways rep Herbert Hofer. "This kind of thing...

Official's Infamous Waltz With Putin Still Defines Her

Guardian explores former Austrian foreign minister's Karin Kneissl's controversial move

(Newser) - When Karin Kneissl was serving as Austria's foreign minister in 2018, she wasn't exactly a household name even in her own country. A "marginal figure" is how Amanda Coakley describes her in a profile at the Guardian . Then came the move that put her on the world'...

Austria to Tighten Gun Laws Within Days of Shooting

'[We] promised that we would not go back to business as usual,' says Christian Stocker

(Newser) - Eight days after a rare school shooting in Austria, the government has introduced a slew of proposed laws aimed at gun control. The measures would raise the minimum age to own certain firearms from 21 to 25, increase the waiting period between purchase and delivery from three days to four...

Austria Gunman's Farewell Letter Did Not Give Motive

Police say bomb attack plans were found at the 21-year-old's home

(Newser) - The 21-year-old man who killed ten people in Austria's worst mass shooting in recent years may have been planning a different kind of attack. Police say they found abandoned plans for a bomb attack and a non-functional homemade bomb at the suspect's home, the BBC reports. The gunman...

After Mass Shooting, Austria's 'Incredibly Difficult' Aftermath

High school in Graz may not have been prepared for rare attack like this, which left 10 dead

(Newser) - A 21-year-old gunman killed nine people at a high school in Austria on Tuesday before taking his own life, authorities say. Six females and three males died and another 12 people were injured as bullets ripped through the building just before 10am local time, per the BBC . Police say the...

At Austrian School, a 'Terrible Tragedy'

Authorities say at least 8 victims are dead after mass shooting in the city of Graz

(Newser) - At least eight people were killed in a shooting at a school in the Austrian city of Graz on Tuesday, and the suspected perpetrator also died, the city's mayor said. Police said they were deployed to the school after shots were heard there. Mayor Elke Kahr described the events...

Austria Welcomes Eurovision Winner Home

JJ and Israel's Yuval Raphael ran neck-and-neck in the final

(Newser) - Austrian fans enthusiastically welcomed classically trained singer JJ back home at Vienna airport on Sunday, after he won the 69th Eurovision Song Contest with "Wasted Love." As JJ walked through the gate, hundreds of fans cheered, some played his song, and others surrounded the new star, hugging him...

Attacker in Austria Stabs 5 at Random

Police have a suspect, 23, in custody

(Newser) - Four people were wounded and one killed when a 23-year-old man began stabbing passersby at random with a knife in the Austrian city of Villach on Saturday, police said. The victim who died was 14 years old, the BBC reports. Police said they have a 23-year-old man in custody, a...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
Most Read on Newser