Finance

Vienna. The corona crisis has left behind bigger cuts on the Austrian labor market than the financial crisis in 2009. The last time the number of employees in Austria declined was in 2009, when 1.5 percent of jobs were lost due to the crisis. In the corona year 2020, employment fell by a whopping two percent.

This February 3.65 million people were employed, 3.5 percent less than in the same period of the previous year. “Normally, employment rises again from spring onwards, depending on the season,” says Dénes Kucsera, economist at Agenda Austria. In 2020 this recovery was canceled due to the corona crisis. There has been such a big slump as in the first months of the pandemic “not since the Second World War,” says Kucsera. Almost every third employee was on short-time work in April, in December only every 20.

For the first time since Christmas under 500,000 unemployed

This week the number of unemployed in Austria fell below the psychologically important mark of 500,000 for the first time since Christmas. At the beginning of the week, around 490,000 people were registered as unemployed or in AMS training. The number of people on short-time work also fell by 7,000 – to around 478,000.

The Corona short-time work was recently extended by three months until the end of June. Labor Minister Martin Kocher spoke out in favor of gradually phasing them out from the summer. The social partners will develop a successor model. Kucsera also recommends phasing out short-time working. The funds freed up are intended to promote new jobs, for example by reducing social security contributions for new hires.

The biggest job losses were recently once again in tourism and gastronomy. As a result, there was also the strongest growth in unemployment in Tyrol, which is heavily dependent on foreign holidaymakers. (here)

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After the descent last week

The digital currency Bitcoin is picking up speed again. On Wednesday, the price of the most famous cryptocurrency rose above the $ 50,000 mark. In the high, $ 52,652 was achieved on the Bitstamp trading platform. That is significantly more than the rate of the past few days. The record high, which was set at $ 58,354 in mid-February, is still a few thousand dollars away.

In the past few months, Bitcoin and some other internet currencies had risen wildly. In the fall, a Bitcoin was only worth $ 10,000, then it rose sharply. The main reason is the growing interest from companies and long-term investors. The dazzling billionaire Elon Musk and the electric car manufacturer Tesla are prime examples. But other companies, not least from the financial scene, are increasingly interested in digital systems.

Regardless of this, Bitcoin & Co. still has a dubious reputation. Digital currencies are discredited for being used for illegal activities. In addition, the energy consumption for production (mining) is sometimes immense, which is a considerable penalty, especially in times of climate change and sustainable investments. Crypto values are also known for their sometimes erratic price fluctuations, which in the eyes of many critics disqualify them as a means of payment and financial investment.

Test pharmacies

Corona self-tests have been issued free of charge in pharmacies since Monday. The rush is great, these are not still available everywhere.

“The demand is really great,” confirms the spokesman for the Chamber of Pharmacists, Johann Baumgartner, to “Today” . He speaks of a “millionaire show” in the pharmacies, since two million antigen tests were already handed out on the first two days of the distribution campaign. A total of 400,000 people were each provided with a five-pack for the month of March.

So 200,000 test kits are still available this week, but not everywhere. In some pharmacies these are already out of stock, at particularly busy locations the contingents were even exhausted on Monday. Nationwide, around half of the more than 1,400 pharmacies should still have test kits.

The balance of the Chamber of Pharmacists is nevertheless a positive one: the onslaught of those willing to test have been cushioned very well. “Everything went in order,” Baumgartner continued.

Even if the test supplies are rapidly dwindling, there is no need to worry and also not to storm the pharmacies now. Further tranches have already been ordered.

Read more: This is how the free self-test from the pharmacy works

Next week it should be possible to issue a total of 5 million tests for a million people. Partial deliveries could arrive at the pharmacies this week. In the following week there should be more.

The self-tests procured by the federal government are distributed to the individual locations via pharmaceutical wholesalers: “This process is routine and has been practiced for many years. It works,” reassured the chamber spokesman.

Important: The self-tests from the pharmacies continue to serve only as orientation for the user himself and are not permitted as entry tests for hairdressers and the like. But they could be the door opener for gastronomy and culture.

There were technical problems at the Vienna vaccination service around the registration of educational staff.

The City of Vienna originally wanted 35,000 teachers and elementary educators in Vienna to be given the Corona vaccination. But now university lecturers and employees should also be vaccinated, provided they had registered for it on Monday. The main reason for this was a technical problem.

How the confusion began

In the vaccination platform, in which one could pre-register, there was a category for teachers and “educational staff”. Colleges and universities were also included in the “educational staff”. Many people had registered in this group. These people then received – together with the teachers and elementary educators – an email that they could register for the corona vaccination.

According to a tweet from Mario Dujakovic, the media spokesman for City Councilor Peter Hacker, university employees were to be rated as “educational staff”. Both together led to the WU Vienna and the works council of the University of Vienna sending relevant information to the lecturers.

This is what the registration form for the vaccination appointments looked like

Technical overload

In the technical system of the vaccination registration platform, these were also included in the “Educational staff” category. When the error was noticed, this was changed by the city of Vienna and university employees were asked to cancel their Covid 19 vaccination appointment bookings. One spoke of a “false report”. The prioritization group “pupils, students, university staff and adult education” was introduced after the problem was noticed.

It is unclear how many university employees have registered in the meantime. This is not clear from the registration data. In any case, the system was partially overloaded and the portal temporarily collapsed completely on Monday, so that it was no longer possible to log in.

“Misunderstanding” and sorry

On Wednesday, Dujakovic, media spokesman for the city council, communicated on Twitter that it had been a “misunderstanding”. They say they want to apologize for the “contradicting and confusing communication”. He emphasizes that university employees were “basically not planned”, but “due to the technical problem”, if they have already registered, they will still be contacted by the Vienna Vaccination Service about a specific appointment. Everyone who has registered for the corona vaccination under “Educational staff” can attend the vaccination appointment, it is said.

“The current pandemic is an enormous pressure situation for all Viennese, including in the administration. Of course, mistakes can happen. It is important to learn from it and to find concrete solutions, ”the city council's media office told futurezone.

(Thread on vaccinations with educational staff) Time to say sorry. After this misunderstanding arose, we immediately started looking for the causes of the sometimes contradicting and confusing communication. #CoronavirusAT #wien

– Mario Dujaković (@mariodujakovic) March 3, 2021

No review

In general, the technical problem shows some weaknesses in the pre-vaccination registration platform, which could not be entirely unproblematic in the future: For example, the information that people provide is not checked when the data is entered. This allows people to make vaccination appointments that are actually not yet their turn.

Neither whether the teachers are teachers nor whether the university employees are university employees was checked or recorded during registration. Nikolaus Forgo, university professor at the University of Vienna, states: “There are many, also legal, questions about the implementation of the database that have become painfully obvious here.”

Significant deterioration in new orders

The mood among US service providers surprisingly clouded over in February. The purchasing managers index of the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) fell compared to the previous month by 3.4 points to 55.3 points, as the Institute for Market Research announced. Analysts had expected an unchanged value of 58.7 points.

Due to many corona restrictions, service providers are suffering more from the virus crisis than industry. The sub-indicator for new orders has deteriorated significantly. But the values for general economic activity and employment also fell. On the other hand, the indicator for prices paid rose.

Overall, however, the indicator continues to point to growth, as it is above the 50 point mark. This 50-point threshold separates economic growth from contraction.

The investigations into the Klimt painting “Portrait of a Woman”, which reappeared in Italy in December 2019 after almost 23 years, are discontinued. The judicial authorities of the northern Italian city of Piacenza, where the picture was stolen in 1997, have decided to end the investigation into three people suspected of theft and stolen goods.

PICTURED: POLIZIA MUNICIPALE DI PIACENZA

The evidence against the suspects was inadequate to continue the investigation, reported the Piacenza daily “Libertá”. Therefore, the investigating prosecutors spoke out in favor of discontinuing the investigation. The examining magistrate from Piacenza now has the final say.

The judicial authorities were investigating the widow of the ex-director of the Ricci Oddi art gallery in Piacenza, from which the picture was stolen in February 1997. The charge was stolen goods. It was also investigated against two men who had confessed to the theft of the Klimt painting. The two criminals, who specialize in art theft, wrote to the daily newspaper “Libertá” and confessed to the theft of the Klimt painting and reported that they had helped to find the work in a dungeon not far from the private Ricci Oddi art gallery, where the picture was taken on 10 December 2019 was found again.

The picture was created by Klimt in the last years of his life. It is part of a series of portraits of women. The painting, created between 1916 and 1917, shows the face and torso of a young woman with brown hair against a green background. The Ricci Oddi gallery estimated the value of the picture at between 60 and 100 million euros. The Klimt painting “Portrait of a Woman” has been exhibited again in the main room of the Ricci Oddi art gallery since November and is protected by a special display case.

The German domestic secret service has classified the entire AfD party in Germany as a suspected right-wing extremist case. This means that the party can now also be spied on using intelligence services. According to information from the German Press Agency, the President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, informed the State Offices for the Protection of the Constitution about this on Wednesday in an internal video conference.

Image: APA (dpa)

First, the “Spiegel” reported on the decision. “The procedure of the protection of the constitution is scandalous,” said the AfD chairman Tino Chrupalla. “Although the authority is not allowed to announce the classification as a suspected case, it is launching appropriate information to the media in order to influence the democratic party competition to the detriment of the AfD.”

Due to ongoing legal proceedings, the Federal Office is currently not issuing a public statement on the question of the AfD's assessment. “With a view to the ongoing proceedings and out of respect for the court, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is not making a public statement on this matter,” the Cologne authority said on request.

This week, however, the Federal Office gave the Cologne administrative court extensive insight into its assessment of the AfD. The AfD defends itself in an urgent procedure with legal means against a possible classification as a right-wing extremist suspected case. In principle, this classification also enables informants to be recruited who report from the party to the domestic secret service.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) was founded in 2013. Originally, critics of the euro bailout policy spoke there. Over the years the party moved more to the right. Many of the founding members have left the AfD again.

After the refugee crisis in 2015, the AfD was able to gain significantly in elections. It is now represented in all 16 German state parliaments and is the third largest parliamentary group in the Bundestag. In the East German federal states (except Berlin) it came to over 20 percent in state elections. In Germany-wide surveys, it is currently 9 to 11 percent below its 2017 Bundestag election result (12.6 percent).

Users who have purchased cheap license keys for Windows 10 on the Internet will receive summons from German authorities.

Microsoft charges 145 euros for the download of Windows 10 Home, for the Pro version even just under 260 euros. However, license keys can also be found online that can be had for a few euros. That called the authorities in Germany to the scene. As Tarnkappe.info reports, some buyers of such license keys have now received summons from the local police station.

“Suspicion of criminal copyright infringement”

The subpoenas are based on suspicion of “frivolous money laundering and criminal copyright infringement”, as stated in a letter that a buyer of such license keys received from the police. Some of the cases are said to be years ago, which indicates that older cases are also being processed.

The prosecutors argue that buyers should have been suspicious of buying cheap license keys. Lawyers oppose that one cannot ask customers to assume a fake offer based on the price alone.

Although those affected do not have to obey the summons, as these are only invitations, as Tarnkappe.info says, the letters should still be taken seriously. In the past, house searches were even reported in similar cases, but many proceedings were also discontinued.

ELGA refusers do not get free tests in the pharmacy: The consumer protection association is now taking action against this.

As of this week, insured persons born before January 1, 2006 in Austria have five Covid-19 antigen tests to take away in pharmacies. But that does not apply to around 298,000 people who have unsubscribed from the electronic health record (ELGA) and thus also from e-medication. These people do not get free tests, they only have the option to get tested in the pharmacy or to buy the home tests themselves. According to the Ministry of Health, because it was “technically not feasible otherwise” in the short time. There was massive criticism of this.

Sample lawsuit in planning

The consumer protection association (VSV) does not want to accept this and started a collection campaign on Wednesday for those people who have unsubscribed from ELGA and who still want to have a self-test. A model lawsuit is planned, says Peter Kolba, former List Pilz member and founder of the VSV, in an interview with futurezone.

To do this, it is first necessary for a person to try to get the free tests in the pharmacy despite having logged out from ELGA, explains Kolba. If she does not receive this, she should purchase it. “The costs for this amount to around 58 euros,” says Kolba. The Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) then uses the form to reclaim the costs for the five self-tests. If the ÖAK does not pay and the person subsequently receives a rejection notice, the next step can be taken to the social court.

Those who register for e-medication receive the free self-test in the pharmacy.

Discrimination and the Law

Until recently, the fact that the self-tests are not available for ELGA unsubscribers was a violation of the law. According to the law, there should be no disadvantages for people who have unsubscribed from ELGA, so they should not be discriminated against. But the government changed the Health Telematics Act by means of an initiative application and added new paragraphs that lift this ban on discrimination by the end of the year.

Administrative penalties would actually have been possible, but the paragraphs that provide for them have been repealed. Kolba considers the change in the law to be unlawful and unconstitutional. “We will check this in the course of the legal proceedings,” said Kolba. “And we will also apply to have this matter resolved by the Constitutional Court.”

Peter Kolba founded the VSV and thought about the collection campaign

Way to the social court

The SAAM also plans to make the form necessary for its members to reclaim the cost of the self-tests from the ÖGK available to all members. Those affected would then have to go to the social court themselves, because class action in this area is not possible. “But it is very easy to file a complaint with the social court. You don't have to be represented by a lawyer, you don't have to pay legal fees or court fees. Even if you lose the process, you don't have to pay anything, ”Kolba explains to futurezone.

In addition to the legal approach, the consumer advocate also considers the procedure for free antigen self-tests to be practically “crazy”. “It's crazy when all the experts say: test, test, test and then you want to save 300,000 people who have to buy it themselves.”

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  Powerful publisher, billionaire businessman, but above all a charming figure: Rupert Murdoch is celebrating his 90th birthday. As one of the last of the old school media tycoons, he still has a huge impact on politics, not just in his adopted country of America. Its titles and stations are notorious – above all the right-wing conservative network Fox News. Murdoch holds back from the public in old age, but remains active as an agitator in the background.

  After selling large parts of his entertainment company to Walt Disney, Murdoch's empire shrank a lot a few years ago. But with his Fox stations and the News Corp publisher, which includes gossip papers like the “New York Post”, but also more dignified newspapers like the “Wall Street Journal”, Murdoch continues to lead a great power in matters of agenda-setting and opinion-making. This has not changed after Donald Trump was voted out of office as US President, with whom Murdoch quickly entered into an alliance of convenience despite initial skepticism.

  “Rupert Murdoch is the most dangerous immigrant in America,” said US policy advisor Stuart Stevens recently about the native Australian. Stevens is a longtime Republican strategist who opposed Trump and sees whisperers like Murdoch as a major threat to his own party. Murdoch's skill in harnessing the political elite for his interests is legendary. “Republicans originally thought Fox was working for us. Now we are finding that we work for Fox,” said David Frum, speechwriter for former US President George W. Bush. How did the media mogul become so powerful that even other conservative pullers fear his influence so much?

  Beginnings and wiretapping scandal in Great Britain

  At 22, Murdoch took over his first newspaper in his native Australia, and it became the basis for a media empire that still spans almost the entire English-speaking part of the world. With revolver papers like “The Sun” he uncompromisingly relied on sensational journalism, with stations like Fox News on political opinion-making, which is repeatedly pushed to the limits of manipulation and propaganda, especially due to the aggravated views of some talk show hosts.

  It is quite remarkable that Murdoch and his companies were able to stay at the forefront of the international media business for so long. For in the meantime he had been thoroughly sidelined by a bugging scandal in his British tabloid “News of the World”. For years, Murdoch's journalists had spied on cell phones of crime victims and celebrities and bribed police officers. Murdoch had to testify to a British parliamentary committee at the height of the affair in 2011, what he himself described as the “most humiliating day” of his life.

  In Great Britain, where Murdoch bought his first newspaper in 1968, he was considered the dubious gray eminence of the media landscape long before the scandal. When he took over the traditional newspaper “Times” in the 1980s, a deal with then Prime Minister Margret Thatcher is said to have cleared the way for him under antitrust law. His close ties to Thatcher also allegedly helped Murdoch after the takeover to assert himself in a bitter conflict with the unions over the dismissal of thousands of employees. However, Murdoch was a stranger to the London elite from the start, which is why he moved to New York relatively early on.

  Murdoch expanded his media empire to the USA as early as the 1970s. For years he pursued the dream of crowning his life's work with the creation of the world's largest entertainment group. But this plan failed in 2014 with the failed takeover of US rival Time Warner, which would have united the legendary Hollywood studios Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox, among other things. Management and shareholders ultimately spoke out against the mega-deal. Instead, Murdoch himself had to continue to dismantle his empire under increasing competitive pressure.

  Nevertheless, it is remarkable what huge organizations are still firmly in Murdoch's hands. A selection:

  “Friendship of Purpose” with Trump

  Above all, the booming streaming competition, which is chasing away more and more customers from classic cable providers, made Murdoch increasingly troublesome. In 2019 he sold large parts of his media group 21st Century Fox to arch-rival Walt Disney. A decision that should not have been easy for him, because he actually had very different ambitions. What was left to him after the sale of 21st Century Fox is the right-wing broadcasting group Fox News. Their talk shows served as a pacemaker for Trump during his presidency. Whoever wanted to influence him had to place his messages there. At the end of the term of office, however, there was a rift because Fox turned away and did not support the lie of Trump's supposed election victory.

  Murdoch's relationship with Trump is considered close, but purposeful. At first he did not consider him a suitable US president. But if Trump does not let himself be prevented, it would be crazy if the party did not stand behind him, was Murdoch's pragmatic assessment of the situation in 2016. For Fox News, Trump's governance in the style of a reality show was a lucrative guarantee of ratings. And with all the propensity for political influence – business is just as important to Murdoch. Again and again he made headlines with big deals, but also made terrific flops. In 2005, for example, he could have cooperated with Facebook, instead he bought rival MySpace for $ 580 million, which quickly disappeared again into oblivion. Almost all of the sum had to be written off.

  Murdoch's private life is also often haywire. Shortly before his 85th birthday, the media tsar married Jerry Hall, 25 years his junior, once top model and ex-wife of “Rolling Stone” Mick Jagger. The couple had only met a few months before. As a family man, Murdoch is just as busy as a businessman – he has a total of six children with three wives. Hall's predecessor, Wendy Deng, once threw herself into the breach when her husband was pelted with a cake made of shaving cream by an activist. The friction between Murdoch's sons James and Lachlan over the succession to the throne is also causing a stir.

  In mid-2015, Murdoch announced that the leadership of 21st Century Fox would be passed on to the next generation. The younger son James was named chief executive officer, while brother Lachlan was allowed to lead the board of directors with his father. De facto, however, only the old master had the say, as was shown at the latest when it was sold to Disney. The constant family quarrel provides material for Hollywood productions. James is more liberal and rejects, for example, the climate protection-critical line of the Murdoch papers, while Lachlan, like his father, is considered to be extremely conservative. There is even a TV series called “Succession” which is supposed to take the clan on the shovel.