29. 12. 09. - 16:30

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29. 12. 09. - 16:30

Farrell leaves girlfriend home alone

Phone Booth star Colin Farrell and his girlfriend Alicja Bachleda-Curus are on the verge of breaking up, claim reports today, after the couple spent Christmas apart. Heartthrob Farrell spent the holiday with his family in Ireland celebrating his gay brother Eamon's wedding while Alicja stayed home in Los Angeles with their newborn son Tadeusz, reports Polish newspaper Fakt. Farrell was spotted at a nightclub with his other son James as his family held a bash to mark the ceremony. One family member in Alicja's Polish homeland told the paper: "Alicja is putting a brave face on it and says that everything is fine. But we can see that it's not really. "She is far away from home and all alone. We can see that she is suffering." Now Alicja is said to have abandoned all hope of a happy family with the actor and is preparing for life as a single mum.

Austrian Times

Higher cigarette prices on tap
Austria Tabak reported today (Fri) that the price of its 35 brands of cigarettes would increase by 10 to 20 cents a pack at the end of March.

RI's Croat subsidiary gets €30mn credit
Raiffeisen International’s (RI) Croatian subsidiary Raiffeisenbank Austria d.d. received a 30-million-Euro credit by the German Investment and Development Society (DEG), it was announced.

Austrian Catholics turn on church
Austrian Roman Catholics are up in arms over sex scandals involving local priests and children with increasing numbers threatening to quit the church.

Wolford's earnings up in first three quarters
Vorarlberg textile firm Wolford reported today (Fri) that its earnings before interest and taxes (Ebit) had increased in the first three quarters of its 2009/2010 business year.

More foreign holidays planned this year
More Austrians are planning on holidays abroad this year after 2009 saw a drop in numbers, according to a study by public opinion research agency Karmasin.

Siemens Austria to lay off 500 to 600
Siemens Austria said today (Fri) it would lay off 500 to 600 of 2,000 workers in software division SIS (IT solutions and services) in the near future.

Graz police smash drug ring
An Iranian asylum seeker thought to be the boss of a drug-dealing gang has been arrested along with 11 cohorts, police said today (Fri).

Verbund could lose interest in French Poweo
Austrian energy provider Verbund’s 46 per cent interest in French electricity provider Poweo may become less valuable if the firm makes good on its threat to stop providing service to end customers.

Kasabian roll into Vienna
British indie rock giants Kasabian will return to Austria this summer, it has been revealed.

Paraglider crashes against bus
A 34-year-old paraglider escaped with bruises after smashing into a moving bus in Eben, Tyrol, yesterday (Thurs).