New York - Austria, Iceland, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Turkey, and Uganda are competing for five seats on the UN Security Council in an election on Friday in the UN General Assembly.

The five council seats that will be vacated on December 31 are now occupied by Belgium, Indonesia, Italy, Panama and South Africa. Those countries are ending their two-year terms in the body that has authority on issues of peace and security around the world.

Vienna  - Austrian far-right politician Joerg Haider was drunk when he died in a car crash last Saturday, Stefan Petzner, his successor as head of the Alliance for the Future of Austria, said Wedne

Vienna - The price for crude oil produced by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) rose by 1.53 dollars Tuesday, staying below the 75-dollar mark, OPEC said Wednesday.

Vienna - The price for crude

Vienna - A public memorial service is planned for Austrian far-right leader Joerg Haider on Saturday in the centre of Klagenfurt.

The politician died in a car accident Saturday.

From Thursday, his body will be laid out in the regional parliament in Klagenfurt, the capital of the Carinthia province where Haider was governor, the provincial authorities announced.

Vienna  - The Austrian government announced Monday it would provide up to 100 billion euros (134 billion dollars) to strengthen the country's banks in reaction to the international financial crisis.

Up to 85 billion euros would be used to guarantee lending between banks, Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Wilhelm Molterer said, according to Austrian news agency APA.