Vienna  - Austrian incest suspect Josef Fritzl loved his imprisoned victims in his own way and cared for them, his lawyer Rudolf Mayer claimed Friday, while predicting that his client would spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Fritzl, 73, is set to stand trial from March 16 on charges of enslaving, raping and incarcerating his daughter for 24 years and fathering her seven children. He is also accused of having murdered one of them.

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Vienna  - A 10-year-old Yemeni girl was not able to receive a Woman's World Award on Thursday for fighting her forced marriage, as Yemeni authorities prevented her from travelling to Austria, according to the awards organizer.

Nojoud Muhammad Nasser was scheduled to accept the honour in the world hope category in a ceremony in Vienna, along with fellow honorees such as Italian actress Monica Bellucci and US pop singers Anastacia and Kelly Clarkson.

Vienna - The international arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir would encourage rebel groups in Darfur and destabilize the country, a senior Sudanese parliamentarian warned Thursday in Vienna.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on Wednesday issued the warrant against al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the counter-insurgency campaign in Sudan's Darfur region.

Vienna  - Austria Wednesday appointed Didi Constantini to succeed Karel Brueckner as coach of the national side.

Constantini, 53, will be assisted by Manfred Zsak who moves from the under-21 team. Former international Andreas Herzog will take over the under-21s, the Austrian football federation said.

Constantini, a much-travelled player and coach in Austria, had twice briefly been in charge of the national team in interim capacities in the early 1990s.

He will be officially presented on Thursday.

Vienna - Iran sees signs that the United Nations Security Council might end its engagement in the country's nuclear issues, after the body's permanent members indicated a readiness for direct talks, Iran's UN ambassador in Vienna said Wednesday.

Permanent Security Council members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, as well as Germany told the board of the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) Tuesday they wanted to find a comprehensive diplomatic solution through direct talks.