Schladming, Austria  - Local fans had plenty to cheer about on Tuesday as Reinfried Herbst won a night slalom World Cup event held under floodlights in Schladming.

There was even more joy for the 50,000 crowd as Manfred Pranger took second place ahead of the overall World Cup leader Ivica Kostelic, who managed to expand his lead from Austrian Benjamin Raich.

With less than a week to go to the start of the alpine world championships in the French town of Val d'Isere, Herbst showed that he is in fine form as he picked up his second season win.

Vienna- Austrian legal scholars questioned their government's opposition to hosting former Guantanamo inmates on Tuesday, but cabinet members shrugged off their opinions and suggested that the detainees could pose a public danger.

The Austrian government has argued that welcoming the terrorism suspects would cause a "systemic break" in Austrian law, but it has kept open the possibility for former prisoners to seek refugee status on an individual basis.

Vienna - Austria's tourism sector grew by 4.7 per cent in arrivals in 2008, with large gains from Central and Eastern European visitors, according to data released by the statistics office on Monday.

With 48.1 per cent, Russian tourists showed the biggest increase. But Poles (36.4 per cent), Czechs (26.8 per cent) and Hungarians (7.3 per cent) also increasingly chose Austria as a travel destination.

Visitors from these four countries made up some 7 per cent of Austria's 21.9 million foreign tourists in 2008.

Vienna - The price for oil produced

London, Jan 23 : A sex shop in Vienna has come up with a unique way to get sly customers over the shame of visiting - it is handing out saucy bags!

The erotic store is giving bags to anyone who spends more than 100 pounds.

It is hoped the raunchy plastic will leave onlookers with no doubt as to where the punters have been.

Condom and sex toy firm Condomi has printed two versions of the bags, and both have provocative handles placed in compromising positions.