Vienna - The organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on Monday called for banning Vienna's traditional horse carriages, following a recent accident in which a drunken coachman lost control of his horses.

The carriages are a popular tourist attraction. Visitors can book the coaches, many of which are over 100 years old, for guided tours through Vienna's historical centre.

"The seemingly romantic coach rides conceal a brutal industry that commits cruelty to animals," PETA's German branch said in a statement.

Vienna - The price for oil produced by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) jumped by more than 4 dollars at the end of last week, the Vienna-based cartel announced Monday.

One barrel (159 litres) of OPEC-produced crude stood at 39.95 dollars on Friday, up from 35.58 dollars on the previous Wednesday.

One of the factors behind the price hike was that OPEC members seem to be implementing production cuts that were decided in December, Vienna-based analysts JBC Energy said.

Innsbruck, Austria - Austrian Wolfgang Loitzl clinched the third round of the Four Hills ski-jumping tournament in Innsbruck Sunday to move closer to the overall title.

Loitzl landed jumps of 126.5 metres and 128.5 metres for 261 points to defeat fellow Austrian Gregor Schlierenzauer (260.3 points/126.0m/127.5m) and Germany's Martin Schmitt (257.7 points/128.5m/125.5m).

Swiss hope Simon Ammann, who won the opening leg of the tournament, finished eighth.

Loitzl's victory follows on Thursday's win in the second round in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and a second place in the series opener behind Ammann on Monday in Oberstdorf, Germany.

Vienna/Hamburg  - Best-selling Austrian writer Johannes Mario Simmel died Thursday at the age of 84 in Switzerland, his lawyer said in Hamburg Friday.

With 73 million copies of his 35 novels and novellas printed, Simmel was one of the most successful German-language writers.

But critics regarded the prolific novelist and screenwriter as a popular fiction writer, rather than as a creator of serious literature.

Simmel was born in Vienna on April 24, 1924. While his Jewish father fled to Britain from the Nazis, Simmel spent the war in Austria.

After a career as a reporter, his breakthrough came in 1960 with You Don't Always Have Caviar, a spy novel set in World War II and arguably his most famous book.

Vienna - Around 6,000 protesters gathered in Vienna on Friday to protest Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip, according to police estimates, in a demonstration largely organized by Muslim groups.

While most signs carried by demonstrators read "Stop the massacre in Gaza," some in the crowd in Vienna's city centre had placards saying: "I have a dream: A world without Israel."

"Many people must scream," said Reyep Imanz, a 24-year-old immigrant from Turkey. "Maybe Israel's president hears us and calls back his army."

Some 400,000 Muslims live in Austria, accounting for over 4 per cent of the population. Many of them have their roots in Turkey and the former Yugoslavia.

Vienna - Vienna-based Bank Medici AG is set to come under state control, as the bank was exposed to funds of the failed US investor Madoff, Austrian news agency APA reported Friday.

Financial authorities put together an order under which the small bank will be managed by a government commissioner, APA reported.

While the small bank said in December that it was exposed to 2.1 billion dollars through two of Madoff's funds, Austrian newspaper Der Standard reported a sum of at least
3.6 billion dollars.