Vienna  - Austrian-based car parts supplier Eybl International AG declared bankruptcy Friday and said that the future of its production sites in Central Eastern Europe was still to be determined.

As takeover talks with the Slovenian Prevent Group failed and the company lacks liquidity owing to the crisis in the car industry, Eybl not only filed for receivership but also announced that 600 staff in Austria faced potential layoffs.

Strasbourg/Vienna - The Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) said Friday that corruption was common in Austria and legal measures against it were still in the early stages, according to a spokesman and a report presented in Strasbourg.

In the construction business, in political life and in public administration, such practices were common occurrences, said a spokesman for GRECO, which was founded by the Council of Europe.

Although Austria had initiated some anti-corruption measures, "overall, the country is still at an early stage of the fight against corruption," the report said.

Vienna - Austria's economy will shrink by up to 0.5 per cent in 2009, economists predicted Friday, as the global economic downturn leads to lower exports.

The WIFO institute lowered its projection to a contraction of 0.5 per cent, while researchers at the IHS institute expect a decrease by 0.1 per cent.

In October, the independent institutes had predicted growth rates between 0.9 and 1.2 per cent.

WIFO and IHS both forecast growth of 1.8 per cent this year, a downward revision by 0.2 percentage points, as the economy is expected to contract slightly in the fourth quarter.

Vienna - The price for oil produced by the Organization of the
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) slid below the 40-dollar mark for
the second time this month on Thursday, despite the cartel's announced
production cut, OPEC said Friday.

The basket price for crude oil produced by OPEC stood at 39.48
dollars per barrel (159 litres) Thursday, 1.47 dollars less than on the
previous day, the Vienna-based organisation said.

OPEC's oil price fell in line with international crude prices. Oil

Vienna  - Alfred Brendel, considered one of the most famous pianists, ended his career Thursday evening to standing ovations, after playing his last concert in Vienna's Musikverein concert hall.

Together with the Vienna Philharmonics conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras, the 77-year-old Austrian musician performed Mozart's piano concerto No. 9, "in his usual unpretentious, humble manner, without airs and graces," Austrian news agency APA wrote.

Vienna  - Austrian steelmaker voestalpine AG announced Thursday it would defer indefinitely a decision to build a steel factory on the Black Sea, citing the uncertain business outlook.

The company was planning to double its production capacity by building a plant in Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey or the Ukraine, which would be capable of turning out some
5 million tons of steel per year.