Vienna - After Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer stepped down as head of the Social Democratic Party (SPOe) this summer amid dismal approval ratings, it was easy for new party leader Werner Faymann to position himself as a more likeable top candidate for the elections.

But besides his image as an "ideal son-in-law," as Austrians put it, the 48-year-old transport minister also has the support of the country's biggest newspaper, the tabloid Kronen Zeitung.

Vienna - Ever since Vice Chancellor Wilhelm Molterer became head of the conservative People's Party (OeVP) in early 2007, he has struggled to turn himself into a leading man who can make his party retake the Chancellorship from the social democratic SPOe.

Although the 53-year-old politician did well in some of the television debates during the election race, even some of his party members were unhappy with his campaign posters, which showed an ill-at-ease Molterer striking unnatural poses.

Vienna - While it was unclear whether the Social Democratic Party (SPOe) or the conservative People's Party (OeVP) would win Sunday's Austrian parliamentary elections, one thing seemed certain: Both were expected to suffer substantial losses to rightist parties.

Although the early elections could end the coalition between SPOe and its junior partner OeVP, which lasted 18 months, Austria's political future was unclear as both parties have ruled out joining forces with the far right.

Vienna  - The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) refused Thursday to yield to the demand of the United States and other countries to speed up the probe of an Syrian alleged secret nuclear reactor that Israel bombed in 2006.

In response to a US request for a full report on Syria by November, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei told the agency's board that "we will provide a report as and when we have enough facts".

Vienna - With only three days to go before general elections, Austria's parliament passed several social spending bills which had been initiated by the Social Democratic Party (SPOe).

At the end of a 19-hour special session that lasted until early Thursday morning, lawmakers decided to abolish public university fees and raise government allowances for nursing care and for families.

The ruling Social Democrats formed various voting coalitions with different parties to push their bills through.