MOSCOW, Nov 11 (Reuters) – Russia’s South Stream project to supply gas to Europe will top the agenda in talks on Wednesday between Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and the chancellor of Austria, home to the lead company in a rival pipeline project.
Putin’s spokesman said the Russian prime minister would also discuss the possible extension to Austria of a major oil export route, the Druzhba pipeline, when he meets with Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann in Moscow.
The spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Putin and Faymann would also discuss construction of a broad-gauge railway linking Russia, Ukraine, Slovakia and Austria.
Peskov said Austrian Airlines was not on the agenda for the talks between Putin and Faymann.
Russian business daily Kommersant reported on Wednesday that Austrian Airlines might lose its right to operate in Russia after the company was acquired by Lufthansa and lost its status as Austria’s national operator.

Bundeskanzler Faymann wird nächste Woche mit Putin und Medwedjew über die Energieversorgung Europas sprechen. Zuvor reist er nach Berlin, wo der 20. Jahrestag des Mauerfalls gefeiert wird.
Mit einem Kurzbesuch in Russland betritt SP-Bundeskanzler Werner Faymann nächste Woche die Bühne der Weltpolitik. Der Kanzler wird mit dem russischen Regierungschef Wladimir Putin und Präsident Dmitrij Medwedjew vor allem die Energieversorgung und Energiesicherheit Europas, den österreichischen Vorsitz im Weltsicherheitsrat und auch bilaterale Fragen besprechen. APA, Foto von Galina Toktalieva

In breaks we were eating together in dim canteen of education center in routine of our unemployment compulsory course. Dining hall was full of people.

Social control in form of compulsory education

It was steaming stewed cabbage, which melted in the mouth and reminded me of hearty soviet meals, which were but 200 times cheaper. My companion treated cabbage with great appetite. She was attractive woman of forty, with trim figure and regular face features, which together with her lively way, made her looking more of brown-eyed Gallic type, than woman from Vorarlberg. Like many others in my surroundings, Martha was very talkative and exploded now and then with distinctly articulated passages of eloquence. Relative longevity of German lexical units and typically loud manner of speaking with low, throat voice always increased my impression of Austrian vocalizations affluence.
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Österreich-Umfrage: 28% – SPÖ

Quotes about politics

Don’t fall in love with politicians, they’re all a disappointment. They can’t help it, they just are.

Peggy Noonan

It has now become the doctrine of a large class of politicians that political honesty is unnecessary and incompatible with quick onward movement.

Anthony Trollope

Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards. If you disgrace yourself, you can always write a book. Ronald Reagan

Austria’s xenophobia
Alarm bells are sure to be ringing in Austria’s corridors of power following pressure from the United Nations for the country to improve its stand on the rights of immigrants and asylum seekers.
The committee criticises the “frequently xenophobic” handling of refugees and immigrants by parties. Speeches of some politicians are “hateful”, declared the UN.
The association also stated that the discrimination of minorities in daily life such as discrimination in the job market and with rental accommodation “are worrying”.Thomas Hochwarter, Austrian Times
Hindus have asked all minorities in Austria to stand up and vote in the June, 2009 elections to European Parliament.
Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that strong voting by minorities was even more important in this election because of persistent discrimination, racism and xenophobia against ethnic minorities and immigrants in European Union (EU).
A recent survey by EU Agency for Fundamental Rights revealed that “discrimination, harassment and racially motivated violence are far more widespread than recorded in official statistics”.

Chef of styrian social-democrats is for coalition with ÖVP
Styrian SPÖ Governor Franz Voves has spoken up in support of governing coalition with the ÖVP.
Voves said: “I was and I am a supporter of this coalition. I think that it is the best solution for the next five-ten years.”
Franz Voves – former ice-hockey national team player refused to comment on whether the SPÖ should continue such cooperation in case it fails to receive the most votes in the 28 September election. Voves dismissed talk about possible election outcomes as mere speculation at the moment. In contrast to some other SPÖ leaders, the 55-year-old Voves stressed the point that he would not exclude any party from talks about a possible coalition. Voves expects that the SPÖ will be number one on 28 September due to new SPÖ leader Werner Faymann, which has beén “fantastic” in Styria.Austrian Times.
Russian _Съёмка Вернера Файмана
Shooting with social-democrats leader Werner Faymann
Вначале я ринулась на пресс-конференцию „зелёных“, где оказалась единственным фотографом. Все репортёры караулили у дверей штаб-квартиры социалистов, когда появится Файман.
Лидер „зелёных“ – симпатичный пожилой дяденька в красной кофточке. Рядом восседает его соратник и партийный активист, которого я видела на манифестации „голубых“. (more…)

The daily newspaper ÖSTERREICH published in its Sunday edition the results of recent survey on upcoming elections.

Survey predicts that for the first time seven parties of the country would enter the parliament. ÖVP gained 29% of voices, SPÖ – 25%. At the third place was the FPÖ with 15% of voters, being ahead of the Greens by one per cent. The BZÖ got 7%, Dinkhauser – 6%, and Liberal Forum – 4%.

In the election campaign barometer of ÖSTEREICH social democrat Werner Faymann is the leader. 38% of the Austrian voters have favorable impression of him. Alexander Van der Bellen of the Greens gains sympathies of 31% of voters and he is two points ahead of H.C. Strache from the FPÖ. ÖVP leader Wilhelm Molterer and Fritz Dinkhauser gained only 21% of supporters. Translated from OTS News by Galina Toktalieva

Minister Doris Bures and Werner Faymann (SPOe) with Westbahnhof under reconstruction in background.

I must confess I had sent emails to representatives of all Austrian political parties offering my services as photographer, and Franz Voves – governor of Styria (SPOe) was the only one who replied. Thanks, Franz! When I photographed you, I was fantasizing how it could be to travel together with you in one compartment of Trans-Siberian express. Usually there is rather pleasant vibration in the trains