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27. 05. 12. - 14:00

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27. 05. 12. - 14:00

Shot boy still critical

The condition of the eight-year-old boy shot in the head by his own father after his mother demanded a divorce is still critical.

Austrian medics giving a first aid talk at a school managed to save the eight-year-old boy's life after he was shot in the head by his dad while his sister, seven, who'd also been dragged out of a class was forced to watch.

The 37-year-old man who has a record for domestic violence had burst into the school in Sankt Poelten west of Vienna waving the gun - and dragged the boy into the cloakroom where he shot him in the head.

Police spokesman Oberstleutnant Alfred Schueller said police believe that the man wanted to get revenge on his wife. She had recently filed for divorce citing domestic violence. He said that he had recently been banned from entering the family flat where his wife and two children lived.

The man then fled after the school attack but was tracked by his mobile phone - by which point he had already used the gun on himself while still driving and that the car had then crashed on a remote farm road.

The four-man team of medics that had been teaching first aid were able to give the boy immediate first aid less than a minute after the shooting. The boy was given immediate artificial respiration.

His condition was described as critical and he was unconscious when he was taken by ambulance to hospital, but doctors said if the medics had not been on hand then the boy would have died.

A hospital spokesman said: "He is alive but we should not underestimate the seriousness of his condition which is extremely critical."

Local education boss Hermann Helm said child psychologists from a crisis intervention team were at the eight-classroom school to give the children counselling.

Local police spokesman Klaus Preining said that the weapon had been acquired illegally and the man did not have a license for it.

The incident has brought into sharp focus the Austrian privacy laws and data protection laws because despite the families problems with the police being called several times the school had not been notified.

Hermann Helm, President of the local school board for Lower Austria, said: "We knew nothing of the family difficulties. It should be easier for information like this to be passed on."

Vienna Times

Spanish Riding School for everyone
The riding centre of Heldenberg, district of Hollabrunn (Lower Austria) is now offering exclusive courses: professional riders of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna teach interested riders.

Vienna advocates a ban on pesticides
Vienna has now joined those Austrian states that advocate a cooperative strategy for a ban of the neonicotinoids pesticides. Apparently, there are tested alternatives for the pesticides that are harmful for bees.

Huge debate over multilingualism in Austria
Possible projects for a "multilingual oriented educational concept" have led to a debate in Vienna. The SPÖ, ÖVP and FPÖ are currently discussing the two sides of the issue: "multilingualism as a chance" and "German as a priority".

Exhibition Drawing Against Oblivion
The Leopold Museum in Vienna opened the the exhibition "Drawing against oblivion" on 17 May. Manfred Bockelmann drew more than 60 portraits of children and teenagers, who were victims of the Nazi terror.

Swap deals legal case gets underway
The civil case of the city of Linz, Upper Austria, against the Bawag bank about the swap deal will start on 24 May. The maximum amount of damage for Linz could be as much as 417 million Euros in the worst case.

Third man accident leaves man in hospital
A 55-year-old man fell during the "Third Man Tour", which leads visitors through the Viennese canal system. He is said to have suffered a femoral neck fracture.

Charity seeks funds to restore Jewish cemetery
SAFIKG – the Society of American Friends of the Jewish Community Vienna was formed as a U.S. registered charity to allow it to support the IKG (Israelitische Kultusgemeinde Wien) with tax deductible American contributions.

Doves released for funerals offer
The Viennese funeral parlour Furtner now offers a symbolic supplement of the classic funeral. White doves can be released into the sky during the ceremony.

US embassy marks international day against homophobia
The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) took place on 17 May. On this occasion, the rainbow flag was raised next to the American flag at the building of the US embassy in Vienna.

Key for Two at Viennas English Theatre [Review]
Key for Two at Vienna’s English Theatre is a quintessentially British comedy. The play by John Chapman and Dave Freeman has to be one of the funniest and timeless shows about in the Austrian capital.