Winning countries gear up for Eurovision grand final, major drugs bust in Vienna and more news from Austria on Friday May 15th.
Winning countries gear up for Eurovision grand final in Vienna
Romanian metal, a Danish ode to clubbing and Australian star Delta Goodrem will fill the airwaves in the Eurovision grand final after making it though the second semi-final on Thursday.
Contestants from 15 countries sang their hearts out in the Austrian capital to try to secure the last 10 places in Saturday’s showpiece extravaganza at the Wiener Stadthalle.
Besides Australia, Denmark and Romania, which bookmakers place among the front-runners, Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Malta, Norway and Ukraine live to fight another day.
But it was Goodnight Vienna for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Luxembourg and Switzerland, who saw their Eurovision dreams crumble.
In line with the final, this year, the semis were decided by public televoting and also by professional juries.
While waiting for the nerve-shredding results reveal, the crowd danced a mass Viennese waltz.
Eurovision is the world’s biggest live televised music event, typically reaching more than 150 million viewers, and Vienna 2026 is the 70th edition of the glitzy show where spectacle and drama go hand in hand.
READ ALSO: Accommodation to safety – what to expect in Vienna during Eurovision week
The show featured a pre-filmed segment in a lecture theatre with presenter Victoria Swarovski rebutting the question: “Why are there only gays at the Eurovision now? Have they taken over?”
She went through the history of Eurovision embracing the LGBTQ community but declared “No takeover detected”.
Eurovision director Martin Green told reporters beforehand: “It’s timely, and I think it is a message to the world that we, for 70 years, have given a voice to the voiceless and welcomed the disenfranchised.”
A total of 25 countries will appear in Saturday’s final, with Finland the overall favourites.
READ ALSO: Where Eurovision fans can watch and celebrate in Vienna this May
Austria’s public health insurer making savings after fee hike
The Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) managed to reduce its deficit in 2025 more significantly than originally forecast.
Instead of a loss of €906 million, as predicted in February 2025 (or €454 million in the February 2026 estimates), the final result now shows a deficit of just €156.3 million.
The forecast for 2026 and 2027 has also improved as a result. Nevertheless, Chairman Peter McDonald said there was still an urgent need for action.
“2025 shows that our measures are beginning to take effect,” said McDonald, who is currently heading the ÖGK as an employer representative.
He said the changes were achieved largely through securing an increase in health insurance contributions for pensioners.
It had brought the ÖGK back on track to some extent – despite a crisis year marked by low economic growth, sharply rising expenditure due to medical advances and increased benefits for the elderly, he said.
READ ALSO: Austrian public health insurer to save €34 million with cuts
Vienna police sieze around 70 kilograms of drugs
Police in Vienna have dealt a major blow to organised drug trafficking. In a series of operations, a total of eight suspects were arrested and nearly 70 kilograms of drugs were seized.
The operation began with a tip-off. Officers from the Task Force for Combating Street Crime (EGS) subsequently targeted several suspects and monitored their activities.
Investigators observed a 19-year-old man handing over cocaine to two other individuals. Shortly afterwards, the police moved in and arrested those involved.
In the course of further investigations, several flats were searched. Officers seized a total of around 8.1 kilograms of cocaine, more than 22 kg of marijuana, around 6.6 kg of cannabis resin as well as more than €23,000 in cash.
Another suspect was stopped on the A22 highway near Stockerau. Inside a hidden compartment in his vehicle, officers discovered several kilograms of cocaine. Further arrests were made.
It follows another drugs bust in April where police seized a large quantity of drugs and cash.
Weather in Austria today
Spring is showing no signs of a comeback, with persistent rain showers and low temperatures for this time of year.
Early in the day on Friday, snowfall was forecast in some valleys, including around the Tauern mountains.
After midday, it will remain dry for longer in the Danube region. However, the next showers are expected from Vorarlberg to Carinthia, subsequently spreading to the rest of the mountainous regions and the south-east.
Temperatures range from 7 to 15C, rising to around 17C towards the east. At 2,000 metres, it will be far cooler, around -3C to 1C.
During the night into Saturday, there will be widespread rain, with the focus gradually shifting to the northern side of the Alps and eastern Austria.
Vocabulary
gewinnen – to win
verringern – to reduce
die Drogen – drugs
trocken – dry
With reporting from AFP