Vienna - Falling by 3.66 dollars Tuesday, the price for crude oil produced by the Organiz

Vienna - Austria's new cabinet, led by Social Democratic Chancellor Werner Faymann and conservative Vice Chancellor Josef Proell, took office Tuesday, forming a coalition that has governed the country off and on for more than 35 years since World War II.

President Heinz Fischer swore in Faymann, 48, Proell, 40, and 16 members of the cabinet that is formed by the Social Democratic Party (SPOe) and the centrist conservative People's Party (OeVP).

"I have pointed out that in these economic circumstances, the formation of a stable government is expedient," Fischer said.

Washington, Dec 2 : Microorganisms in rivers and streams play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle that has not previously been considered, resulting in a probable miscalculation in earlier models.

According to freshwater ecologist Dr. Tom Battin, of the University of Vienna, this has lead to a radical change in our understanding of how rivers and streams deal with organic carbon.

Microorganisms such as bacteria and single celled algae in rivers and streams decompose organic matter as it flows downstream. They convert the carbon it contains into carbon dioxide, which is then released to the atmosphere.

Vienna - The Roman Catholic charity network Caritas called on pharmaceutical companies Monday to develop affordable drugs specifically for children with HIV/AIDS, many of whom die before their second birthday.

Lesley-Anne Knight, the secretary general of the Rome-based organisation, said in a statement released in Vienna that one third of adult HIV-positive adults, but only 15 per cent of infected children worldwide, had access to anti-retroviral drugs, which can delay the onset of AIDS.

Vienna - The daughters of Chinese biochemist and businessman Wo Weihan, who was executed in China last week on espionage charges, said Monday that their father had been forced to make his confession.

Ran Chen and Di Chen, both Austrian citizens, made the claim in an open letter to the Austrian government, which had been fighting to prevent Wo's execution.

"The verdict was made under unclear circumstances, but certainly on the basis of a confession made under violent duress, which was revoked by our father," the women said in the letter.