Vienna - Slovakia outpaced other Central European economies in the third quarter, posting solid growth while the 15-nation eurozone slid into recession, official data showed Friday.

Neighbouring Czech Republic even posted a slight increase in gross domestic product (GDP), bucking a trend toward slowing growth that has not spared the once rollicking ex-communist economies.

Vienna - The price for

Vienna - Austrian ski hero Hermann Maier may have to to miss upcoming World Cup races in North America due to a back injury, the Austrian ski federation said on Thursday.

Maier, 35, injured his back in mid-October, but the exact nature of the disc injury was not determined until recently.

Vienna - Incest suspect Josef Fritzl is not only charged for raping and imprisoning his daughter for 24 years, but is also indicted for murder, as a boy he fathered with his daughter died after birth, a spokesman of the prosecution said Thursday.

Fritzl, who has admitted most of the allegations, now faces imprisonment for life. In total, the 73-year-old is charged with six crimes.

Vienna - Incest suspect Josef Fritzl is not only charged for raping and imprisoning his daughter for 24 years, but is also indicted for murder, as a boy he fathered with his daughter died after birth, Austrian news agency APA reported Thursday.

The prosecutors at the court in Sankt Poelten said Fritzl, 73, had killed the infant born in the dungeon beneath his house in 1996, as he "neglected to call the necessary help by third parties, although he was aware of the life-threatening situation of the infant."

Fritzl, who has admitted most of the alleged crimes, now faces imprisonment for life.

Vienna - The price for crude oil produced by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) fell to 49.94 dollars Wednesday, reaching yet another record low for this year.

One barrel (159 litres) of OPEC crude was priced 2.30 dollars lower than on Tuesday, the Vienna-based cartel said Thursday.

Oil prices fell as markets reacted to plans in the United States to shift some of its economic rescue package to consumer debts, away from buying up bad mortgage assets from finance firms, analysts at JBC Energy said in Vienna.