Austrian ex-Chancellor Kurz sworn in as member of parliament

BERLIN (AP) — Austrian news agency APA has reported that former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has been sworn as a member of parliament after resigning last week amid corruption allegations. Kurz is also keeping his role as party leader and became the head of its parliamentary group. That keeps him at the heart of Austrian politics while he fights the corruption allegations. Kurz reiterated on Facebook on Thursday morning that he “will do everything” to “refute the wrong accusations against me.” He had announced Saturday that he would step aside to defuse a political crisis triggered by prosecutors’ announcement that he is one of the targets of an investigation into suspected bribery and breach of trust.