Duesseldorf, Germany  - Sensitive data should not be stored online, Germany's PC Praxis magazine reported.

Dusseldorf - The former boss of the Coast cycling team was on Wednesday ordered by a German court to pay Jan Ullrich 340,000 euros (432,000 dollars) plus interest for failing to honour outstanding wages due to the now retired cyclist.

Guenther Dahms refused to pay Ullrich the money due to him because he was of the opinion the 1997 Tour de France winner was doped during his time with the Coast team.

"It is good that truth won out. It was easy for me today, telling the truth is always easy," said Ullrich after the verdict from a court in Dusseldorf.

Dusseldorf, Germany - A Lebanese student, who faces a verdict next week from a German court on terrorist bombing charges, was backed in his innocence plea Wednesday by his fellow conspirator.

Youssef al-Hajj Dib, 24, has insisted at the trial in Dusseldorf, Germany that the July 31, 2006 deposition of bombs on two German trains was a hoax by the two men, with no intent to kill.

Federal prosecutors have demanded life in prison for al-Hajj Dib, saying the bombs only did not explode because the gas in them had been wrongly mixed. Police said the detonators fired and the devices fully functioned in every other way.

Dusseldorf - International retailer METRO reported good third-quarter growth on Thursday, buoyed by a strong performance in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa.

Sales and profits were up by more than 6 per cent despite indications that the global financial crisis was having an affect on consumption, the Dusseldorf-based company said in a statement.

"METRO Group showed strength in a difficult environment," said Eckhard Cordes, the group's chief executive officer.

Dusseldorf - Folding electronic carts and text-reading mobile phones are just some of the latest gadgets exhibited at the recent Rehacare Fair in Dusseldorf for the handicapped.

Around 758 exhibitors from 30 countries attended the show.

First there's Luggie, a folding electronic cart intended as a travel aid. Folded, it's about as big as a suitcase and weighs 21.5 kilograms including batteries. Its patented mechanics allows the suitcase to unfold in seconds and turning into a cart with a maximum speed of 6.5 kilometres an hour and the capacity to climb grades of up to eight degrees.

Swiss producer FreeRider Corp hopes to start production in January and sell the Luggie for about 2,000 euros (2,663 dollars) each.