Berlin  - A select group of Berlin motorists are to obtain subsidized electric cars as part of an experiment launched Friday by Daimler and a leading German electricity company, RWE.

The auto company is to supply 100 cars powered by lithium-ion batteries. The cars will mostly be from its Smart micro-car marque and will have a range of about 100 kilometres from a single charge.

Berlin  - German industrial production fell by an unexpectedly large 1.8 per cent in July, the Ministry of Economics and Technology said Friday, predicting the weak trend could continue in the months ahead.

Economists had predicted a fall of around 0.5 per cent.

The ministry also revised downwards its figure for June, saying production had risen 0.1 per cent on a price-and-seasonally adjusted basis, not 0.2 per cent as previously reported.

"Given the negative development in orders in industry and weakening business sentiment in the production sector over past months, industrial production could also show weak trends in the months ahead," the ministry said.

Berlin- German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed the hope that Serbia would soon make rapid progress in its attempt to join the European Union

(EU), following talks with his Serbian counterpart, Vuk Jeremic, in Berlin Thursday.

But granting EU candidate status to Serbia before the end of the year "would be a bit overambitious," Steinmeier said.

Berlin  - German key factory orders reported their eight consecutive monthly fall in July, data released Thursday showed, slumping by a bigger-than-forecast 1.7 per cent and consequently adding to signs of slackening growth in Europe's biggest economy.

Analysts had forecast that the figures, which were released by the Ministry for Economics and Technology, would show price-and-seasonally industrial orders posting a modest month-on-month rise of 0.4 per cent in July.

"The fall in orders recorded over the past months continues," said the ministry releasing the figures, adding that weak industrial production will likely continue in the coming months.

Berlin - The new autumn and winter fashion collections highlight the tension between technology and the environment, luxury and ecology, consumption and conservation.

In the designers' view, these large and at first glance irreconcilable contradictions constitute the spirit of our times. Their fashions this season test the harmonious combination of contrasts.

"The environment may be attracting a lot of attention, but technology is indispensable today," remarked Elke Giese, who is on the staff of the Berlin-based German Fashion Institute. For many people, the dichotomy between environmental protection and technological progress poses lifestyle questions.

Berlin - A few new cushions on the sofa, a wall covered with floral wallpaper and a redecorated dining table... it does not take much effort or expense to transform your home.

"You can do a lot with colours and fabrics in particular," said Sam Bohr, a member of Die Wohnberater, a Berlin-based interior decorating consultancy.

"Anything that's fresh is trendy now ... such as in green and blue."