Berlin  - Siemens is not achieving its full potential on the international stage, because its management is too white, too German and too male, the chief executive of the engineering concern, Peter

Berlin - US

Berlin - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier welcomed the latest developments in the Middle East on Monday, a day before Berlin hosts a ministerial conference on Palestinian security.

There were good reasons to support the positive developments of recent weeks, he said in reference to the Palestinian-Israeli truce in the Gaza Strip and peace talks between the Jewish state and Syria.

At the same time, there was a need for caution because past efforts towards achieving a Mideast solution had failed to bear fruit, Steinmeier said in a television interview.

Berlin - German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung will next week announce plans for the future strength of German troops in Afghanistan, his spokesman said on Saturday.

Jung wants to increase German deployment in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) from the current upper limit of 3,500.

Media reports have said the figure could rise to 4,500. A defence ministry spokesman said Jung would make clear the exact number at the end of next week.

Jung said in a radio interview Saturday that any increase in troop strength would be used for training and civil reconstruction projects.

Berlin  - A suspected Russian mafia lynchpin has been arrested in Berlin, followin