Berlin - Annual German inflation slumped to a five-year low of 0.9

Berlin - It was certainly not the opera that drew leading Beijing-born director Chen Kaige to make a film about a famed 20th century Chinese opera star.

"I'm not a big fan of Peking opera," Chen told a press conference marking the screening of his movie portrait of Mei Lan-fang, who was described during his lifetime as China's greatest actor.

"My interest was Mei himself," Chen said, describing the performer as man who gave everything to his adoring public.

Berlin  - Hollywood actress Michelle Pfeiffer does not complain about having younger men cast in the role of her leading men.

"My leading men get younger the older I get," said the 50-year-old actress, adding that there seems to be an aversion to casting her with men her age.

"Lucky for me, I don't really mind it," she said.

Pfeiffer was speaking at a press conference at the Berlin Film Festival marking the world premiere of British director Stephen Frears' Cheri.

Berlin  - German President Horst Koehler officially appointed Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg as the country's new economics minister Tuesday.

The retiring minister, Michael Glos, was openly critical of Chancellor Angela Merkel.

During Tuesday's ceremony at the presidential Bellevue palace in Berlin, the outgoing minister was formally relieved of his duties.

Berlin - Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany sent Austra

Berlin - Germany's Federal Constitutional Court began deliberating Tuesday on the legality of planned reforms to the European Union contained in the controversial Lisbon Treaty.

Critics of the treaty - which has already been rejected once by voters in Ireland - argue that it transfers too many responsibilities to the EU, thus reducing Germany's sovereignty.

The petitioners include Peter Gauweiler, a maverick federal deputy in Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU), and former EU parliamentarian Franz Ludwig Graf von Stauffenberg, also of the CSU.