Berlin - The German Government confirmed Thursday that it had held talks with tyre maker Continental AG and its new owner ball- bearing maker Schaeffler Group over possible state aid to help the giant car parts groups through the global economic crisis.

"The talks were constructive," German Technology and Economics Minister Michael Glos said.

The two companies having a combined debt of about 22 billion euros (29 billion dollars).

Berlin  - Striking railway workers delayed train travel in southern Germany Thursday morning, with action expected to spread across the country.

Train workers' unions organized the strikes to underpin their pay negotiations with the state-run Deutsche Bahn.

In the Bavarian city of Nuremberg, 150 railway staff stopped work for several hours, and in Munich 60 train personnel temporarily suspended their duties.

During the course of the morning, key stations such as Cologne and Hamburg joined the strikers.

Berlin  - German unemployment rose in January, analysts say data to be released Thursday will show, as the fallout from the global slowdown hits Europe's biggest economy.

The country's dole queues swelled by a seasonally adjusted 30,000 this month, analysts forecast, after the numbers out of work rose by 18,000 in December.

The predicted rise in the joblessness in January is expected to result in the unemployment rate creeping up to 7.7 per cent this month from at 7.6 per cent in December.

Berlin/Mannheim  - The lucky ones need only change their e-mail address or return goods they did not order. At worst, however, cyberstalking victims end up with a ruined reputation or a plundered bank account.

Cyberstalking takes many forms. And the abuse of personal data on the internet to play tricks on people or exert pressure on them is growing, experts say. Cultivation of one's web image and more careful use of personal data can help prevent trouble, however.

Berlin  - Annual German i

Berlin - Berlin kick-started Wednesday a series of events marking 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989.

At a gathering on Berlin's landmark square Potsdamer Platz, the city's Senate representative Dr Richard Meng said 2009 is a "year of remembrance," as well as a "year of respect for the people who contributed to the peaceful fall of the Wall."

Throughout the year exhibitions, talks and guided walks will remind people of the huge change Berlin has undergone.