Munich - The alleged kingpin of the main Russian organized-crime family in Germany's Bavaria state went on trial Friday.

Lawyers for the alleged mobsters showered the court with motions to stop the trial. Security at the Munich courthouse was strict.

The defendant, 39, was indicted with running a criminal organization.

Two alleged mafia lieutenants, aged 31 and 30, are accused of being members of the crime syndicate, which allegedly ran protection rackets, trafficked drugs and spread counterfeit money in the prosperous state starting in 2001.

Washington, Nov 14 : The Planetary Society has outlined a vigorous new approach to space exploration for the consideration of the new U. S. Administration and Congress to develop a flexible space program that is designed to achieve more, cost less, and engage the entire world.

Lucknow, Nov.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong fell into a recession Friday as government figures showed a second quarter of contracted growth with the economy growing just 1.7 per cent in the year's third quarter.

The rate of gross domestic product growth in the city of 6.9 million fell from 4.2 per cent in the second quarter to 1.7 per cent in the third, according to official figures.

The Hong Kong government responded by revising downwards its growth forecasts for the year from 4 to 5 per cent to between 3 and 3.5 per cent, meaning it anticipates a possible fourth quarter contraction.

Washington, Nov 14 : A new study has found that when trying to flee their predators, cockroaches choose, seemingly at random, one of a handful of preferred escape routes, leaving their enemies ‘guessing’.

Italian researchers studying animal escape responses found that roaches opt for one of a number of possible trajectories.

"By using one of a number of possible trajectories, we think that cockroaches may behave with sufficient unpredictability to avoid the possibility that predators will learn their escape strategy," said Paolo Domenici of CNR-IAMC in Italy.

"As we say in our report, the predator is made to guess," Domenici added.

Tel Aviv - Israeli caretaker prime minister Ehud Olmert wants to start direct negotiations with Syria by January, an Israeli newspaper reported Friday.

Olmert wants to upgrade the talks despite internal criticism by members of both the opposition and coalition, who say he lacks the legitimacy to negotiate during his final months in office.

The Israeli leader resigned in September to fight corruption allegations and heads a transitional cabinet, which will be in power until a new government is formed after February 10.