Frankfurt  - Tango dancing could help patch up troubled relationships, according to the German Society for Sports Medicine and Prevention (DGSP).

It cited a study done at Frankfurt University in which levels of the stress hormone cortisol and the sex hormone testosterone were measured in the saliva of 22 couples both before and after doing the sensual dance. The couples were also given questionnaires and asked to describe their feelings.

Geneva  - The United Nations telecommunications unit has announced it's found the solution to the lack of universality in chargers for mobile phones.

The International Telecommunications Union in Geneva says it has approved "an energy-efficient one-charger-fits-all" solution to given juice to mobiles' batteries.

"Every mobile phone user will benefit from the new Universal Charging Solution (UCS), which enables the same charger to be used for all future handsets, regardless of make and model," a statement on the ITU website said.

Berlin - Buzz past obstacles slalom-style and overtake whole queues of traffic with ease. This promise comes from the makers of a new electrically-powered bikeboard and they hope the three-wheeler will be a hit with trendsetters and senior citizens alike.

Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei - Juergen Broda from Hamburg in Germany is an expert on palaces - which is hardly surprising since he is a welcome guest at the elegant homes and residences of princes and members of the aristocracy in the oil-rich sultanate of Brunei in south-east Asia.

"We have cornered a high-end niche of the market," said Broda unpretentiously. The 65-year-old declines to talk about his customer base and nothing passes his lips about the identity of clients who seek advice on interior design. In this line of business discretion is paramount.

Washington  - People with no money barter is a rule of thumb that is proving true in US health care during the current recession.

Ads offering services such as cooking or repair work in exchange for dental and eye exams are becoming more common. A woman in New Mexico, for example, hopes to get an urgently needed filling in exchange for an exquisite evening meal, while a California man is offering his services as a repairman in exchange for an eye examination. A physiotherapist in Maryland is offering massages for violin lessons.

As one of four siblings, fashion designer Anjana Bhargav can’t remember a time when her house wasn’t "full of people". "My two sisters and brother were always fighting over who got to sit on the ‘favourite dining table chair’," she recalls. “There was always food being cooked for our family of six, and I, as the oldest, was frequently pulled away from my favourite hobby of reading fashion magazines to referee fights between the others.”

London, Oct 29 : It''s time to say goodbye to switchboards, for now you just have to touch a flower on your wallpaper to activate lamps and heaters - and even control music systems.

The Living Wall project, led by Leah Buechley at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology''s Media Lab, uses magnetic and conductive paints to create circuitry in attractive designs to make your walls as interactive as possible.

Washington - Jessica Dungan couldn't believe her eyes when she boarded a New York-bound bus in Washington.

The 30-year-old felt anything but secure as she observed the driver's behaviour. First he chatted on his mobile phone without using ear phones while at the wheel. Then, after the bus made a short stop along the way, she noticed that he was carrying a bag with energy drinks and a cheeseburger, "which he proceeded to eat with both hands while driving with an elbow."

Describing the experience in a recent article in the Washington Post, Dungan said she was so upset, she decided to take the train back to Washington.

Bordeaux, France - A 40,000-square-metre German submarine bunker from World War Two described as a gray monster and considered the curse of the river Garonne has become one of the most visited art spots in Bordeaux.

"This used to be the no-man's land of the docks," said Brigitte Proucelle, director of Bordeaux's office of culture. "People used to turn their backs on this place. Only art can have such a transformative effect."

New York - Its days may be numbered yet the traditional light bulb does deserve a retrospective on the way to technical redundancy.

The incandescent light bulb first saw the light of day in October 1879 after prolific American inventor Thomas Alpha Edison (1847-1931) produced a carbon filament that burned for 40 hours.

A mere three months later, on January 27, 1880 to be exact, 32-year-old Edison acquired the patent and mass production began. It spelt the death knell for gas lighting and candles as a source of household and industrial artificial light but was the climax of many years of experiments by other inventors dating back to 1802. However, until Edison got to grips with the problem no-one had managed to create a practical light bulb.

Hamburg - What do hot dogs and cauliflower have in common?

They are both perfect for making guests at a Halloween party cringe in disgust. Hot dogs can be transformed with little effort into a severed finger, while cauliflower can be made to look like the brain's gray matter. There are loads of similar decorating ideas available on the internet. As Lisa, a Halloween enthusiast from Hamburg, explains, "I have gathered a lot of weird ideas on the internet, particularly at websites based in the US."

Cologne, Germany - The concept is quite simple for Konrad Geiger, a chef who considers his baked chickpea and squash salad as regional a dish as it is international.

The squash is a local product in Germany and while the chickpeas originally came from Asia, they are now grown in Austria. Geiger, who specializes in cooking with organic foods, served his salad recently in Cologne at Anuga, a nutrition trade show which claims to be the largest of its type in the world.

Geiger added smoked chicken breast that had been marinated in soy sauce and honey before being steamed over a boiling pot of green tea to his baked chickpea and squash salad. He calls it ethnic food or fusion cuisine.

Hamburg - The days when bicycles were used primarily in the summer when people had free time have been over for a long time.

Today bicycles are a means of transportation used by many people almost daily for getting around. This is partly because people want to save money and partly because they enjoy the health benefits of regular cycling.

On the first day of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010, while the senior designers shone bright, their juniors sparkled brighter. The day was high on creative energy.

Wendell Rodricks Wearability quotient: 8/10 He brought in the breeze of Goa on the runway with neat and breathe-easy silhouettes. With bias-cut skirts, tunic saris and dhoti gowns, the collection was crisp.

The select audience, diverse in every way, yet united in their belief in equality and non discrimination, at the launch of the Nigaah Queer Festival '09 seemed mesmerised, as the pictures and paintings on the walls of Max Mueller Bhawan have something from everyone's fantasies. The festival starts today and concludes on Nov 1.

"This time its not only about celebrating the space this community has achieved but also now that it's on the table we want to be sure of what we want to say. We are here, we are queer and you are welcome," said Gautam Bhan, founder of Nigaah.

Kerala-based Chemmanur Fashion Jewellers has revealed its plans to spend Rs 600 crore to expand its footprints across the country and abroad.

The company believes that this is the best time to establish a gold showroom as people are now buying gold as an investment. The company plans to spend Rs 600 crore in the next two year to open 50 new jewellery outlets in domestic as well in international market.

A company official, who did not want to be identified, has informed that the expansion will be financed through internal accruals and bank loans, for which the company has started negotiations.

School days- As I come from an Army background, I had to change schools quite frequently. It was a blessing in disguise for me. I got the opportunity to see almost the whole of India. I learnt about people and their cultures, their costumes. It was in a way a starting point for me.

Training- I studied fashion at the Pearl Academy of Fashion, New Delhi, which helped me widen my horizons. In the final year at college, I won the best design collection award, which got me into the London College of Fashion, UK. England gave me a great learning opportunity.

Job interviews can scare us all but for Jugal (22), who stutters, applying for a call centre job was quite a challenge.

Despite repeated rejections, Jugal did not give up. He finally cracked an interview and now works for a call centre as a senior executive.

“I handled the interview tactfully. I talked slowly and practiced hard before going for it. Also, the interviewer was understanding and encouraging,” said Jugal, who is a member of The Indian Stammering Association (TISA), a self-help group started by people who suffer from speech-related problems.

Tokyo  - Japan's trade surplus in September rose 472.3 per cent from a year before to 520.6 billion yen (5.7 billion dollars), the Ministry of Finance said in a preliminary report Thursday.

That was Japan's largest surplus since March 2008, supported by a steady recovery in exports. Japan has logged a trade surplus for eight straight months.

Exports came to 5.1 trillion yen, down 30.7 per cent from the previous year. Imports dropped 36.9 per cent to 4.5 trillion yen.

In trade with the United States, Japan's surplus shrank 33.8 per cent to 371.3 billion yen. Exports decreased 34.1 per cent to 833.3 billion yen, and imports declined 34.3 per cent to 462.1 billion yen.

Berlin  - The practice of decorating the human body known as body modification is booming in Germany right now. Placing hollow tubes called flesh tunnels in ear lobes or deliberately cutting scars into the skin is a growing practice in some sections of society.

Body modification is about more than the conventional forms of piercing and tattoos. "Is a bit more okay?" was a phrase often heard by customers from their butcher. But more people are asking the same question when it comes to their own flesh or skin.