Berlin - A surge in imports caused an unexpected cut in Germany's trade surplus for July, according to figures released by the federal statistics office Tuesday, in further evidence of an economic slowdown in Europe's largest economy.

Imports rose 16 per cent to 73.2 billion euros (103 billion dollars), with imports from outside the European Union (EU) soaring 20 per cent to 26.2 billion euros.

Germany's trade surplus fell to 13.9 billion euros, from a surplus of 18.1 billion in July 2007.

In June, the trade balance was 19.9 billion euros in surplus.

Munich, September 9 : Using ESO’s (European Southern Observatory’s) Very Large Telescope, astronomers have been able to study planet-forming discs around young Sun-like stars in unsurpassed detail, clearly revealing the motion and distribution of the gas in the inner parts of the disc, which implies the presence of giant planets.

Planets could be home to other forms of life, so the study of exoplanets ranks very high in contemporary astronomy.

More than 300 planets are already known to orbit stars other than the Sun, and these new worlds show an amazing diversity in their characteristics.

Berlin  - The powerful German metalworkers union IG Metall announced Monday it would seek a wage increase of between 7 and 8 per cent for 3.6 million workers in the key sector, its highest demand in 16 years.

IG Metall boss Berthold Huber told journalists in Frankfurt discussions with shop stewards were continuing and that the final demand should become clear in a fortnight.

Muenster, Germany - A fad for vampire teeth means health troubles ahead, a health insurer warned Monday in Germany, where lovers of spooky Gothic music have been filing their canine teeth into sharp points.

KKH, an insurer in the northern city of Muenster, said filed teeth lacked their natural enamel and were likely to be hit by caries or to break off at the tip.

The music fans wear black clothing and make-up so that they look like scary people with a thirst for fresh blood.

Berlin  - Germany is to increase aid to Afghanistan by 30 million euros (43 mill

Berlin  - Ambitious plans by electricity group Vattenfall to capture carbon dioxide from power stations and dump it deep underground came under fire Monday, a day before a pilot plant near Berlin goes into operation.

Vattenfall sees carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a key answer to global warming, which is largely blamed on CO2 released when fossil fuels burn. But environmentalists charge that the technology uses far more energy than existing power generation.