Tehran/Berlin  - The Iranian Foreign Ministry called in the French charge d'affaires in Tehran Wednesday to demand that the European Union (EU) prevent the holding of an "anti-Islam congress" planned for the German city of Cologne later this month.

The Foreign Ministry voiced concern about what it called the "growing anti-Islam trend" in Europe, appealing to the current French presidency of the EU to act, the official news agency IRNA reported.

Berlin  - German key factory orders reported their eight consecutive monthly fall in July, data released Thursday showed, slumping by a bigger-than-forecast 1.7 per cent and consequently adding to signs of slackening growth in Europe's biggest economy.

Analysts had forecast that the figures, which were released by the Ministry for Economics and Technology, would show price-and-seasonally industrial orders posting a modest month-on-month rise of 0.4 per cent in July.

"The fall in orders recorded over the past months continues," said the ministry releasing the figures, adding that weak industrial production will likely continue in the coming months.

LHamburg  - The planned merger of Lufthansa's subsidiary Germanwings, Thomas Cook-owned Condor and TUIfly could be facing collapse, the daily Financial Times Deutschland reported Thursday.

The paper quotes a source involved in the negotiations as saying that talks were becoming drawn out and a merger of three airlines was growing increasingly unlikely.

Berlin - The new autumn and winter fashion collections highlight the tension between technology and the environment, luxury and ecology, consumption and conservation.

In the designers' view, these large and at first glance irreconcilable contradictions constitute the spirit of our times. Their fashions this season test the harmonious combination of contrasts.

"The environment may be attracting a lot of attention, but technology is indispensable today," remarked Elke Giese, who is on the staff of the Berlin-based German Fashion Institute. For many people, the dichotomy between environmental protection and technological progress poses lifestyle questions.

Berlin - A few new cushions on the sofa, a wall covered with floral wallpaper and a redecorated dining table... it does not take much effort or expense to transform your home.

"You can do a lot with colours and fabrics in particular," said Sam Bohr, a member of Die Wohnberater, a Berlin-based interior decorating consultancy.

"Anything that's fresh is trendy now ... such as in green and blue."

Berlin - The Segen (Benediction) cloister lies amid the bustle of Berlin like an oasis in the desert. Schoenhauser Allee, a four-lane street, is right outside, but traffic noise stops at the cloister's doors. Behind its thick walls, quiet reigns.

"This is a place for people to recharge their batteries," remarked Georg Schubert, director of the Swiss religious fraternity Don Camillo. The group purchased the run-down Segenskirche (Benediction Church), situated in the eastern Berlin district of Prenzlauer Berg, in 2007 and established the city's first and only Protestant cloister there last August.

Downshifters will now be able to train themselves to achieve inner peace in Germany's capital and largest city.