Berlin - A cell phone's ringtone can be just about anything. It can imitate the ring of an old-fashioned telephone, reproduce a snappy 1980s pop song or even sound like a frog ribbeting.

But in particular social situations it's best to play it safe when setting the ringtone. While out with a group of friends or business associates, a straight-forward ringtone or a silent vibration are stylistically the most elegant choices. It could put others off, if the ringtone sounds like a toilet flushing.

Hamburg - Daughters have a particular influence on their mothers when it comes to fashion, according to a survey.

Hamburg - To meet the demands of tourists who are invariably surprised by the caprices of summertime weather, German researchers have developed a "convertible" canvas shoe that morphs into a sandal with the flick of a zipper.

And if the weather suddenly changes again (which it always does during a summer vacation), you just zip the canvas top back onto the sandal soles - while meanwhile putting up the top on your convertible rental car.

Best of all, you don't have to pack beach sandals in your luggage. You are already wearing two-in-one shoes. Arriving at the beach, you just remove the canvas tops and slip them into your backpack and - presto - you are wearing comfy sandals.

Berlin - German economic growth slumped by 0.8 per cent during the second quarter, analysts' forecast data to be released Thursday will show, amid deepening gloom surrounding the outlook for Europe's biggest economy.

A sharp contraction in the three months to the end of June would represent a dramatic reversal of the first quarter when Germany grew at its fastest pace in 12 years, chalking up an expansion rate of 1.5 per cent on the back of a two-year economic upswing.

Seoul - The German solar energy firm Conergy has signed a 29.8-million-dollar agreement to extend a South Korean solar energy plant which is already Asia's largest, the company said Wednesday.

The 19.6 megawatt capacity plant at Sinan in the south-west of the country became fully operational in June and will be expanded by 4.35mw by the end of the year.

When completed, the plant will cover an area of 720,000 square metres, equivalent to 96 football fields and produce 33,000mw hours of electricity, or enough to supply 
7,200 households.

Munich - BMW is offering the 1-Series convertible with new options and giving the buyer the choice of two diesel engines for the 2009 model year, the car maker has announced.

The 118d motor has an output of 105 kW/143 hp with an average fuel consumption of 4.9 litres per 100 kilometres. Carbon dioxide emission is at 129 grammes per kilometre. The second diesel, the 123d, fitted with a twin-turbo unit has an output of 150 kW/205 hp with a consumption of 5.4 litres.