Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Monday condemned the double bomb blasts that hit a crowded street in Istanbul as "a blind act of terrorism."

Berlin - German airports faced severe disruptions at the height of the holiday season Monday as ground and cabin staff at Lufthansa, the country's largest airline, went on strike for higher pay.

The strike, which began at midnight, targeted the main hubs at Frankfurt and Hamburg although Munich, Dusseldorf and Cologne-Bonn were also to be affected.

The services trade union Verdi said its main aim was not to cause cancellations but to hit the company financially. It is demanding a substantial pay rise for 50,000 workers.

Neuss, Germany - Toshiba hopes to switch

Berlin  - Sony has expanded its range of projec

Berlin - Germans no longer think twice about paying the rent or auctioning off an old tennis racquet online. The internet is now part of everyday life for 80 per cent of Germans. But a recent survey by Forsa, an opinion research institute, showed that 4 million Germans have fallen victim to computer crime.

They account for 7 per cent of all computer users over 14 years, according to BITKOM, the Federal Association of the Information Industry, Telecommunications and New Media.