Nuremberg, Germany - Fears of a looming recession have further worried Germans, with the monthly GfK index of consumer sentiment dipping Monday to its lowest level since June 2003.

Nuremberg-based GfK, which surveys panels of consumers, forecast an August consumer climate at 2.1 on its own index scale, a marked fall from the July level of 3.6, as households took stock of gloomy financial news and rising fuel prices.

Many householders who were cheered by pay hikes earlier in the year reported fresh worries that inflation would claw back their gains. This drove GfK's separate index of income expectations down to minus 20, the lowest level since August 2004.

But a further index, reflecting interest in buying things, was only slightly down.

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