Deggendorf, Germany  - German police said Wednesday they had seized five luxury cars and confiscated the owners' driving licences to halt an illegal cannonball run across Europe.

The five men, from Britain and Spain, were believed to be racing from the German city of Cologne on a criss-cross route to Croatia with stops at Munich, Salzburg and Vienna.

Berlin - The commanding officer of the German armed forces since 2002, Wolfg

Berlin - Germany praised Wednesday's swap of detained members of Hezbollah for the remains of captured Israeli soldiers, calling it an important political and humanitarian step.

In Berlin, deputy government spokesman Thomas Steg confirmed that that the German foreign intelligence service BND had arranged the exchange, saying the BND enjoyed trust in the region and had the capabilities to mediate and build bridges.

He added that UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon had praised Germany's mediation.

Berlin - Italy's domestic car market shrank by 19.5 per cent year-on-year in June, data released Wednesday showed, as the economic mood in the nation continue to darken.

New car registrations in Italy dropped to 184,275 last month compared with 228,924 in June 2007, the Brussels-based European Automobile Manufacturers' Association
(ACEA).

Last month's slump brought the overall drop in the Italian car market for the first six months to the year to 11.5 per cent.

Hamburg - A barge carrying diesel fuel was in collision with another vessel in Germany

Schwerin, Germany  - The parents of a five-year-old German girl who starved to death in her cot last year were convicted of murder Wednesday and each jailed for 11 years and 9 months.