Berlin - German couples will soon be able to get married in church without first going through a civil ceremony in the registry office for the first time in 130 years.

The daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung uncovered the detail in a little-noticed piece of legislation that becomes law on January 1 next year and published details Thursday.

Previously, priests had faced the possibility of jail or being fined for marrying couples who had not concluded a civil marriage before going to the altar, although in recent years the offence has been treated as a minor misdemeanour.

Civil marriages were introduced in Germany in 1875, the relevant legislation providing for a three-month jail term for priests who married couples without first going to the registry office.

Hamburg - There are stores that sell T-shirts for 1.99 euros, dresses for 7.99 euros and matching ballerinas and bags for similarly low prices - a complete outfit for less than 20 or 30 euros. 

Hamburg - It is impolite not to allow a person you are talking with to look you in the eye. 

Munich - Floral patterns on summer dresses and blouses are currently trendy, and size is playing a huge role. 

Stuttgart, Germany - Daimler is to provide Saudi Arabia Public Transport

Berlin - German retail sales are set to fall this year as surging inflation hits household spending in Europe's biggest economy, the nation's retail traders' organization (HDE) said Wednesday.

After a disappointing first half of the year, the HDE is not expecting much improvement in the coming months with the group revising down its retail sales projection to a slump in real terms of about 1 per cent as rising inflation eats into consumers' purchasing power.

About three months ago, the organization had predicted a marginal 0.5 per cent increase in retail sales.

The cut in the HDE's retail sales projections is despite the prospects of rising wages in Germany and a trend to lower unemployment.