Celle, Germany - Officials are trying to expel a German citizen's sightless wife after 28 years of marriage because she does not know any German, a lawyer charged Friday in the city of Celle.

In a bid to wipe out foreign-language enclaves, Germany recently passed laws that deny long-term residency to anyone who does not pass a test in the German language. Lawyer Ulrich Wallmann said the woman could not study German grammar and vocabulary because she is blind.

Hamburg  - The German football federation DFB believes FIFA will take no action against Lukas Podolski over a pitch altercation with captain Michael Ballack during Germany's 2-0 victory over Wales in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday.

Podolski struck out a hand which made slight contact with Ballack's cheek during an angry exchange of words in a second-half incident.

A DFB spokesman said Friday it did not believe football's world governing body FIFA would punish the Bayern Munich striker for unsporting behaviour as the referee took no action at the time.

Berlin - German Chancellor Angela Merkel has told Israel she hopes the peace process with the Palestinians will lead to a two-state solution, a government spokesman said on Friday.

Spokesman Thomas Steg said Merkel conveyed this message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a telephone conversation earlier in the day.

He said Berlin, along with the United States and the European Union, wanted to see a resumption of peace negotiations envisaged under the Annapolis declaration.

Berlin  - The Wilkins Ice Shelf, a monster iceberg more than 100 kilometres across, is about to separate from the Antarctic continent and float free, possibly as a result of global warming, two German scientists said Friday.

Rifts have developed in the narrow "ice bridge," which is the last link between the shelf and the Antarctic Peninsula, reported the European Space Agency (ESA), quoting scientists Angelika Humbert and Matthias Braun, who have been observing the ice using satellite photos.

Berlin - Germany's upper house of parliament approved controversial legislation Friday that would enable the state to seize control of troubled mortgage lender Hypo Real Estate.

The measure, seen as a last resort to stabilize the German financial market, marks the first time in modern-day Germany that bank shareholders face possible expropriation.

The approval, which follows similar action by the lower house 11 days ago, comes after the government took an 8.7 per cent stake in the shaky lender as a first step to gaining full control.