Wiesbaden, Germany - Representatives of six major powers met Wednesday to discuss how they could resolve the stand-off with Iran over its controversial nuclear programme.

The meeting of China, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and the United States is the first on the subject since the administration of US President Barack Obama took office last month.

A German foreign ministry spokesman said the talks in the city of Wiesbaden were intended to demonstrate the unity of the six powers in their approach to Iran.

Nuremberg, Germany - Inspectors are to fan out at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in Germany this week to check if toys for tiny tots have parts that can be swallowed, German industrial safety authorities said Tuesday.

The toy trade has been shaken by a series of recalls of toys that breached safety standards for users aged three and less. Young children often suck toys and have been known to swallow magnets that have come unglued from some toys

Berlin - Struggling German model railway maker Maerklin filed for insolvency on Wednesday after failing to obtain a credit extension from banks, the company said.

Managing director Dietmar Mundil said the company would continue to operate normally while insolvency proceedings continued.

"We are determined to reorganize our long-established company in cooperation with the temporary insolvency administrator and to establish it as a market force on a permanent basis," Mundil said.

Riga- Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, speaking in the Latvian capital Riga on Wednesday, said the European Union might need the Nord Stream gas pipeline planned to run under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with his Latvian counterpart, Maris Riekstins, Stubb said Europe needed an energy mix including gas, nuclear and other options to ensure supplies.

Stubb referred to a variety of pipeline projects designed to deliver energy supplies to Europe from Russia and the Middle East.

Frankfurt - The German national team will play both China and the United Arab Emirates during a 10-day end of season tour to Asia, it was announced Wednesday.

Germany will face China in Shanghai on May 29 and the UAE in Abu Dhabi on June 2.

Coach Joachim Loew will have to do without any players involved in the German Cup final, which takes place on May 30, and those involved in the Champions League final on May 27 in Rome.

But Loew has already announced that he intends using the tour to test out new players ahead of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Munich/Vienna - A man suspected of having killed and dismembered a salesman in Munich was arrested in Austria, the Munich police said Wednesday.

The victim's arms were found last Friday in the Isar river in the German state of Bavaria, while the torso of the 35-year-old man was found in the Czech Republic.

The alleged killer is a German national born in 1969, an Austrian police official told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

The suspect was caught near Nickelsdorf on the Hungarian border on Tuesday evening, according to Austrian press agency APA.