Bonn, Germany  - Windows users should use th

Bonn, Germany  - The latest major threat to computing safety, the Conficker worm, is spreading rapidly throughout the internet. The worm represents less of a risk to home PCs than networked computers at corporations and institutions, but that does not mean that stand- alone computers are immune to the threat, says Katrin Alberts from the German Federal Agency for Security in Information Technology (BSI) in Bonn.

The first crucial step for all users is to install the Microsoft patch (MS08-067) designed to close the security gap in Windows. A virus scanner with current virus definitions is also a must for identifying and removing the ill-intentioned program.

Berlin  - "We're gradually being choked," says Anetta Kahane as she reflects on her life as a Jew in Germany and an unprecedented row this week between German authorities and national Jewish leaders.

After the Holocaust, Germany's relationship with Jews was never going to be easy, but angry remarks this week suggest that resentment is breaking through the surface of the relationship.

Kahane, who lives in politically charged Berlin, uses strong words to describe strong feelings.

Hanover  - Technology that once seemed best suited for unintentional comedy is now ready for practical application. Software for text and speech recognition is now sufficiently mature to be considered for general office use, say the editors of the Hanover- based iX magazine.

Text recognition or optical character recognition (OCR), requires just a standard multi-functional scanner with 300 dpi performance or better to produce decent results. None of the programs tested by the magazine showed any glaring weaknesses.

The results do depend primarily on the quality of the original. Laser printouts in standard fonts are almost all read perfectly. Not surprisingly, poor photocopies of exotic typefaces tend to produce more errors.

Rottenburg/Rome - A second German Catholic bishop Saturday raised unusual criticism of German Pope Benedict XVI for rehabilitating Holocaust denier Bishop Williamson, adding his objections to the pope's leading the church in an ultraconservative direction.

Bishop Gebhard Fuerst of Rottenburg-Stuttgart criticized as "totally unacceptable" remarks by Bishop Richard Williamson in recent weeks that there was no historical evidence for the Holocaust.

Frankfurt/Main  - Agreement was reached late Saturday in negotiations over pay and other issues for 142,000 employees of Deutsche Bahn, according Norbert Hansen, a top personnel official at German rail.

The agreement followed a near 40-hour marathon negotiation session in Frankfurt and headed off threats of a looming strike.

The compromise calls for pay increases of 2.5 per cent as of Sunday and a second increase of 2 per cent on January 1, 2010. In addition, a one-time payment of 500 euros
(640 dollars) in December was made as part of the 18-month contract.

Panels on both the union side as well as German rail must approve the deal, but that is likely a formality.