Hamburg  - Mini computers are often an alternative to traditional PCs, at least when it comes to standard tasks. Buyers of these devices are acquiring a full-value computer for an affordable price, concluded Computer Bild magazine in a test of eight models.

Mini PCs generally come with at least one DVD burner installed, and many also come with wireless LAN (WLAN) as well. While they generally contain very little space for expansion, it is nevertheless possible to upgrade the machines using external hard drives, TV cards, or WLAN antenna via the USB port.

Hanover  - Whether you prefer novels, poetry, academia or non-fiction, it's now easier than ever with book-on-demand services to track down that long sought-after book and finally get a copy.

These services allow any author access to a market by printing only pre-ordered samples of books. But, while it helps bring authors and readers into contact with each other, it does not guarantee a bestseller.

"Thanks to affordable digital printing systems, it can be profitable to print just one copy," said Tim Gerber of c't, a German computer magazine.

Hamburg  - Some years bring clusters of wildly creative new titles to fans of PC gaming. The year 2009 is not shaping up to be one of them, though. Game publishers instead appear to have hunkered down and hammered out continuations of successful titles from the past. That means we can look forward to a new edition of the settle-and-develop series Anno and a third episode in the Sims life simulation series.

Berlin  - Muslims in Berlin are planning to open a school to train Islamic clergymen, the first of its kind in the German capital.

The project is the brainchild of Institut Buhara, an organization founded by a group of Muslims linked to the Sufi branch of Islam.

The move comes amid growing frustration by Muslims who have grown up in Germany at what they are learning from imams who generally come from outside the country and rarely speak German.

Oberhof, Germany  - Russian Maxim Tchoudov on Saturday won the men's 10 kilometre sprint World Cup biathlon event in Oberhof.

Tchoudov, who won two gold medals, as well as a silver and a bronze at last year's world championship in Ostersund, managed to edge Germany's Michael Roesch into second place by 12.7 seconds.

Third place went to Poland's Tomasz Sikora, who was 25.2 seconds behind Tchoudov. Sikora takes over the overall lead in the World Cup from Norwegian Emil Hegle Svendsen.

Berlin  - More than 20,000 people took part in demonstrations in various cities in Germany on Saturday against Israel's 15-day bombardment and infantry deployment into the Gaza Strip.

The biggest such demonstration was in the western industrial city of Duisburg, where 10,000 demonstrators attended a rally organized by the Milli Gorus Islamic community, a Turkish Islamist group.

"We wanted to show our solidarity with the people on the ground," said a spokesman for Milli Gorus, which demands that Israel call off the offensive and end its long-term blockade of the Palestinian territory controlled by Hamas.