Wiesbaden, Germany - Annual inflation in Germany climbed to 0.7 per cent April from 0.5 per cent for the year ending in March, according to preliminary figures released on Tuesday. Increased spending on fuel and package tours during the Easter holidays, accounted for the rise, the Federal Statistics Office said, citing data from six of Germany's federal states.

The March inflation rate was the lowest in nearly a decade.

Berlin - The German Government is to slash its 2009 growth forecast, official sources told the German Press Agency Tuesday as Europe's biggest economy faces up to its biggest downturn in 60 years. Berlin is to announce Wednesday that it now expects the nation's economy to shrink by a dramatic 6 per cent this year after the global recession tightened its grip on the nation's economy in the opening months of 2009.

Stuttgart - Jelena Jankovic hopes to return to the top of the women's tennis rankings now that she has regained her form at the start of the clay court season. The Serbian claimed the top spot in late 2008 but has slumped to a current number three with no title yet in 2009.

Jankovic on Tuesday attributed the slide to too much fitness training and personal problems in the off-season which made her slow and sluggish on the court.

Berlin - German Economics Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg met Tuesday morning with Canadian-Austrian car parts supplier Magna to discuss a possible Opel bailout. The Austrian-Canadian car parts supplier Magna has expressed interest in a majority stake of the stricken General Motors (GM) subsidiary, alongside Italian car manufacturer Fiat.

Munich - Veteran coach Jupp Heynckes was set to take over at Bayern Munich on Tuesday in a caretaker role after the sacking of Juergen Klinsmann. Heynckes, 63, will be in charge of his first training session after a formal presentation at the club's grounds in Munich.

Former German international Heynckes, who was Bayern coach between 1987 and 1991, is in charge for just four weeks - the last five games of the season.

Dusseldorf - One of the four men accused of a major Islamist terrorist plot in Germany was thrown out of court Tuesday for disturbing the courtroom proceedings with interjections. "I want to go back to my cell," Adem Yilmaz, 30, a Turkish citizen raised in Germany, called out at the start of the day's proceedings. He was duly ordered out of the courtroom. Yilmaz hugged his co- accused on the way out.