Hamburg - Packing boxes will always be necessary when moving house, but there may come a time when the need to refurnish and redecorate with every move is a thing of the past.
Mobile prefabricated homes that move with their owner are seen by some as an architectural concept with potential. And these moveable structures already are available today.
Flexibility and mobility increasingly are big issues for people looking to invest in a home. Christoph Windscheif of the association of prefabricated homes in Bad Honnef, Germany, speaks of an "ambitious vision of the future" as a factor.
"There certainly are people who can imagine that type of modern nomadic life," said Windscheif.
Hamburg - Tanning in a solarium before going into the sun provides no appreciable protection against sunburn. However, it does raise the risk of skin cancer considerably, according to information from a German cancer support association and a German dermatological prevention organization.
As ultraviolet (UV) rays penetrate deep into the skin, they also accelerate the ageing of the skin. Despite these risks, 14 million Germans use solariums, making Germany Europe's top country for artificial tanning, according to a study conducted this year and recently published by the two groups.
Nuremberg, Germany - Japan's Kyocera Mita Corporation has obtained more than 50 per cent of the stock in Triumph-Adler AG, the German office services company said Wednesday.
The Osaka-based company last month said it aims to secure between 60 to 75 per cent of the German firm's share capital and was not planning to squeeze out any shareholders who remain.
Triumph-Adler makes and installs printing, copying and faxing systems for businesses.
Dortmund, Germany - Borussia Dortmund have extended the contract of South Korean left-back Lee Young-Pyo for another season with an option to keep him for a further year, the German Bundesliga clu
Cairo - Egypt deported on Wednesday five Germans accused of religious extremism, airport sources told Deutsche Presse-Agentur, dpa.
The five Germans, two men and three women, were deported to Frankfurt. Previous media reports stated that Egypt accused the family of Islamic extremism and imprisoned them. The family had torn up its German identification papers, fearing the documents would connect them to an "infidel state," local media reported.
Earlier media reports said the family did not want to return to Germany.
Berlin - Human rights is to remain as a component in German foreign policy, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday.
"We should not remain silent when there is an issue of human rights," said Merkel, whose chancellorship has been marked by friction with some governments on what she sees as rights issues.
Germany would support human rights all over the world, she said, adding that Berlin had a "values-driven" foreign policy.