Hamburg  - Nordic combined skiing has undergone a complete overhaul to raise its popularity but has lost its superstar Hannu Manninen when the World Cup season starts on Saturday.

Manninen, 30, announced his retirement in May, quitting after a poor 2007-08 season. He is the sport's most decorated athlete with four World Cup trophies 2004-2007, a record 45 race wins, a sprint world title and team golds at worlds and Olympics.

The Finn will now watch from the sidelines as the sport twinning ski-jumping and cross-country skiing has changed face again for popularity and television reasons.

Berlin  - Families grow from one generation to the next and frequently pass some problems along in the process.

Grandma's eating disorder can be noticed in one of the grandchildren, fears or compulsions, inclinations toward addictions or depression - and often such individual problems become family problems.

Whether inherited from a distant relative, passed down directly or passively brought out, the traits that grip some families can hardly be comprehended by the those affected. A family therapist can provide help and information about such unknown hereditary processes.

Bulimia, panic attacks, addition to alcohol or violent personalities are some of the difficulties that families face together.

Berlin  - Germany's jobs market stagnated in November, data to be released Thursday is forecast to show, amid signs that the slowdown in Europe's biggest economy is rapidly gaining momentum.

Analysts are predicting that the German Labour Office will say unemployment was unchanged this month, as a result bringing to an end a long run of monthly falls in the numbers. In October, the country's joblessness fell to a 16-year low in October to below 3 million and a rate of 7.2 per cent.

Wuerzburg, Germany  - Some people have a long list including the names of their spouse, uncles, nephews, neighbours and even acquaintances they have made at the gym, for whom they intend to buy Christmas presents.

Before heading to the shops, people should take a few minutes to think about what they want to give. A Christmas gift, after all, is a statement about their relationship with the recipient. A suitable gift delivers maximum pleasure.

Hamburg  - People who work in the hotel and restaurant industries often are the target of sexual harassment on the job, says a report by a Bilbao-based European agency for security and health in the workplace.

Nearly 8 per cent of hospitality employees complain about sexual harassment on the job, according to the report, which was referenced by a German professional association for food and restaurants based in Mannheim. In other branches about 2 per cent complain.

In addition, about 12 per cent see themselves as the target of intimidation and 6.5 per cent have been confronted with physical violence. In other sectors, the figures are 8.5 per cent and 3.5 per cent, respectively.

Hamburg  - Germany coach Joachim Loew has said national team captain Michael Ballack knows "the consequences" should he again express criticism regarding the national team in public.

It follows a television interview by Ballack Tuesday in which the Chelsea midfielder said he did not regret a newspaper interview last month which led to him having to apologize to an angry Loew.

Loew told Wednesday's Bild newspaper: "Michael has a right to give his opinion and to express criticism. But he won't be doing it in public, you can be quite sure of that because he knows what the consequences are."