Nuremberg, Germany - Japan's Kyocera Mita Corporation announced takeover plans Tuesday for the German office services company Triumph-Adler AG.

The Osaka-based company said it would submit an offer of 1.90 euros (2.40 dollars) per share in order to secure around 60-75 per cent of the German firm's share capital.

Kyocera Mita already has a 29.9-per-cent stake in Triumph-Adler AG, the announcement said, adding that Triumph-Adler would remain a listed company.

Berlin - Germany's footballers can earn up to 200,000 euros (252,000 dollars) per man if they make it to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the biggest bonus to date in the nation's qualifying matches.

The German football federation DFB said in a statement on Tuesday that nominated players will get 20,000 euros per match for a maximum 200,000 euros if Germany qualify directly for the World Cup as group winner.

Amman  - Jordanian Foreign Minister Salah Bashir met Monday with a visiting delegation of German lawmakers and stressed Berlin's role in pushing forward the peace negotiations between Israel and its Arab neighbours.

"The minister underscored the importance of the European Union's role, particularly that of Germany, both on the international and regional levels, in spurring the Middle East peace process and giving a hand to the Palestinians and Israelis to enable them reach a peace agreement," a Foreign Ministry statement said.

Berlin  - Chancellor Angela Merkel held talks Monday on the future of ailing carmaker Opel as a debate flared on the company's request for state aid.

Opel is seeking credit guarantees from Berlin to counter a financial squeeze, triggered by dwindling sales and problems with its parent company General Motors.

Taking part in the meeting at the chancellor's office were Opel chief executive Hans Demant, the head of GM's European operations Carl-Peter Forster and the head of the company's employees' council Klaus Franz.

Amman - Fifty German-speaking women carrying the first name "Petra" visited the ancient city of Petra on Monday as part of a Jordanian plan to spur European interest in the rock-carved city which last year became one of the world's New Seven Wonders, according to the state-run media.

The 50 were among 1,000 women from Germany, Austria and Switzerland who responded to an advertisement on the website of the Jordanian Tourism Promotion Authority to take part in a competition entitled "Petra to Petra", the TPA Director General Nayef al-Fayez said.

Reykjavik  - Iceland was Monday expecting to reach a quick deal with German depositors in Kaupthing Bank, one of the North Atlantic nation's three main banking groups that recently collapsed over the global credit crunch.

Kaupthing had some 30,000 customers in Germany.

Late Sunday, Iceland said it had agreed to reimburse British and Dutch depositors of failed internet bank Icesave, operated by the collapsed Landsbanki Bank.

The compensation agreed for the British and Dutch depositors was 20,000 euros (25,300 dollars).