Hamburg - Bayer Leverkusen downed Schalke 2-1 to stay top of the Bundesliga on Saturday, while Bayern Munich lost ground after conceding two late goals in a 2-2 draw at Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Hoffenheim meanwhile stayed second, level on 28 points with Leverkusen but with a slightly inferior goal difference after edging Wolfsburg 3-2.

Bayern were left three points behind in third place after they were hit by two late goals in two minutes at lowly Moenchengladbach.

Luca Toni and Franck Ribery from the penalty spot had given the defending champions the lead but headers from Canadian striker Rob Friend and US midfielder Michael Bradley in the 79th and 81st minutes prevented Juergen Klinsmann's side from posting a sixth straight win.

Washington - German Chancellor Angela Merkel has invited leaders from automaker Opel to talks on Monday to discuss the company's financial status.

On Friday, the car company requested credit guarantees from the government, saying it wants the guarantees to counter a downturn in car orders. However, the unit of General Motors Corp, which itself is seeking a US government bailout, said it was facing no liquidity problems.

"It is important that we consult about the proper steps to take so we can try to support the automobile industry," said Merkel on the sidelines of the global financial summit in Washington.

Erfurt, Germany - Germany's Green Party on Saturday elected Cem Oezdemir as one of its co-leaders, the first time one of Germany's major parties has elevated a child of Turkish immigrants to such a high position.

Oezdemir received 79.2 per cent of the vote at a party congress. He will co-lead the party with incumbent Claudia Roth, who was re- elected with 82.7 per cent of the vote. The Greens traditionally have two leaders, one male, one female.

Berlin - The pressure group Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) is to receive Amnesty International's 2008 human rights prize at a ceremony in Berlin on Sunday evening.

The award, worth 10,000 euros (12,600 dollars), will be presented to a delegation led by the group's two spokeswomen, Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu.

Co-founder Williams and her organization are being honoured for "their tireless struggle for human rights," the German chapter of Amnesty said ahead of the presentation.

Berlin - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier plans to visit a World War II-era concentration camp on an upcoming visit to Italy, his office announced Saturday.

The move could be seen as an effort to mend fences with Italy. Some acrimony exists 60 years after the end of the war about demands for retribution for Nazi-era atrocities.

Steinmeier is set to visit Trieste for a summit meeting on Tuesday. He will take time during his Italian visit to go to the former Risiera di San Sabba concentration camp on Trieste's outskirts. Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini will join him.

London, Nov. 15 : Being a soldier in Afghanistan is clearly thirsty work. According to military sources, around a million litres of beer was shipped to German troops stationed in Afghanistan last year.

The troops, according to a German Defence Ministry report, also received about 70,000 litres of wine and sekt, a German sparkling wine.

The admission has shocked a country that has never had much time for the Afghan mission, reports The Guardian.