Berlin - A flat fee for internet access is no excuse for leaving the computer on all day, according to an expert on green technology.

Berlin - German factory orders unexpectedly fell for the third consecutive month in February, data released Friday showed, helping to raise new concerns about the outlook for Europe's biggest econo

Berlin - English actress Helen Mirren, 62, is returning to her Russian roots, playing the wife of classic Russian writer Leo Tolstoy in a movie, The Last Station, now shooting in Germany.

Berlin - German Chancellor Angela Merkel will pay a brief visit to Norway on April 12, a government spokesman said on Friday.

Berlin - Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has deposed Chancellor Angela Merkel from top of the list of Germany's most popular politicians, according to a survey released Friday.

An opinion poll conducted for German semi-public broadcaster ZDF showed the Social Democrat (SPD) minister with a rating of 1.7, marginally higher than Merkel's 1.6.

Steinmeier is considered a potential challenger to Merkel for the chancellorship in national elections due to take place in September 2009.

He is currently vice chancellor in the grand coalition with Merkel's Christian Democratic Party (CDU).

The survey showed that 39 per cent would vote for the CDU against 28 per cent for the SPD if elections were to be held now.

Berlin - Germany has become the world's second biggest aid donor after the United States, the ministry of economic assistance said, quoting statistics released by the Organization for Economic Coop