Bremen, Germany - Werder Bremen club chairman Juergen L. Born resigned Friday after new allegations of payments from a Peruvian player agency.

Born issued a statement from South America via the club saying he was resigning with immediate effect but denying any financial impropriety.

Werder have begun an investigation into a new allegation that payments were made to the club chairman's son in connection with former striker Nelson Valdez's contract extension six years ago.

Bremen, Germany - Werder Bremen will make no decision on retaining striker Claudio Pizarro until it knows the outcome of an investigation into alleged tax evasion and money laundering involving the player's adviser.

Klaus Allofs, the club's sports director, was quoted by Tuesday's local Kreiszeitung Syke newspaper as saying it would await the results of the investigation being conducted by authorities in Peru.

Bremen, Germany  - The Bundesliga has had some eccentric players from Brazil in the past, but at least Werder Bremen have a model professional in Diego Ribas da Cunha - commonly known as Diego. Until now that is.

This season the modest 23-year-old playmaker has been finding himself increasingly in the headlines for reasons which have often had little to do with his undoubted prowess on the field.

Bremen, Germany  - Hiking has long since transformed from a sport for senior citizens to an activity with a cult-like following.

Thanks to a hiking club in Bremen, northern Germany, enthusiasts have a special opportunity in 2009 to practice their hobby and get rid of some of the pounds they may have piled on over Christmas.

The year-long event 10,000,000 Steps - Fit through Germany began

Bremen, Germany  - A Bremen-based designer is turning heads with hats that look like grandma herself made them, while giving the wearer a light, airy feel.

Bremen, Germany - University studies can be strenuous. Since Germany's recent adoption of bachelor's and master's degree programmes shortening the time allowed to master the curricula, students, too, are now having to deal with considerable psychological stress.

"Some students are almost displaying signs of burnout syndrome already," remarked Elisabeth Medicus-Rickers, deputy chief of the psychotherapeutic counselling centre in the University of Bremen's student services department.