Irish schoolchildren made their own mini comets yesterday as the world waited for a comet-chasing probe to wake up and phone home from some 800m kilometres away.

Kya deLongchamps says new energy standards will mean carbon neutral construction for house building, ensuring no harmful gases.

A MAN has complained to the Dáil Public Accounts Committee he is not being granted access to his German savings account which is part of his pension fund.

AN HIV-positive pop star broke down in tears yesterday after a German court handed her a two-year suspended sentence for infecting a former sex partner with the virus.

A singer in a German pop group avoided jail today after she was convicted of causing bodily harm to her ex-boyfriend by having unprotected sex with him, despite knowing she was infected with HIV.

A GERMAN pop singer has confessed to having unprotected sex with three men after finding out she had the HIV virus.

Europe’s first mission to the moon got a scare today, but ground controllers were able make a last-minute course correction that kept the craft from prematurely hitting a lunar crater’s rim.

A man withdrew €13,000 from his account and then started handing out the money to passers-by in a western German town today, police said.

A European space probe successfully reached orbit around Venus today on a mission to explore the mysterious atmosphere of Earth’s nearest planetary neighbour.

Scientists were counting down today for the blast off of a Russian booster rocket carrying a European-built probe aimed at exploring the hot, dense atmosphere around Venus.

SCIENTISTS were celebrating last night after confirmation a European spacecraft had landed safely on Saturn’s icy cloud-covered moon Titan after a seven- year journey.

Scientists were celebrating tonight after confirmation that a European spacecraft had landed safely on Saturn’s icy cloud-covered moon Titan after a seven year journey.

A fuel-efficient compact spacecraft has made it into lunar orbit, signalling Europe’s first successful mission to the Moon and putting the inexpensive probe on course to study the lunar surface.

Business confidence in Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, dropped for a third month in four in August on concern record oil prices and flagging consumer spending will curb the pace of economic growth.

TWO more Moroccans suspected of involvement in the Madrid train bombings appeared in court yesterday as German police investigated possible terrorist links of one of the suspects.

Two more Moroccans suspected of involvement in the Madrid train bombings appeared in court today as German police investigated possible terrorist links of one of the suspects.

Europe’s Mars orbiter has detected evidence of ice water on the planet, scientists at the European Space Agency announced today.

IF ALL goes to plan, the Beagle 2 spacecraft will touchdown on Mars sometime on Christmas morning.

Beagle 2 was heading for an historic landing on Mars today after successfully separating from its mother ship.

The Beagle 2 space probe was launched on its final approach to Mars today, a critical step in Europe’s first mission to explore the surface of the Red Planet.

European space officials have received the first pictures of Mars sent back by the Mars Express spacecraft as it heads for a Christmas rendezvous with the red planet.

Dublin web services security company Vordel has signed a global technology and distribution agreement with Software AG.

The armed man who threatened to crash a stolen light plane into Frankfurt’s financial district, sowing fear of terrorist attack and prompting the evacuation of skyscrapers, is mentally disturbed, police said today.

A man stole a small plane at gunpoint then threatened to crash it into the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, sparking panic in the German financial capital.