MARCH PRICES FELL IN GERMAN STATE ON YEAR-AGO The cost of living in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, fell 0.1 pct in the month to mid-March to stand 0.5 pct lower than at the same time a year earlier, the regional statistics office said. Prices had risen 0.3 pct in the month to mid-February but had fallen 0.7 pct year-on-year. The regional figures are considered a good guide to national inflation trends. The Federal Statistics Office is due to publish provisional national figures for March by the end of this month.