Hamburg  - Hair straightening irons that use heat and pressure to make hair look smooth should be avoided, according to Hamburg's star hair stylist Manfred Martz.

"Hair dryers are the secret," Martz said. Hair tends to hang limp after using a straightening iron, while blow drying smooth gives it a certain natural volume, he said.

Munich  - Men can avoid nicks and cuts from their razors by shaving before breakfast, according to a German-language skin care website run by several organizations active in promoting cosmetics and health care.

As the stomach starts to digest, the heart rate and blood flow increases. As there is more blood flowing through the arteries beneath the skin on the face and neck, there is a greater danger of being cut after eating.

Munich  - Cellulite is a terrible part of aging for some women. They stare into the mirror appalled when they discover the ugly dips and dents on their bottoms and thighs.

But young, slim women also develop the undesirable feature, which makes the skin look a bit like an orange peel. Women who get it are at the mercy of the connective tissue under their skin. There is a range of products that promise help, but experts say a healthy diet and exercise are better to counteract cellulite.

Berlin  - In the 20th anniversary year since the fall of the Berlin Wall, visitors still flock to the once divided city.

The Checkpoint Charlie museum in the city centre marks the spot where Russian and American tanks angrily squared up to one another in the crisis summer days of 1961.

In the middle of the road, a white hut marks the site of the old American control point. Two men in mock uniforms stand at the ready to satisfy tourists' requests for photographs.

Minden, Germany  - German police were holding a motorist Wednesday who admitted that he deliberately collided with a girl cyclist, 13, and raped her while she was suffering from concussion.

The 30-year-old father of five had initially claimed the crash on Monday near the northern town of Minden was an accident, but conceded after a long interrogation that he had been looking for a child to attack. The sexual attack took place inside his car.