Berlin  - A German-flagged cargo ship was hijacked by pirates near the Somali coast, two German government ministries said Sunday in Berlin.

The Spiegel Online website in Germany quoted Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, as saying it was a 20,000-gross-ton vessel. He did not name the vessel but said it had a crew of 24.

Wurzburg, Germany  - Unless you're allergic to it, birch trees are one of the godsends of spring, according to scientist Johannes Gottfried Mayer.

Drinking birch juice is a great way to detoxicate the body. "The leaves have a diuretic effect," explains Mayer, of an herbal medicine research group at the University of Wurzburg.

He attributes the affect to flavonoids, as well as the birch's high levels of Vitamin C.

While modern practitioners of herbal medicine focus almost exclusively on the birch's leaves, people used to use the bark, buds and tar.

Berlin  - Vaccinations can alleviate the symptoms of hay fever when conventional methods such as nasal sprays, eye drops and antihistamines fail, according to Germany's Berlin-based Professional Association of Dermatologists.

This form of treatment is called immunotherapy and should be initiated weeks in advance of pollination.

Those who are allergic to the pollen of the hazel and alder trees, which blossom in early spring, should begin a course of immunotherapy in autumn.

Mainz, Germany  - Be it lovesickness, a troubled relationship, anxiety or depression, emotional problems can have many causes. Therapy may help. But how do you find the right therapist?

The various occupational descriptions themselves are confusing. A psychotherapist may be a psychiatrist, psychologist or other mental health professional. There are also different kinds of therapies. They include psychoanalysis, during which the patient talks about childhood experiences, and behaviour therapy with practical training, as in cases of anxiety.

Berlin - A German-flagged cargo ship, described in one news report as a container vessel, has apparently been hijacked by pirates near the Somali coast, two German government ministries in Berlin said Sunday.

The Spiegel Online website in Germany quoted Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, as saying it was a 20,000-gross-ton vessel. He did not give its name, but said it had a crew of 24.

Berlin  - A