VILSECK, Germany, Dec. 3  -- A U. S. Army sergeant told his men four Iraqi detainees were killed to avenge the deaths of three members of his unit, soldiers testified Wednesday.

1st Sgt. John Hatley, Sgt. Joseph Mayo and Sgt. Michael Leahy Jr. -- who were then members of Company A, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment -- are accused of shooting detainees before dumping their bodies in a Baghdad canal in March or April 2007, Stars and Stripes reported Wednesday.

Several members of the company who were at the canal when the killings occurred testified after assurances the federal government would grant them immunity from prosecution.

Leipzig, Germany - Young adults are taking the offensive against undesirable body hair, according to a study of 314 students conducted by the University of Leipzig.

The study showed that 97 per cent of the women and 79 per cent of the men questioned regularly shave, epilate or otherwise remove hair from at least one part on their body. The average age of the study's participants was 23, and more than two-thirds of the participants were women. The study did not count the shaving of men's beards and moustaches.

Pforzheim, Germany - A watch should give the time, no more, no less.

But which watches will delight women's hearts and capture men's tastes is a question of design - and that changes over time. This year's line-up of watches feature glistening new colours, although some are transparent, prominently displaying the inner life of the timepiece.

This year, the trend in watches includes gold-plated rose-coloured finishes that have a technical look and feel, said Melanie Dummin of the jewellery chain Christ in Hagen, Germany. Alfred Schneider, director of Germany's jewellery and watch association in Pforzheim, agrees. Rose and reddish gold are the trendy colours for watch casings this year, he said, adding that copper alloys are responsible for the colour.

Hamburg - Natural cosmetics can cause skin irritations and allergic reactions similar to ordinary cosmetic products, dermatologists say.

Consumers should thus be careful when selecting a new product, said dermatologist Antje-Ulrike Wagner in an article published in the November edition of a German pharmacy magazine. Generally, contact allergies to herbal ingredients seldom occur, but people with sensitive skin should test a cream on the inside of the arm for three days before using the new product on the face.

Lampertheim, Germany  - After he got his massage, a man in south-western Germany robbed his masseuse and made off with the day's earnings, police said Thursday.

Berlin  - Ireland hopes next week's European Union summit will help break the impasse arising from Irish voters' rejection of the EU reform treaty, Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen indicated Wednesday.

"The situation we face represents a considerable challenge for Europe," Cowen said at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, ahead of talks between the two leaders in Berlin.

"I'm hopeful we can identify the elements of an acceptable way forward next week," he said, adding: "Any way forward must naturally respond to the concerns of the Irish public which led to the rejection of the treaty in the referendum last June."