Brilliant accident may lead to cure

PARIS: Brain cells damaged by obesity may contribute to Type 2 diabetes, a disease that is spreading at epidemic rates, according to a study released last Wednesday.

Smoking gun that's aimed at passive puffers

Exposure to passive smoking is linked to increased prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and this association could cause 1.9 million deaths among non-smokers in China, according to a study published in this week's edition of The Lancet.

Double dose of hope

The largest-ever study of diabetes treatments has found that a fixed combination of two blood-pressure-lowering drugs reduces the risk of heart and kidney diseases, and death among patients. Results from the ADVANCE (Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease) Study were presented on Sunday at the European Congress of Cardiology in Vienna.

IN BRIEF (Page 19)

Life Culture

Catching the book worm

German novelist Christoph Peters revisited China last week with his wife and 4-year-old daughter. The excited writer came for the 14th Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF), in which Germany is the "Country of Honor". A promising German novelist, Peters, 40, is famous for his enigmatic new style.

Writing successful books becomes kid's stuff

When it comes to publishing in China, it's the little things that matter most. Children's books have become a favorite genre for publishers and copyrights agents from China and abroad.

Brandishing a banner of traditional culture today

Fu Wengang doesn't remember many happy, carefree moments during his boyhood, such as playing marbles or organizing cricket fights with playmates.

Pushing the borders of Chinese literature

The 14th Beijing International Book Fair marked a new chapter in the popularity of Chinese literature abroad.

Sports China

Yao and NBA stars to play charity game for poor kids

Some of the NBA's biggest stars will play a charity match in Beijing in two weeks time to raise money for children's education in some of the country's poorest regions.

China looks beyond worlds to Beijing

LONDON: China's gymnasts are set for another impressive gold-medal haul at next month's world championships but they already have the Beijing Olympics on their minds.