Cologne, Germany - It's tempting to eat heartily in the bitter cold of winter and the holidays seem like a perfect time to knock back a few drinks. But regular consumption of excess calories and more damaging substances than the liver can process can mean damage, like fatty liver.

"We think that, here in Germany, about every fourth adult is affected by this form of liver disease," says Richard Raedsch of St Josef's Hospital in Wiesbaden.

Cologne, Germany - Recently, criminals managed to place a doctored banner ad carrying a virus on the homepage of the New York Times, a mainstay of American journalism.

The fact they could do so is bad enough. Worse: it's not an isolated case. It's becoming more and more common for unsuspecting computer users to accidentally pull Trojan horses and other damaging programmes onto their computer via these ads.

"They're becoming more popular," says Frank Felzmann of the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). The first wave of these new viruses came to light at the start of 2008, says Christiane Ruetten of c't, a German computer magazine. Since then, a variety of attacks like the one on the New York Times have been recorded.

Cologne, Germany - Vitamin C does not protect against colds, according to Germany's Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).

IQWiG noted that some dietary supplements contained over a gram of vitamin C, or 10 times more than the recommended daily dose. Because the body cannot absorb such a large amount, most of the vitamin is excreted in the urine a few hours later.

Cologne, Germany  - Signs of depression are often physical in nature and include weight loss, insomnia, inexplicable pains, constipation and loss of libido, according to Germany's Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).

It said that a person who experiences several of the following symptoms for at least two weeks might be suffering from depression: constant low spirits, diminished sense of self-worth and self-confidence, lethargy, insomnia and difficulty in concentrating.

Cologne  - Richard Wagner's great-grandson, Gottfried Wagner, on Friday protested the choice of music at festivities 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, which includes a composition by his "anti-semitic" great-grandfather.

Israeli pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim is leading Monday's performance at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, which is to include A Survivor from Warsaw by Arnold Schoenberg alongside the prelude to Wagner's Lohengrin.

Cologne, Germany  - Drink at least two litres of water a day to build up your immune system, experts recommend.

Another tip: cold viruses can be warded off with a diet rich in vitamins and minerals, reports the Technical Inspection Authority (TUV) of Cologne in Germany. Long autumn walks can also boost circulation.

However, be sure to stay warm, which also promotes circulation and boosts the immune system. An immersion bath or a trip to the sauna can help.

Cologne, Germany  - "Everything was better in the old days." As people get older they tend to glorify the past. Psychologists believe that's because positive experiences stay longer in our memories than negative, thus making the past seem better than the present.

Cologne  - Drink manufacturers increasingly promise their wares can boost health with just a few swallows. Nowhere is this more common than at the recent Anuga nutritional conference in Cologne, Germany.

For example, a fruity concoction of nettles, ginkgo and ginseng is supposed to ward off stress. Additional magnesium is meant to relax muscles.

Cologne, Germany  - On her desk lay an apple next to a water glass, a tableau that said, "Look, everyone, my lifestyle is healthy!" In the storeroom, though, out of sight of her co-workers, the woman had surreptitiously wolfed down some chips not long before. She had concealed her desire for unhealthy food to avoid uncomfortable questions.

This is one of many anecdotes collected by Rheingold, a Cologne-based market research institute, for a study on eating habits in Europe and the United States that it presented earlier this month in Cologne during Anuga, an international food and beverage trade show.

Cologne - Instant porridge for babies should be sugar free as a matter of principle.
Parents should therefore take a look at the ingredients, paying particular attention to words such as dextrose, sucrose, maltodextrin, honey, glucose, glucose syrup and syrup, according to Germany's federal centre for health education in Cologne. These are all ingredients in which sugar is concealed.
Baby food should contain no unnecessary flavourings or food that could trigger an allergy or allergic reaction. These include eggs, milk, nuts, soy, tomatoes and celery. It's also important to follow the age recommendation given on the package. (dpa)

Cologne, Germany  - The world's top food fair, exhibiting every conceivable form of ready-to-use food and beverage, opened its doors Saturday in the German city of Cologne.

The 6,500 exhibitors from 97 nations at the five-day Anuga event included a sizeable number of Asian food exporters, including 40 from Japan, the organizing company, Koelnmesse, and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) said.

Cologne  - Looks from past decades are providing the inspiration for hairstyle trends in the coming season.

With their elegant styles the '20s and '50s are serving as a model for women's hairstyles this autumn and winter, but lush bangs and luxurious textures reminiscent of the '80s are enjoying a comeback as well, according to the central association of German hairstyle craft in Cologne.

Men may do their hair more casually to follow the trends in the coming seasons. Robert Pattinson from the film Twilight, for example, best represents the slightly rakish just-out-of-bed style.

Cologne, Germany - A German theologian who was appointed a papal advisor last month must step down from his professorship after abandoning his vow of celibacy, according to the church Wednesday.

Professor Michael Schulz had only just been appointed to the International Theological Commission, a top Vatican body. He teaches Catholic theology at Bonn University.

Cologne, Germany - At least three people were killed Tuesday when a bus plunged down a river embankment in the west of Germany, police said.

Nine people were injured in the accident near Radevormwald, 50 kilometres east of Cologne.

Between 12-15 people were on the bus at the time. Emergency services did not rule out that some of them were trapped under the overturned vehicle. (dpa)

Cologne  - Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is the most common cause of physical and mental damage to a baby developing in the womb, according to Germany's federal centre for health education.

Pregnant women therefore should not drink alcohol especially because there is no limit under which alcohol consumption could be recommended as safe, the centre said.

Despite this fact, recent scientific studies show 12 per cent to 15 per cent of pregnant women consume alcohol once or more per month.

Cologne  - Two-thirds of German motorists would buy a car with good eco credentials with another half occasionally avoiding a car trip for ecological reasons, according to a recent poll conducted by the TNS Infratest.

The trend toward eco-cars has also been speeded up by lower insurance tariffs for cleaner cars that have carbon dioxide emissions under 140 grammes per kilometre, according to the poll.

Cologne, Germany - Midfielder Sami Khedira will make his debut for Germany in Saturday's friendly international against South Africa in Cologne.

Assistant coach Hansi Flick said Friday the VfB Stuttgart under-21 international would play either from the beginning or come on during the game.

Werder Bremen's Mesut Ozil will play from the start in an attacking midfield role, Flick said.

Ozil's two previous caps have come as a substitute.

Cologne  - A strong password is an important part of guarding personal information accessible from the web. Coming up with a password that is both memorable and strong is not always easy, though.

One way to generate a safe password is to think up a sentence. Take the first letters from each of the words in the sentence and you'll generally have a new password that is neither easy to guess nor is found in the dictionary, experts in Germany say. Those two factors make the password harder to crack.

Cologne, Germany - Senior citizens should be encouraged to take a more active role in political and cultural life, experts from Germany and Japan said on Wednesday.

Elderly people will have a more profound influence on life in both countries in the future than children and young people, said Professor Koji Ueda, director of the Japanese Cultural Centre in Cologne.

Professor Sawako Hanyu of Ochanomizu University in Tokyo said half of Japan's population would be over the age of 60 in 2050. They should be active in shaping their lives, he told a seminar.

Cologne, Germany - FIFA's decision to ban Chelsea on registering new signings until 2011 was a setback for the club, Blues midfielder Michael Ballack said Friday.

"It's a blow for us. It's a drastic punishment," Ballack said at a news conference in Cologne ahead of Germany's friendly international against South Africa on Saturday.

The Germany captain said it remained to be seen whether the sanction on Chelsea, who have filed an appeal, would remain.

"It's not a pleasant situation for the club," he said.