LOS ANGELES - THE tiny Panamanian golden frog, with its sunflower yellow skin and dark brown spots, is usually a symbol of good fortune.

But it appears the tropical frog's luck may have run out unless experts find a way to combat a deadly fungus threatening amphibian populations around the world.

PARIS - A TEASPOON of moistened sugar under the tongue could save the lives of thousands of children suffering from hypoglycaemia caused by malaria, according to new clinical research.

Malaria claims more than a million lives a year - 800,000 of them African children aged under five - and sickens hundreds of millions more, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

WASHINGTON - AN INTERNATIONAL research team has discovered a gene to make wheat resistance to a fungal disease responsible for millions of hectares of lost crops worldwide, according to a study published on Thursday.

'This is the first step to achieving more durable resistance to a devastating disease in wheat,' said Cristobal Uauy, co-author of the report, which was lead by researchers in Great Britain, United States and Israel.