Weight-loss surgery can cut the risk of diabetes and heart attacks as well as keep fat off, a UK study suggests. It is the largest comprehensive investigation of bariatric surgery – spanning around four years in nearly 8,000 patients. The health benefits of the surgery are clear and substantial for people who are severely overweight, the authors told PLoS Medicine. ...

Regularly popping pills for a headache can make it worse, says a new study. What else can you do? Don’t buy expensive painkillers Avoid painkillers that say ‘plus’ or ‘extra’. People choose them because they assume they will work faster, but they simply contain added ingredients like caffeine or codeine that might not be suitable for you. See your GP ...

More lives could be saved if doctors considered giving blood pressure drugs to all patients at high risk of heart disease – even if their blood pressures are normal, a study suggests. The report calls for a move away from current guidelines which recommend pills only be prescribed if blood pressure is above a certain threshold. But experts acknowledge lifestyle ...

The Army has been called in to support efforts to protect parts of Cumbria amid fears of further flooding. Troops have been helping put out sandbags in preparation and flood defence gates have been closed in Cockermouth, Carlisle and Keswick. Heavy rainfall in the area is feeding already-swollen rivers and saturated ground. Cumbria has suffered severe flooding three times this ...

 The Queen has used her Christmas Day address to speak of light triumphing over the dark in a year that has seen “moments of darkness”. It comes after a year which has seen a number of terror attacks, including mass shootings in Paris and the killing of 39 people at a Tunisian resort. During the broadcast, the Queen acknowledged the ...

Several children are among at least 18 people who drowned when their boat capsized trying to cross from Turkey to Greece, officials say. The wood boat capsized in high waves as it tried to cross from Turkey’s Izmir province to the Greek island of Lesbos. Twenty-one people were rescued. At least 24 people have died in two similar sinkings this ...

One hundred years after the inception of Sykes-Picot, world powers are back fighting over the same spit of land. A century ago today, a 36-year-old author and purported Arabist named Mark Sykes made his way to 10 Downing Street in London to meet the leaders of Britain and discuss the tricky issue of dividing the spoils of the collapsing Ottoman ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin presented visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a page from the diary of Mahatma Gandhi and an 18th century Indian sword, an official statement said on Thursday. Putin presented the items to Modi while hosting the latter for a private dinner on Wednesday evening. “President Putin presented to the Prime Minister a page from the diary ...

A three-year-old girl helped her heavily-pregnant mother call 999 after she fell down the stairs. In the call, Emma, who was alone in the house in Somerset with her mother Catherine Bazzard told the operator what had happened and where they lived. She told call handler Sarah Morris her “mummy was not bleeding but banged her head” and “has a ...

Spending will continue into Christmas Day when shoppers are expected to splash out £728m online: 11% more than last year The presents may still be under the tree, but retailers are already launching their end-of-year sales.. Currys PC World started its sale online at noon on Christmas Eve, and will be followed by Amazon at 4pm, then John Lewis at ...