Patients' rating of the quality of their NHS care will affect hospitals' and GPs' funding in England in the future, ministers have announced.

Information on service quality is also set to be displayed on "dashboards" in hospitals, GP surgeries and on the web.

The plans for the next 10 years were launched alongside an NHS Constitution setting out rights including speeding up assessments of new drugs.



Full Story: Quality ranking key to NHS funds

A two-pronged initiative aims to speed up diagnosis and treatment of people with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in developing countries.

The World Health Organization is working with partners to make a rapid test - which gives results in two days - more widely available.

There are also plans to boost the supply of drugs to treat MDR-TB in 54 countries - and cut their cost.



Full Story: Rapid test for drug resistant TB

Using a child's body mass index (BMI) as a measure of the success of exercise targets may be misleading, say experts.

Writing in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, they said blood testing might be the only way to measure exercise benefits.

The government recommends that children have an hour's moderate exercise or more every day to reduce the chance that they will become obese adults, with a higher risk of diseases such as diabetes or heart disease.



Full Story: Call to rethink child BMI testing

Sexually-transmitted infections have doubled in under a decade in people over 45 and are now rising faster than in the young, research suggests.

The number of sexually transmitted infections is rising in both young and old, despite sexual health campaigns urging people to avoid unsafe sex.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) looked at people coming to clinics in the West Midlands between 1996 and 2003.



Full Story: Sex diseases 'double in over-45s'

My name is Jess Lee and I am 17 years old. I live in Liverpool with my mum, dad and sisters.

I don't know why I was picked out of the crowd and given this condition, as it affects only one in 70,000 people in the UK.

My eyes were widely spaced and protruding, my nose and mouth were unusually small - rather cute I like to think. My fingers were also fused together. They looked like little mittens.



Full Story: 'My aim is to get a boyfriend'

People hospitalised for sudden hearing loss had more strokes in the following five years than otherwise healthy appendicitis patients.

The article, in the journal Stroke, suggested no reason why the hearing problem could be linked to strokes.

UK stroke specialist Dr Tony Rudd, of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, described it as "an unusual" finding.



Full Story: Hearing loss link to stroke risk

Day two of the Glastonbury Festival has seen stars such as Duffy, James Blunt and Shakin' Stevens wowing crowds, with two hotly-anticipated sets to come.

All eyes will be on US rapper Jay-Z and troubled singer Amy Winehouse when they play the main Pyramid Stage later.

Winehouse returned to hospital on Friday night to continue treatment for a lung problem after singing two tracks at the Nelson Mandela birthday concert.



Full Story: Glastonbury awaits Amy and Jay-Z

Nelson Mandela has joined music stars on stage at a concert in central London celebrating his 90th birthday.

Mr Mandela told the crowd: "We are honoured to be back in London for this wonderful occasion." Amy Winehouse, Annie Lennox and Queen were among those who took part in the Hyde Park event.

As well as marking the former South African president's birthday, the concert raised funds for Mr Mandela's HIV/Aids charity 46664.



Full Story: Mandela joins stars at London gig

Stars including Annie Lennox, Queen and Leona Lewis are set to perform at a concert for Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday in London later.

The Soweto Gospel Choir and US singer Josh Groban will also feature at the concert in Hyde Park.

"What better way to celebrate your 90th birthday than to have this great concert - it's going to be a lot of fun," Groban told the BBC News website.



Full Story: Stars set for Nelson Mandela gig

Kanye West says criticism over keeping fans waiting at the Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee last week has left him "the most offended I've ever been".

Writing on his blog, the rapper said he had been more than an hour-and-a-half late because organisers had not allowed enough time to build his elaborate set.

In the entry, peppered with swear words and written in capital letters, he said he was "the maddest I will ever be".



Full Story: Angry West defends festival delay

Kanye West and hip-hop group UGK have won two awards each at this year's Black Entertainment TV (BET) awards.

West took home the prize for best male hip-hop artist and best collaboration for Good Life, which featured T-Pain.

UGK was named best group and also won video of the year for International Player's Anthem (I Choose You) featuring Outkast.



Full Story: Rapper West scoops two BET awards

Singer Amy Winehouse has begun to rehearse for her upcoming concerts, despite having treatment in hospital for traces of lung disease emphysema.

A spokesman for the star confirmed she has returned to work, but must go back to hospital for further treatment.

She is due to perform at a gig to mark Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday and Glastonbury festival at the weekend.



Full Story: Winehouse begins gig rehearsals

Boy George's US solo summer tour is in doubt after authorities refused to issue him with a visa, citing looming overseas legal issues.

A statement from the singer and DJ's management said it was in relation to a forthcoming London trial on false imprisonment charges.

The former Culture Club frontman's 24-date tour is scheduled to begin on 11 July in Las Vegas.



Full Story: Boy George denied visa for tour

Singer Amy Winehouse has "traces" of the lung disease emphysema but is "responding brilliantly to treatment", her father has said.

Mitch Winehouse told BBC Radio 1 his daughter would recover "completely" as long as she stopped smoking.

The star has now been in hospital for a week, but her father said she would perform at the Glastonbury Festival and Nelson Mandela concert this weekend.



Full Story: Singer Winehouse has lung disease

Grammy-award winning comedian George Carlin, best known for his Seven Words You Can Never Say On TV routine, has died of heart failure aged 71.

The star was admitted to a hospital in Los Angeles on Sunday with chest pains and died later that day.

Jack Burns, Carlin's comedy partner in the early 1960s, told the Associated Press agency: "He was a genius and I will miss him dearly." Carlin performed as recently as last weekend in Las Vegas.



Full Story: US comedian George Carlin dies

Ellen DeGeneres has won her fourth Daytime Emmy in a row for best talk show host at a Hollywood ceremony.

The comic and presenter beat US TV veteran Regis Philbin to the prize, as well as Barbara Walters and Whoopi Goldberg for their series The View.

She said she had no plans to follow Oprah Winfrey and withdraw from entering the Daytime Emmys, which also honour soap operas and game shows.



Full Story: Ellen scoops Daytime Emmy honour

Leading oil exporters have acknowledged the need to boost supplies to curb soaring prices but stopped short of specific commitments on extra output.

Following their crisis summit in Saudi Arabia, officials noted price levels were "hostile" and more investment was needed to ensure "adequate" supplies.

Saudi Arabia blamed speculation, not lack of supply, for surging prices but said it was willing to raise output.



Full Story: Oil summit calls for supply boost

Saudi Arabia is set to host a meeting of oil producing and consuming nations to discuss soaring oil prices.

The US and other consumers have urged producers to boost supply, blaming lack of capacity for the recent price surge.

Top world supplier Saudi Arabia has made slight increases but says market speculation, not lack of supply, has driven prices to nearly $140 a barrel.



Full Story: Saudis to host oil price summit

Car giant Ford has said it will cut its production of large trucks and large sports utility vehicles (SUVs) in favour of more fuel efficient models.

The US economic slowdown has reduced sales and soaring fuel prices have put consumers off buying bigger vehicles.

Ford said it will make a loss this year and predicted that the worsening US economic situation would make it difficult for it to break even in 2009.



Full Story: Ford 'to make fewer big vehicles'