One in 30 foetuses aborted for medical reasons is born alive, a 10-year study at 20 UK hospitals has found. Most of these babies with disabilities were born between 20 and 24 weeks of pregnancy and all lived for no more than a few hours.

A grief counselling programme for families bereaved by suicide does not reduce grief or depression, but may help to prevent perceptions of blame among close relatives and spouses, finds a study published on bmj.com.

Decisions about building casinos in the UK have not given enough weight to the potential health effects, argue two doctors in this week’s BMJ. In March the House of Lords threw out government proposals to build the UK’s first Las Vegas-style super casino in Manchester and build 16 other casinos around the country.

Every 15 minutes someone dies as a direct result of physical inactivity. Yet just 30 minutes of activity a day will help stave off heart disease and other illnesses, the British Heart Foundation says today as it launches a new poster campaign.

Elderly people with dementia could be tagged to make it easier to track their movements, a minister has proposed. Science Minister Malcolm Wicks told the BBC the satellite technology could enable them to lead fuller lives and would reassure their families.