Majority in Iraqi Kurdistan oppose female genital mutilation

Survey reveals widespread knowledge of FGM’s dangers, with 68% of people saying it should be eliminated

It’s good to talk: China opens up to psychotherapy

Nearly 60 years after psychology was banned under Mao, interest in the western 'talking cure' is gaining ground

Can we solve Britain’s obesity crisis with gastric surgery? It worked for me

Emma Burnell: Of course prevention is preferable, but when that fails we need a second chance. Like Jenni Murray, I felt my health was at risk

Bridget Christie: ‘It’s trickery, hiding serious bits within a comic framework’

Two years ago she delivered her standup routine to 10 people in a strip club. Now she’s a star of the Edinburgh Fringe and touring the country. She talks biros, big families and why the new pope is ‘bloody marvellous’, writes Mark Lawson

Panda accused of faking pregnancy for more buns and bamboo was maligned

Claims that Ai Hin was faking pregnancy to get better treatment have been debunked by leading panda expert

Would you welcome the chance to nap at your desk?

Open thread: Japanese companies are allowing staff to snooze in the middle of the working day. Tell us if you’d feel comfortable sleeping on the job

Medicinal cannabis and the caregiving community giving it away for free

Sarah Whitehead: Marijuana legislation is being relaxed all over the world – but not in the UK, where the most unlikely of horticulturalists are taking the law into their own hands

I don’t want Pope Francis’s ‘tips’ for a happy life – I want terrifying commandments dictated by God

Stuart Heritage: Shouldn't a textbook pope be a gimlet-eyed dictator, convinced of his own superiority? If so, this one's a bit rubbish

Siesta app comes to custom’s rescue as Spaniards lose the urge to snooze

SiestApp promises to leave users more rested than after a normal nap as figures show only 10% of Spaniards find time for a siesta

Criminalising pregnant women who drink is a ploy to restrict their freedom

Rebecca Schiller: If the UK apes the US and punishes pregnant women, we will be heading towards a dystopia akin to that in The Handmaid’s Tale