Fighting fat with surgery: pros and cons

Wayne Burns has shed half his body weight. But is he happy, asks Amelia Gentleman

Where block bookings are welcome

It may make adults go to pieces, but for the young at heart or children Legoland Hotel is the place to be.

Laziness-at-work guru to be disciplined

Those who dedicate their professional lives to idleness should do so with discretion if they hope to keep their jobs. This is one message in Hello Laziness: The Art and Importance of Doing the Least Possible at Work, an anarchic anti-business bible published in France.

CD theft not all that Nice for U2

Irish rock band U2 are up in arms over the suspected theft of their latest album. Although a rough cut of their latest material, the implications of the disc falling into the wrong hands, and onto the internet, could be severe. Jamie Wilson and Amelia Gentleman report.

Taking the Mickey

Midday on the hottest August day recorded in Paris and Dominique has no customers for his ice-cold bottles of water. Nearby, in the chilled interior of the Rendez-Vous with the Stars restaurant, most of the tables are empty. Iraq fallout, strikes and forest fires have kept Americans and Europeans away from Disneyland.