Japanese authorities are preparing to raid the local arm of Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis over data fabrication claims, reports said Friday.

A health ministry panel of experts has concluded that Novartis Pharma KK should be held responsible for studies at various universities that used manipulated data on a popular blood pressure drug, the Asahi Shimbun and other media said.

Myanmar's tallest man -- "Big Zaw" -- has returned from Singapore where doctors said he underwent successful brain surgery to remove a tumor responsible for his excessive growth.

Win Zaw Oo, who stands seven feet eight inches tall (233 centimeters) arrived in Yangon on Thursday from the city-state where specialists carried out the life-saving eight-hour operation.

Surgeons in Afghanistan have carried out a life-saving operation on a baby girl born with an extra head, doctors and relatives said Thursday.

The girl -- named Asree Gul (new flower) and one of a pair of twins -- was admitted to a hospital in the eastern city of Jalalabad with an extra head attached to her scalp, chief surgeon Ahmad Obaid Mojadidi told Agence France Presse.

It may be one of the most recognizable Irish brands but a national celebration of all things Guinness on Thursday has not gone down as smoothly as the drinks company might have hoped.

The spike in alcohol consumption that accompanied previous "Arthur's Day" celebrations has rekindled concerns about Ireland's relationship with alcohol, and sparked calls for a boycott.

"No more Hiroshimas!" ''No more Fukushimas!" Those slogans are chanted together at rallies by Japanese who want both an end to nuclear power in the island nation and an end to nuclear weapons around the world. But many in this city, where the world's first atomic-bomb attack killed tens of thousands, are distressed by efforts to connect their suffering to the tsunami-triggered meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant.

Like the bomb the United States dropped on Hiroshima Aug. 6, 1945, the March 2011 Fukushima disaster unleashed radiation that will affect the region's health for decades. Hiroshima medical experts, the world's most renowned on radiation-related sicknesses, are being called on for advice on how the meltdowns may have harmed people who lived near the power plant along the northeastern coast of Japan.

More than 200 mobile apps for diagnosing skin rashes and moles are now on the market, and U.S. researchers Wednesday urged caution in relying on them over a doctor's advice.

Their names include attention-grabbers like "What's My Rash?" and "iSore."

Burger King wants people to feel less guilty about gobbling up its french fries.

The world's No. 2 hamburger chain is launching a new crinkle-cut french fry on Tuesday that it says has about 20 percent fewer calories than its regular fries.

Think you’re saving yourself extra calories by going the artificial sweetener route? New research suggests you’re just setting yourself up to fail.

That’s the conclusion of a new study out of Yale University which found that eating low-calorie sweetened products may actually sabotage efforts to reduce calorie intake, by leading people to reach for higher calorie alternatives later on.

With new health insurance markets launching next week, the Obama administration is unveiling premiums and plan choices for 36 states where the federal government is taking the lead to cover uninsured residents.

Before tax credits that work like an upfront discount for most consumers, sticker-price premiums for a mid-range benchmark plan will average $328 a month nationally for an individual, comparable to payments for a new car.

Air pollution kills more people annually than road accidents in Sao Paulo, Brazil's most populous city which will host the opening game of the 2014 World Cup, a study found.

The survey by the Health and Environment out Tuesday said at least 4,655 people died from pollution-related ailments in the city which is home to 11 million, compared with 1,556 killed in crashes.