Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 26 May 2015

1. HEALTH: DOES NOISE LEAD TO OBESITY?

Living near a noisy road, railway line or under a flight-path can lead to obesity, as the noise leads the body to think it is heading towards crisis, reports the Daily Telegraph. NHS chiefs are squandering millions on a doomed anti-obesity strategy because they do not realise that babies start to become fat even before they are born, according to the country’s most senior children’s doctor.

2. COOPER BIDS FOR CHILDCARE PLATFORM

Labour leadership contender Yvette Cooper says the party must reach out to families who struggle to work and bring up children, with an offer of a free, Scandinavian-style system of universal childcare. Cooper is calling for Labour to embrace an offer of 30 hours’ free childcare for all children over the age of two until they go to school.

Andy Burnham's triple whammy in Labour leader race

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3. CLAIM: BLUES LEGEND BB KING 'POISONED'

Detectives investigating the death of blues legend BB King are examining allegations that he was poisoned. Two of his daughters, Karen Williams and Patty King, are accusing business manager LaVerne Toney and personal assistant, Myron Johnson, of killing their father, who died at the age of 89. King’s heirs are squabbling over his estate, valued at between $5 million and $30 million.

BB King 'poisoned by his aides', say daughters

4. IRAQ LAUNCHES ANBAR OPERATION

Iraqi government forces have formally launched a major military operation in conjunction with Shia militia groups, some with Iranian backing, to reclaim the city of Ramadi and drive Islamic State out of Anbar province. However, there are fears that the role of Shia fighters in a largely Sunni area could lead to sectarian violence.

5. DIDCOT SUSPECT ALLEN’S BODY FOUND

Detectives who were hunting for Jed Allen say they are satisfied that a body found in Oxford is that of the triple-murder suspect. On Saturday, the bodies of Janet Jordon, 48, her six-year-old daughter Derrin and Philip Howard, 44, were found at their home in Didcot, Oxfordshire. Allen reportedly sent a text saying: “I’ve done something bad" on Saturday.

Didcot murders: prime suspect Jed Allen found dead in Oxford

6. BRITS ‘FAMED FOR BROWN FOUL TEETH’

Britain has become "internationally renowned" for having "really lousy" teeth, says a television doctor. The tendency here to tolerate "brown, foul teeth" causes "subtle and very strong" negative effects on overall health, says Dr Chris van Tulleken. British people should start shaming each other until a higher standard of oral hygiene is reached, he adds.

7. PM: BRITISH ‘UNHAPPY WITH STATUS QUO’

British people are “not happy with the status quo”, David Cameron has told European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. The prime minister held talks with Juncker at Chequers at the start of a week of efforts to renegotiate Britain's EU membership. The EC president "reiterated that he wanted to find a fair deal for the UK", according to a Downing Street spokesman.

Remain-voting City lobby group calls for 'dramatic Brexit U-turn'

8. BANKER IN COURT OVER LIBOR RIGGING

A City trader was motivated solely by "greed" when he manipulated interest rates, a court has heard. Tom Hayes is accused of acting in a "dishonest and manipulative manner" in order to rig the Libor interbank lending rate between 2006 and 2010. He is the first banker to face criminal charges over the scandal.

9. ENGLAND PICK AUSSIE COACH BAYLISS

Australian Trevor Bayliss has been appointed as coach of the England cricket team ahead of the Ashes this summer. Bayliss, who coached Sri Lanka from 2007 to 2011 and took temporary charge of the Australian T20 team in 2014, will be the first Australian to lead England when he takes over in June. England's current coach, Paul Farbrace, will stay on as Bayliss's assistant.

A new era dawns at Lord's as Stokes inherits Flintoff's crown

10. BRIEFING: WILL SCOTLAND VOTE AGAIN?

The Scottish National Party's sweeping victory in the general election has reopened the debate about Scottish independence, which last year's referendum was intended to settle. During the campaign, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said repeatedly that the 2015 election was not "about independence", but she is yet to rule out a second referendum after the Scottish elections in 2016.

Scottish independence: Is IndyRef2 'dead' after election losses?