Education Concern over pupils' sexual ignorance

Schoolchildren in Britain have an alarming lack of knowledge about sex, according to a new survey.

The research, by the Health Education Authority, also found that a third of pupils aged between 14 and 16 have used cannabis.

More than a quarter of pupils in the 14-16 age group believe taking the Pill will protect them from sexually transmitted diseases, while around the same number think that having a steady partner will do so.

The survey also shows that many 15 and 16-year-olds are ignorant about a number of diseases including syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia.

Suicide also rises in land of rising sun

By J Sean Curtin
Japan has been stricken by an epidemic of suicides cutting across all social strata and age groups, according to recently released statistics for 2003. Every day nearly 100 people take their own lives, at a rate of almost one every 15 minutes. And the long economic slump is a factor. Despite recent signs of economic recovery, the good news hasn't yet touched the lives of those who leap off buildings, hurl themselves in front of trains, apparently in droves, or hang themselves.

Japanese Children Committed Suicide

Suicide of 'bullied' Japan pupils

Two Japanese children killed themselves over the weekend because they were being bullied at school, say police.
The deaths of the 12-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy bring the number of children in Japan who have committed suicide since August to five.
The girl, who jumped from the eighth floor of her family home, was said to be being bullied because of her height.