Education: Oddly enough

Sporting rivalry:

An argument over a high school basketball match in Philadelphia is believed to have left one person dead and three injured. Alumni of Ben Franklin High School and Franklin Learning Centre had been watching their old schools contest the final of a local competition. "The older guys probably got into a little heated argument as to who was probably better," said a police spokesman. Security forces then broke up a fist fight, but shots were fired, killing one man and leaving three in hospital.

Christian compromise:

After a drive by Catholic students at Georgetown University, Washington, to have figures of Christ on the cross placed in every classroom, university officials have decided to place a crucifix in every room except one.

Polish prudery:

A plan to introduce sex education in Polish schools that was approved by the outgoing government in 1996 has undergone some changes under the new Solidarity-led administration. The task of devising the course has been taken away from a renowned sexologist and given instead to a teacher at the Catholic University in Lublin. Zbigniew Lew-Starowicz, the sex expert originally assigned to head the team, has complained that the new team will probably treat masturbation as "pathology and sin", while his approach regarded it as "a temporary form of youth sexual activity".

Turkish tolerance:

"Girls will not be forced to cover or uncover their heads," the Turkish Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz has announced, overturning an earlier ruling that girl pupils at state schools would be banned from wearing headscarves. The Turkish military strongly support a headscarf ban, but following strong protests, the government has relented.

Bouncy babies:

Researchers in Cincinatti have identified a moment in a child's development, which they call "adiposity rebound", when the child reaches its leanest point after shedding baby fat. The age at which this happens may predict later obesity. The researchers stress that the finding has no immediate practical implication.

Lifelong learning: the conference