news of the weird

A daily update on curious news stories.

Sex education: According to a study in American Demographics magazine, the better education an American has received, the less sex he or she is liable to have. High-school graduates average 58 sexual contacts a year, those with "some college" average 62, but those with four-year college degrees average 56 and people who have received postgraduate education only 50. The most sexually active Americans were found to be jazz fans, gun owners and those who lack confidence in the President.

Wife-battering: Despite opposition from the Islamic party, Turkey has made wife-battering a criminal offence. According to a government study in 1994, 34 per cent of married women in Turkey suffered domestic violence. In the city of Konya, in central Turkey, however, the Islamic Welfare Party published a marriage guidance booklet saying that men are allowed to beat their wives "gently".

A bridge too feeble: 30 people were injured, 10 seriously, when a new bridge at Tingo Maria, Peru, collapsed under the weight of local dignitaries at its opening ceremony.