In brief...

Sex education scheme starts in China: Female Chinese middle school students are to receive sex education lectures for the first time, according to a report in the Shanghai Daily. Shanghai, Beijing, and Chongqing will be used as test cities for the trial education programme and, if successful, middle school students across the country could be offered sex education classes next year.

US tops teenage obesity scale: A study of adolescents in 15 countries shows that the United States has the highest prevalence of overweight (Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 2004;158:27-33). More than 15% of 15 year old girls were overweight. But among 13 year olds, Ireland, France, and Greece also had a high prevalence.

Death penalty approved for distribution of fake drugs: India's cabinet has approved the death penalty for people involved in the production and distribution of fake drugs. Moves are underway to amend the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, which currently carries maximum penalties of imprisonment for several years for such offences.

US universities say journal subscriptions are no "big deals": Publisher Elsevier is receiving cancellations of multi-journal subscriptions from Harvard University, and Cornell University. Libraries pay for a package of journals for several years--known as "big deals." Harvard, however, found that more than a fifth of Elsevier titles were used less than twice a month.

New Zealand to ban drug adverts: Prescription drugs should not be advertised directly to consumers, says New Zealand's health minister, Annette King. New Zealand and the United States are the only countries which currently allow this type of advertising.