DNA hunt for rapist at French school
Pupils and staff at a French Catholic school have been asked to give DNA samples to police after a teenager was raped in the toilets. In an attempt to find the rapist after months of fruitless investigations, detectives are taking mouth swabs from 475 pupils, 31 teachers and 21 other staff at a private Fenelon Notre-Dame lyce in La Rochelle. The victim was unable to identify her assailant because the lights were out during the attack, but the DNA of a man believed to be the rapist was recovered from her clothing.
Coalition aims to get 57 million into education
United Nations general secretary Ban Ki-moon has helped to launch a new worldwide campaign to get 57 million children into school. The establishment of the Emergency Coalition for Global Education Action follows the news that the international community will likely fall short of the UN Millennium Development Goal to get all children into education by 2015. The coalition, which includes singer-songwriter Shakira and actors Jude Law and Goldie Hawn, plans to speed up progress towards ensuring that all children attend school. The coalition was convened by the UN special envoy for global education, former UK prime minister Gordon Brown.
Crime more likely in teens who think life is short
Teenagers with a pessimistic view of how long they will live are more likely to offend over time, a study claims. The research from the University of Texas at Dallas shows that young people’s perceptions of how long they will live also affect how they view the consequences of crime. Teens who anticipated early death were more likely to focus on “the here and the now”, said Dr Alex Piquero, author of the study. “They’re impulsive; they don’t think about the risks of their behaviour,” he said. He added that the research, based on data from a seven-year study of young offenders, showed that young people needed to be made aware of how education and employment could lead to long-term rewards.
Detention fee scrapped after parental complaints
A network of independent US charter schools has dropped a $5 (pound;3) fee charged to students who receive detention. The Noble Network of Charter Schools dropped the controversial aspect of its strict discipline policy after parental complaints, according to the Chicago Tribune newspaper. In a letter to parents, Noble’s superintendent Michael Milkie acknowledged that the fee had over the years “attracted attention, and as a result been a distraction”.
