IN THE NEWS

Literacy problem solution:

Children will be asked to draw pictures instead of spelling words as part of a new strategy to improve literacy test results in primary school.

Female polar bears frustrated:

Polar bear penis bones are shrinking in Eastern Greenland, according to Christian Sonne of the University of Aarhus in Denmark and colleagues.

Pressure on children increasing:

Pre-schoolers are stressing themselves out about kindergarten six months before they even have their first day of school, new research has found.

Melbourne child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg said that parents were often the cause of children’s anxiety before starting school.

Party animal:

A Double Bay man got more than he bargained for when he took his highly agitated kitten to a veterinary clinic after it had been accidentally locked in a cupboard overnight - only to discover it was high on cocaine and benzodiazepines from a wild weekend dinner party.

Birdsville races on despite lack of horses:

Punters will instead be able to bet on jockeys riding hobby horses flown in for this year's meet, which has been disrupted by the outbreak of equine influenza (EI).

Manhood gone:

A Thai woman is at large with her husband's penis today after discovering the man's unfaithfulness.