Sydney  - It's a dilemma that besets many parents: to have their child start junior school younger than their peers or to delay entry for a year in the hope of a better academic outcome at the end of high school.

New research in Australia shows that, if it matters at all when a child starts school, it's probably better to start them young than hold them back.

"Kids find their own station in life," said Sydney University 's Andrew Martin. "The truth will out."

Stockholm  - A Swedish district court has criticized the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences for discriminating against women in its selection process for applicants to veterinary studies.

The district court in the university city of Uppsala, north-west of Stockholm, ruled that 44 women were discriminated against by being denied places in veterinary school even though they had the same grades as the male applicants.

Bielefeld, Germany  - Only one out of 10 Germans desire eternal life, according to a survey of 1,002 people conducted in January by the opinion research company Emnid based in Bielefeld, Germany.

The survey also showed that only 2 per cent of those questioned would like to live to be 150 or 300 years old, while 8 per cent desire a life span of 110 years. Fifty-six per cent would like to live to be 90 years old, and 16 per cent said they would be satisfied with 70 years.

Washington  - The legislature of the US state of Vermont on Tuesday voted to make same-sex marriage legal, overriding the governor's veto of a bill that allowed gay couples to marry.

Vermont becomes the fourth state to allow same-sex marriage, and the first to do so through the legislative process and not court action. It joins the states of Iowa, Massachusetts and Connecticut, where the courts intervened to make gay marriage legal.

Hamburg  - Large colourful and flashy. Sunglass fashion this summer is definitely conspicuous.

"Colourful frames are hot and as well as frames with way-out patterns, such as spider webs, peace signs or skulls," said Gabriele Gerling of Germany's central association of opticians in Dusseldorf. Retro is the number one catchword. However, the styles are not reverting to fashion trends just from the 1950s and 1960s. This year everything from the 1930s to the 1970s is represented.

Helsinki  - Finland, home to several world champion rallies and Formula One racing drivers, is currently studying changes to its system for learner drivers.

A possible change could include adjusting some of the basic training according to gender.

Esko Keskinen, a traffic psychologist with the Finnish Vehicle Administration (AKE), indicated the needs in a recent interview with the Aamulehti newspaper, but said each beginner driver would need to discuss specific needs with their teacher.