The UK has one of the worst reputations for binge drinking and underage sex but there are striking similarities between countries, a study found.
A third of 16 to 35-year-old men and 23% of women questioned said they drank to increase their chance of sex.

The study - of 1,341 young people in nine countries including the UK - is published in BMC Public Health.

Young people were also more at risk of unsafe sex while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the study found.

The researchers said although it was well known that use of alcohol and drugs was linked to risky sexual behaviour, this study showed many young people were "strategically" binge drinking or abusing drugs to improve their sex lives.

- FP: Teen rappers drop some verse about The Economist

Maybe we don't have to worry that Americans are too dumb to read the Economist after all.

A teenage rap duo in Chicago has recorded a track, aptly called "The Economist," that extols the British publication's breadth and brevity and samples podcast commentary by correspondents Edward Lucas and Anthony Gottlieb.

"The style in which they write is simple and concise, how do they get their sentences so precise?" the rappers wonder. [UPDATE: Matt Yglesias quips, "The answer, of course, is 'heavy-handed editing' facilitated by lack of bylines."]

And the chorus is a gem, too: "He reads the Economist so he can get the gist, its solid competence gives him confidence that his intelligence is correct."

The rappers also weigh in on accusations that the Economist pushes a particular line: "Yes, they have a bias; it's pro-democratic. And pro-free trade; they are very emphatic."

- Metro: Grave diggers use skull as bong

A group of teenagers have dug up a secluded grave, removed the skull of a boy from the coffin and converted it into a marijuana bong.
Police found out about the grave theft whilst interviewing Kevin Wade Jones, 17, about the use of a stolen debit card and he told them all about it.

Police in Houston believe the grave is that of an 11-year-old boy who died in 1921.

- BBC: US and Russia in sandwich battle

From Cold War to cold meats... sailors from the US and Russian navies have tested their culinary skills in a sandwich-making competition.

The contest was held during a visit by the US destroyer Stethem to the eastern Russian port of Vladivostok to mark Victory Day. Officers also joined in.

A Russian cook took the prize for best-tasting sandwich while an American came top for most original presentation.

Sandwiches topped with cucumber sails were among the Russian offerings.

The ingredients included peppers, smoked ham, lettuce, cheese, mayonnaise, olives, cherry tomatoes and gherkins.

The US winner in the individual contest got a bottle of vodka, and presented his Russian rivals with USS Stethem caps and sweatshirts in return, the BBC's Dmitry Klimov reports.

- MT: Fugitive Moose On the Loose

A moose is on the loose in Moscow, Interfax reported Tuesday.

The moose escaped from Losiny Ostrov (or "Moose Island") national park in eastern Moscow on Monday afternoon and ran across a road before disappearing into streets near Sokolniki park.

An official at the Moscow Department of Natural Resource Management and Environmental Protection, Alexei Akhundov, said Tuesday that park rangers would wait for the moose to reach Sokolniki park and catch it there.

Moose often migrate from Losiny Ostrov toward Sokolniki, since the population is too large in the national park, Akhundov said

No O&E complete without gratuitous pic:

"Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.