Today's news

Former SAS train gap-year students to be safe
Students planning gap-year travels are being trained by former members of the SAS at the behest of parents worried about terrorism, crime and the Sars virus. Demand has been driven by terrorist attacks, the Iraq war and by media reports of accidents. More than 1,300 British citizens die overseas every year. Charlie McGrath, from Objective, which works with the Foreign Office over the courses, said that parents were happy to pay £150 for a day-long course to get peace of mind. Henry Gordon Clark, from Kgap, said that students needed toughening up. He charges £350 for a 2½-day course.
(Times)

Student crushed by falling lift dies
A first-year student who was crushed by a lift at his university hall of residence died yesterday. Andrew Tucker, 19, was walking out of the lift with three friends on Saturday night when it suddenly dropped five feet. The accident happened at about 11pm in Sibly Hall, a ten-storey hall of residence in Reading where Mr Tucker, from Cardiff, was staying.
(Times, Guardian)

Graduates turn to surrealism for a great escape
Future stars of fashion had their chance to shine at the Central St Martins graduate show yesterday. The college was the first to show off its class of 2003 at York Hall in Bethnal Green, east London, a week before Graduate Fashion Week begins in Battersea Park. This year students had been affected by war and an overwhelming fear of nihilism; many chose an escapist path, exploring surreal takes on the human body and even re-acquainting themselves with old classics.
(Daily Telegraph)