LONDON: Most teenage girls who take up smoking do so to lose weight, says a study. Past studies have shown a connection between young smokers and eating disorders, but the new research is the first to directly link teen girls' pursuit of thinness with smoking, said Lesley Walker, head of the science information campaign, which funded the study which was released yesterday.

The researchers surveyed almost 2,800 girls in Britain and Canada ranging in age from 11 to 18, 20 per cent of whom smoked. Most of the smokers said weight control was the principal reason they took up the habit. More than 30 per cent of them feared they would eat more and put on weight if they tried to give up cigarettes, researchers said.

Courtship lessons

KUALA LUMPUR: A northern Malaysian state will soon conduct special lessons for husbands on how to be romantic towards their wives in a bid to slash rising divorce rates, a report said today. The ``romance your wife''programme will be launched next month and is aimed at producing ``healthy families'', a Kedah state official was quoted as saying by the Star daily newspaper. Aziz Desa said the lessons, which involves a series of workshops and lectures on the techniques of love and romance, is also aimed at curbing the amoral activities of straying husbands. Kedah recorded 1,729 divorces last year. The lessons will be run by religious officials and motivation experts.

CIA headquarters

WASHINGTON: The House of Representatives has agreed with the Senate to rename the CIA headquarters after its former director George Bush, the only president to have also held the CIA post. Lawmakers from both parties on Monday extolled Bush's long service to the nation, from his days as a world War II navy pilot to his years in the White House. The legislation was adopted by voice vote. The Senate already has voted to rename CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, the George H W Bush center for central intelligence. Wheninformed of the House's action, Bush said he was pleased.

Bush became CIA director in 1976 in the thick of probes about abuse of power by the agency; he is credited with with restoring the morale of the agency's beleaguered staff.

Lost treasure

LONDON: A marine treasure hunter claims he has unearthed a shipwreck off the S-W English coast with booty worth 100 million pounds (160 million dollars), The Times reported on Tuesday. The President sank in a storm in Mount's Bay off Penzance in 1683 after a gruelling voyage during which its crew fought off pirates and had to eat the ship's dog to avoid starvation.