China builds world抯 largest bone marrow bank

　　中华骨髓库成最大华人骨髓库

　　CHINA has built the world’s largest Chinese bone marrow databank covering 500,000 donors.

　　“Our target is to collect data on one million donors by the end of 2010 so as to help more patients find compatible marrow data,” an official with the China Marrow Donor Program (CMDP) said.

　　The program, launched in 2001 by the Red Cross Society of China, aims to help millions of Chinese with blood diseases.

　　So far, the CMDP has set up 30 provincial branch marrow banks, collecting data on the wide basis of locality, race and nationality.

　　Anti-smoking law passed in Hong Kong

　　香港通过立法明年在办公室

　　餐馆等场所全面禁烟

　　THE Legislative Council of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) last Thursday approved a law entitled the Smoking (Public Health) (Amendment) Bill 2005, which will take effect on Jan. 1, 2007.

　　Hong Kong Health, Welfare and Food Bureau said six types of “qualified establishments”, which include nightclubs, commercial bathhouses, massage establishments, mahjong parlors, designated mahjong rooms in clubs, and certain bars, will implement the ban by July 1, 2009, at the latest.

　　Germans like a good cry, says survey

　　德国人比较容易掉眼泪

　　SEVENTY percent of Germans canvassed in a survey published this week said that they have cried in the past year, often while watching sad movies.

　　Eighty-eight percent of women respondents said that they have cried recently. Almost half of their male counterparts answered in the affirmative. Most said that they have let tears roll at the movies or while watching television.

　　About one-fifth said that they have cried out of anger or frustration and 8 percent admitted having been driven to tears by their lovers.

　　Only Irish women binge drink more than the English

　　英国女性爱喝酒

　　爱尔兰的更厉害

　　WOMEN in England are some of the worst binge drinkers in the world, a study has revealed.

　　The study has found that 33 per cent of English women could be tagged binge drinkers.

　　17 to 30-year-olds is now classed as a heavy drinker, binging on four or more units in one session at least once a fortnight.

　　That puts them second in an international league of shame, with only Ireland having a bigger problem.