200 m wedding gown may be world's longest

A wedding gown company in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, has made a claim to Guinness World Records for the longest wedding dress in the world.

The 200.8 m wedding gown is 101.8 m longer than the previous record of 99 m. It has 208 bows, weighs about 100 kg and needs at least 100 assistants to be worn.

(Beijing Evening News )

HK sex survey arrives at unsurprising conclusion

A new study indicates most Hong Kong women are having sex because they like it.

The Hong Kong Association of Sexuality Educators, Researchers and Therapists polled 1,087 women between August and September.

More than 60 percent said they wanted sex so as to be intimate with their partners or to satisfy their desires. Less than 30 percent said they had sex to meet the needs of their partners or to have children.

The association also found, however, that 15 percent of women often experience discomfort during intercourse, and 15 percent had difficulty having intercourse for the first time.

Compared with their Western counterparts, Hong Kong women are more afraid of pain during sexual intercourse, a director of the association said.

(Wen Wei Po)

Policeman's fishy story fails to convince court

A Hong Kong policeman was convicted of accepting bribes on Tuesday, even though he insisted to the judge it was payment for some expensive preserved fish.

The 48-year-old marine officer, surnamed Leung, was stationed on Hong Kong's Cheung Chau island. The Independent Commission Against Corruption took him to court after discovering a night club manager had deposited HK$8,780 ($1,100) into an account he used for betting.

Leung said he had known the nightclub owner since he was a child and bought him the costly fish that was available only on Cheung Chau.

The nightclub boss insisted on paying him, Leung said, but his claims fell on deaf ears. Sentencing has been adjourned to October 31.

(Ming Pao)

Kindergarten swindler's excuses ignored by judge

A kindergarten headmistress in Hong Kong was sentenced to eight months in prison for swindling HK$122,100 from her students' parents, despite claiming she was forced to do so by her boyfriend.

The 35-year-old defendant, surnamed Choi, made 42 parents pay for courses that were actually free. The money was deposited into the account of a company owned by Choi's boyfriend, surnamed Lui.

The defense lawyer said Lui forced Choi to do as he bid by secretly videoing her taking a shower and threatening to release the tape. The judge, however, said Choi must take responsibility for her actions.

(Ming Pao)

(China Daily 10/19/2007 page4)