Mark No Tobacco Day with a ban that bites

Smoking kills. And the devastation it causes is especially alarming in China.

Every year more than 1.4 million people die from lung cancer and other smoking-related illnesses in the country - about 3,800 people every day - and the figure is expected to reach 3 million by 2050 if no effective measures are taken.

The toll from smoking is heavier than that from HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and accidents combined, according to statistics from the World Health Organization.