● <B>LONDON. Smokeless tobacco ups oral cancer risk 80 %. </B>Chewing tobacco and snuff are less dangerous than cigarettes but the smokeless products still raise the risk of oral cancer by 80 percent, the World Health Organisation?s cancer agency said on Tuesday. The review of 11 studies worldwide showed people who chewed tobacco and used snuff also had a 60 % higher risk of esophagus and pancreatic cancer.

● <B>STUDY. Green tea protects against heart disease. </B>A few cups of green tea each day may help prevent heart disease, Greek researchers said on Wednesday. A study published in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation showed further evidence of the potential health benefits from a brew already linked to a reduced risk of a range of cancers and other conditions.

● <B>TOKY. G8 leaders to wish upon a bamboo tree at summit.</B> World leaders converging in Japan for the Group of Eight summit won?t wish upon a star, but instead post their hopes on a bamboo tree. When the rich nations? leaders arrive in Hokkaido, northern Japan, to discuss problems such as soaring fuel and food prices, global warming and nuclear proliferation, they will be asked to each write a wish on a piece of paper and tie it to a bamboo tree to make it come true. The ritual is part of Japan?s traditional summer ?Tanabata? holiday, which is based on a popular myth of two star-crossed lovers who meet on the milky way once a year, on July 7. The holiday coincides with the summit, which takes place from July 7-9.

● <B>LONDON. Singing dentist wins million-pound music contract. </B>An opera-loving dentist is to swap his drill for a microphone after winning a four-album recording contract worth one million pounds. Andrew Bain, 35, who has worked as a dentist in London for more than 10 years, was finally signed by record company SonyBMG after chasing a deal for years. His debut album, to be released in September, will feature operatic versions of pop hits such as The Smiths? ?How Soon Is Now?? Abba?s ?The Winner Takes It All? and Prince?s ?Purple Rain?. ?This is the ultimate dream come true,? he said in a statement. ?Not only have I finally got a record deal, but they understand my eclectic taste in music. Who needs yet another version of ?Nessun Dorma??

Raised in Lancaster and Essex, Bain sang in a church choir from the age of eight and went on to perform in amateur opera. He qualified as a dentist when he was 24 and used his holidays and spare time to indulge his passion for singing.

● <B>OTTAWA. Truck crash stirs up 12 million angry bees. </B> How do you deal with millions of upset bees? Very carefully. A truck containing 330 crates of bees, about 12 million of them altogether, overturned on a major highway near the town of St Leonard, New Brunswick, in Eastern Canada recently, setting free thousands of irritated stinging insects.

Police sealed off the vehicle and called for expert help with the millions that were left inside. ?Trying to unload 12 million agitated bees out of the back of a truck would not be a good situation,? said Derek Strong, a local spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. A team of beekeepers arrived and poured smoke into the truck to calm down the bees, which will be moved later in the day. Police said there was no general danger to the public. ?If there?s anyone in St Leonard who is allergic to bees, we?re recommending they leave town for a couple of hours,? they added.