A quieter army

Beijing

Young men who snore will not be allowed to become officers in the People’s Liberation Army under new regulations issued this week. “Chronic snorers’ sounds disturb the life of others,” army health official Li Chunming told the Beijing Times. The new regulations for admission to military academies also ban recruits who are too short, too skinny, or too fat, or who have tattoos larger than an inch in diameter. “Tattoos will tarnish the military’s image, even the scars of removed tattoos,” Li said. China has the largest standing army in the world, with 2.3 million personnel, both conscripts and volunteers.