CHINA. MASS SENTENCING IN RUN UP TO INTERNATIONAL ANTI-DRUG DAY

China relaunched an anti-drug crusade in April when it announced that the number of drug addicts had grown to 790,000 people, a 6.8 percent increase over 2004. In Beijing, 101 convicted drug traffickers were sentenced to prison terms of up to life in prison and the death sentence, the State Supreme Court said on its website without giving specific details. The collective sentencing was "to mark a strong moment in the fight against drugs," the court said.