6 punished for cheating Six candidates in Central China’s Henan Province for the National College Entrance Examinations (NCEE) have been punished for organizing substitutes* to sit the exam in their place, local education authorities said on June 26. The Provincial Higher Education Admission Office said that the test results of the six students from high schools in Qixian and Tongxu counties have been canceled, and they will be barred from* participating in any national examinations for the next three years. 17% rise in drug crimes committed by foreigners Drug offenses* involving foreigners rose sharply last year, China Daily reported on June 26. Most of the foreign drug trafficking* suspects who were arrested are from African nations. Foreign drug gangs are said to be active in Guangdong, Yunnan and Guangxi. African drug trafficking suspects smuggled* heroin from the Golden Crescent region (made up of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan) or brought marijuana* or cocaine from Africa and South America. Official cancels events Zhang Zhijun, the mainland’s top negotiator for cross-Straits* affairs, was forced to cancel several appearances on the final day of his landmark visit to Taiwan on Saturday. Zhang, director of the State Council’s Taiwan Affairs Office, was forced to cancel one scheduled event in the south and two in central Taiwan. His host, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, said the changes followed clashes between police and protesters throughout his visit. Workers evacuated A group of about 1,000 Chinese workers who had been trapped at a power station by the fighting in Iraq are now being evacuated by air and road, state media said on June 27. State radio said on its website that the first group of more than 50, who work for a Chinese machinery company, were evacuated by helicopter on June 25. The others will be gradually brought out by bus. The workers are now all out of danger, state radio said, citing the Chinese embassy in Iraq.(SD-Agencies) | 