Headlines:

King of Pop Michael Jackson is dead

Michael Jackson died on Thursday, at the age of 50.

Jackson suffered a cardiac arrest on Thursday afternoon at his home and paramedics were unable to revive him.

Jackson was preparing for a series of concerts in London on July 13 running until March 2010.The shows for the 50 London concerts sold out within minutes of going on sale in March.

Water cube opens to the public

The 'Water Cube' opened the warm-up pool to public swimmers last Saturday.

People who want to swim there have to get a health check and a deep-water certificate before entering the pool. The pool will be open Thursday to Sunday from 2 to 7 pm until October. The entrance fee is 50 yuan for two hours.

Cross-Straits undersea cable expected

An undersea cable will link the Chinese mainland and Taiwan for the first time, increasing the speed of information exchange by up to 10 times, China Telecom said Tuesday.

After the project’s approval and construction, the undersea telecommunications cable could be put into operation as early as the end of this year. Construction preparation work has been already completed.

Crashed US train 'was to be phased out'

The subway train that plowed into another, causing a crash that killed seven and injured more than 70 people in Washington DC, was part of an ageing fleet that federal regulators had recommended three years ago, be phased out or retrofitted, a safety investigator said Tuesday.

Monday's crash was the worst in the history of Metrorail, which has shuttled passengers for more than three decades.

News in depth:

Security for 60th anniversary beefed up

About 3,000 uniformed police Tuesday roared in unison an oath to ensure public safety during celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Marking the 100-day countdown to the October 1 anniversary, the police gathered at the western Beijing sports center to promise to safeguard the event from violence and disorder. Security is stepped up in the capital from Wednesday until the end of the weeklong celebration.

Plainclothes police and security cameras will monitor the capital's airports in an effort to ensure the safety of visiting dignitaries.

Do drugs control your life?

Today is the United Nations’ International day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking, aimed at raising awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society.

The goal of the campaign, which runs from 2007 to 2009, is to inspire people and mobilize support for drug control. The theme chosen this year by the UN is ‘Do drugs control your life?’

Statistics from the Ministry of Public Security indicate that the number of registered drug addicts in China reached 791,000 by the end of last year. More than 2,200 of the nation's 2,863 counties were found to have drug users.

Cigarette tax increased to cut smoking

The government has raised consumption tax on cigarettes by between 6 and 11 percent to curb smoking and add revenue to State coffers.

The tax hike took effect on May 1 but was made public over the weekend along with a levy of 5 percent imposed on cigarette wholesalers, according to a statement by the State Administration of Taxation.

The tax has not yet been passed on to smokers and it is unclear how much of the increase tobacco companies, wholesalers and retailers will absorb.

The country has more than 350 million smokers, about a third of the population.

Other news:

Clones of 9/11 hero dog unveiled in LA

Five clones of a search and rescue dog, which helped locate people trapped in the rubble of the 9/11 attacks, were formally presented on Wednesday to their ancestor's former handler.

James Symington, a former Canadian police officer, choked back tears as he formally took possession of the five descendants of his beloved German shepherd named Trakr, who died in April.

About the broadcaster:

Siberian-born Kristina Koveshikova is a freelance journalist from New Zealand who has worked in print, television and film. After completing a BCS degree majoring in journalism, she won an Asia NZ Foundation/Pacific Media Centre award to work for China Daily website. Kristina previously did internships at ABC 7 News in Washington DC and TVNZ in New Zealand and has written for a number of publications, including The New Zealand Herald and East & Bays Courier.