Anne Lu

New Zealand literary great CK Stead is getting schooled on the country's rape culture by Man Booker prize winner Eleanor Catton. The famed novelist conceded that the younger author may be right when she rebuked him for his comments on Roast Busters and the country's "embarrassing delirium" on the issue.

The New Zealand Air Force has landed in the Philippines to offer the Southeast Asian nation aid. Hercules, the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) C-130, delivered about 30 tonnes of food and basic necessities to the country's central region, where super typhoon Haiyan devastated several provinces.

Almost two months after “Breaking Bad” has concluded, the U.S. crime drama show has released its alternate ending. Bryan Cranston returned to film the short hilarious segment with his “Malcolm in the Middle” co-star Jane Kaczmarek.

U.S. political satirist Stephen Colbert has successfully raised more than USD100,000 in just one day after he mocked China’s initial monetary donation to the victims of super typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

Filipina newsreader Korina Sanchez is facing yet another social media backlash after her infamous and very recent feud with CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper. A photo showing slippers bearing her name has been circulating online, with Netizens claiming she has had the footwear printed before she would donate them to the victims of the super typhoon Haiyan, known locally as Yolanda, in central Philippines.

Melbourne dance teacher Marie Lacombe has learned that the price of turning down a marriage proposal from an older man is in the tune of $200,000. The 42-year-old single mother claimed she was never romantically involved with 65-year-old Bruce Dusting, but he maintained she led him on to get money from him.

Super typhoon Haiyan has effectively roused to action not only the Filipinos, but the rest of the world as well. Since the monster typhoon wrecked the central region of the Philippines on Friday, many citizens have been asking why the government isn’t doing more. As it turned out, there are politicians who have been doing a lot more to help, such as branding donations with their names.

The infamous Amy’s Baking Company is back, and the Bouzaglos are still as crazy as ever. Amy and Samy Bouzaglo, who are arguably the most memorable participants in Chef Gordon Ramsay’s “Kitchen Nightmares,” are having their own reality show, whether their critics like it or not.

Ever get tired of coming up with your own status and posting it on Facebook? Now you can have a bot generate a status for you. The new app “What Would I Say?” has just recently been developed, but already it is becoming viral, with an increasing number of Facebook users turning to the app for their status update.

A British man has died mysteriously after opening a container which bears the red text "Pandora's Box." 37-year-old Jason Airey was found unconscious next to the box in his bedroom in Carlisle, Cumbria in May. He died two days later of natural causes.

Lorde can now afford diamonds on a timepiece. The “Royals” singer, who still dominates the U.S. charts even after six weeks, has signed a deal with Songs Music Publishing that is reportedly worth USD2.5 million.

Mark Wahlberg has a message to actors who compare themselves to soldiers. A few days after Tom Cruise was quoted, albeit perhaps inaccurately, to say that his acting job was as hard as fighting in Afghanistan, Wahlberg unleashed a passionate tirade, saying, “How f****** dare you.”

Supermodel Cindy Crawford used to be a rude diva, according to famed photographer Bruce Weber. The celebrated fashion photographer recalled the time when he had to give the catwalk beauty a lesson she wouldn't forget when her attitude became a problem.

Former city councillor Aaron Keown is under fire for encouraging people to send abusive messages to a woman. The controversial Christchurch politician posted a woman's number on his Facebook page, telling his followers that the woman deserves to receive abusive messages and crank calls.

Time magazine's Most Influential Teens of 2013 include two of New Zealand's most recognisable youth. Golf prodigy Lydia Ko and music chart-topper Lorde are among the 16 successful teens that have made the annual list.

Not getting enough “likes” on your Instagram photos? Maybe it’s because your pictures are not blue enough. A new study carried out by Philadelphia-based research company Curalate has concluded why some pictures on the photo-sharing social site receive more attention than the others, and how people can improve their chances of getting “likes.”

A new Roast Busters Facebook page has been set up, and the New Zealand police are aware of it while the social networking site itself can’t do anything about it. The old page of the notorious teen group that boasted their sexual exploits with drunk, underage girls and shamed their victims online was already taken down, but a new one has emerged.

White supremacist Craig Cobb couldn’t believe that he is not 100 per cent white. The 62-year-old North Dakota resident, who wanted to turn his town into a “white enclave,” was told his DNA Diagnostics test showed that he has African blood. And it’s all captured on tape.

The microwave origin theory of Haiyan is unfounded, according to Mahar Lagmay, a scientist and professor from the University of the Philippines. Mr Lagmay has debunked the viral video that claims the super typhoon that has devastated a region in the Philippines is man-made.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key is expected to postpone his trip to the Philippines in the wake of Super Typhoon Haiyan. Mr Key was supposed to travel to Manila on the invitation of President Benigno Aquino from November 20 to 22 to discuss the two countries' mutual interest and cooperation.

The Philippines’ delegate to the UN climate summit in Warsaw, Poland has delivered an emotional plea on Monday. Yeb Sano, the counrty’s climate change commissioner, broke down at the conference, linking the recent super typhoon tragedy that has befallen his home nation to climate change.

Sacha Baron Cohen has “killed” an elderly woman in a wheelchair while receiving an award onstage. The English actor shocked the audience when he pushed 87-year-old Grace Collington, described as “the oldest surviving actor to have worked with Chaplin in a silent movie,” off the stage on Saturday.

A Singaporean man with a doubly epic name has been jailed for unheroic acts on Monday. 23-year-old Batman bin Suparman (his real name) was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison for housebreaking, theft, and drug offences.

Tom Cruise did not compare his job as an actor to that of a soldier fighting in Afghanistan, according to his lawyer. The A-lister is fighting recent reports, saying that the media only published selected quotes from his deposition to make him look bad.

“The Big Bang Theory” co-stars Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco don’t just play romantic partners Leonard and Penny in the show, they also played a romantic couple in real life. That was years ago, though, and Galecki is just opening up about it now.

RadioLive hosts Willie Jackson and John Tamihere have been taken off air after their disastrous interview with an alleged friend of a Roast Busters victim. The radio DJs are under fire for “victim blaming.”

New York father David Schorr was labelled an “unfit” parent after he refused to take his kid to McDonald’s for dinner. He is now suing court-appointed psychiatrist Marilyn Schiller for defamation.

Selena Gomez still hasn’t recovered from rising star Lorde’s alleged diss. The 21-year-old singer/actress said she will stop covering the younger Kiwi singer’s songs after the latter stood by her earlier criticism of Selena’s song. Lorde doesn’t have to worry too much, though. She has music icon Cher’s back.

Scientology was a factor in Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ divorce. The A-list actor and the church’s most famous member has confessed in a deposition that part of the reason why his wife left him was because Holmes didn’t want their daughter Suri to grow up as a Scientologist.