Reissa Su

British police have rescued three women held as slaves for 30 years in a London house after one of them reported their condition to a charitable institution.

The Labour party has accused the New Zealand government of deliberately withholding information about the risks of deep-sea oil drilling off the Kaikoura coast. According to Labour leader David Cunliffe, documents have surfaced indicating Environment Minister Amy Adams had secretly kept the risks from going public to protect Anadarko's proposed oil-drilling site.

Indonesians expressed their outrage over claims that Australia had been spying on the Indonesian government. Prime Minister Tony Abbott has refused to apologise to Indonesia in the heat of the spying scandal. The Twitter hashtag #GanyangAustralia became the Indonesians’ online crusade against Australia. The hashtag, when translated, means “Crush Australia.”

Facebook has ordered a woman from Auckland to take down photos of her reconstructed breasts. Nic Russell, who just turned 40 years old, has posted artistic photos of her breasts. Ms Russell was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. Three months before she found out she had breast cancer, her two-and-a-half-year old child, Kenzie, was diagnosed with paraspinal cancer.

Apple Inc, Samsung and Microsoft's idea of putting a "kill switch" in smartphones to deter theft has been rejected by mobile phone carriers. According to San Francisco Attorney General George Gascon in his Twitter account, wireless carriers discarded the kill-switch proposal. Mr Gascon also suggested that carriers are thinking of income first before security of smartphones.

New Zealand-born fashion designer Anjhe Mules who is now in London has been chosen to feature her futuristic sportswear in the movie, "Catching Fire," the latest installment in the Hunger Games series. Ms Mules, who was born and raised in Kerikeri, New Zealand, was chosen based on a Google search result. She is a creative director London-based Lucas Hugh, a clothing label for luxury sportswear.

New Zealand's Auckland and Australia's Sydney and Melbourne made it to the list of world's top cities for students. Auckland's international student industry is boosted by ranking no. 18 out of 50 cities in Quacquarelli Symonds Best Students Cities list.

Member-nations of the G20 may be saying goodbye to hopes of ever having a strong and effective action plan against climate change when Australia takes over the leadership in December. International observers find no evidence that the country is taking the global issue of climate change seriously.

Extreme weather has triggered devastating storms like Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines which left more than 6,000 dead and 4 million people displaced. Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, has warned that extreme weather events will continue as a "direct result" of man-made climate change.

The flesh-eating drug, Krokodil, has been making headlines in Russia and the United States for its horrifying effects on those who have tried using it. Various reports indicate that Krokodil has been reportedly spotted in Canada. According to Ontario health workers, they have seen suspected cases of the flesh-eating drug Krokodil on the streets.

The international relief response for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in the Philippines has been overwhelming with countries worldwide showing support and solidarity in time of crisis. The Category 5 typhoon has left more than 4,000 dead and 4 million people displaced. The damage to property, agriculture and infrastructure has reached billions.

Australia's reputation as a valuable force in developing an international climate policy has been trashed largely due to its poor ranking in the recent climate change performance index and its inability to send a representative for the United Nations' climate change talks in Warsaw, Poland. Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott has refused to support the green climate fund supported by the United Nations.

Australians are dying from superbugs or antibiotic resistant bacteria due to overuse of antibiotics. The risk of infection may make it difficult for doctors to perform hip replacements or treat leukemia in the coming years. WHO Director General Dr Margaret Chan said something as simple as a grazed knee can become a risky infection. According to Australian National University Professor Peter Collignon, who is also a microbiology expert, said a "positive death spiral" be caused by the overus...

Russia has granted bail to a Greenpeace activist from New Zealand along with 8 others from different countries. The nine activists are charged with hooliganism and detained for launching a protest in September against drilling oil in the Arctic.

As Apple Inc continues to look forward to higher sales for the new versions of the iPhone and iPads in the holiday quarter, the company's stocks may be on its way to reaching $700 in 2014.

In a scientific research said to be the first of its kind, researchers in Sydney have discovered that Australia will experience stronger El Nino weather patterns leading to severe drought. Sydney scientists said that human activities causing global warming can cause future droughts.

Thousands of New Zealanders marched on the streets in protest of the "rape culture" because society and authorities allegedly don't take rape seriously. The public outcries have intensified since the exposure of the teen rape club in Auckland who call themselves the Roast Busters.

Australian scientists are about to develop the first bionic spinal cord controlled only by thought. This project is being funded by the Australian government and the U.S. military. The $2.5 million project aims to implant a device on a paralyzed patient to control robotic limbs using their thoughts for five years.

A man from Wellington, New Zealand is the first to die after contracting antibiotic resistant bacteria. At 68 years old, Brian Pool is believed to be the first victim of the superbug in New Zealand.

Apple Inc's iPhone 5S and iPad Air sales continue to grow stronger, according to recent global surveys and data from U.S. carriers. The sales growth is boosted by improving supply levels. Analysts have also observed steady sales in the iPhone 5C.

A New Zealand teenage girl, who filed a sexual assault complaint against two members of the Roast Busters wants to make another complaint over the incident that happened when she was 13 years old. The girl from West Auckland, now 15 years old, filed a complaint against the Roast Busters in 2011. However, the New Zealand police said there was insufficient evidence to support the young girl's claims during that time.

Painkillers known in New Zealand as "hillbilly heroin" are on the rise among Kiwi teens. The combination of prescription drugs, cough syrup and mouthwash can create a potent entry-level drug, according to drug and alcohol counsellor Jeff Morse in Waikato.

As part of relief efforts for Typhoon Haiyan-hit Philippines, the Australian contingent has set-up a field hospital to help treat the sick and injured survivors. According to volunteer doctor Brian Spain, the city's operating facilities and equipment are not functional due to the loss of power. Australia's field hospital is crucial in treating serious medical conditions.

Despite the rain, tens of thousands of Australians attended climate change rallies across the country to urge Prime Minister Tony Abbott to retain the carbon tax. The Australian Labour Party and Greens politicians, together with environmental groups and volunteer firefighters took turns to criticise the Coalition government at the Climate Action Day, one of the largest rallies in support of climate change action.

Despite the official death count released by the Philippines' National Disaster and Relief Coordinating Council, local reporters in Samar, Leyte have allegedly caught government officials deliberately hiding the real number of deaths caused by Typhoon Haiyan, locally known as Yolanda.

Apple Inc's iPhone may not be the No.1 smart phone in China but its iPad is dominating the Chinese tablet market. Apple has a 51.7 per cent tablet market share while Samsung has 13 per cent. Lenovo comes in third with 9.1 per cent. The release of the iPad Air is expected to boost Apple Inc's iPad sales for the holiday quarter. Analysts also expect strong sales to drive Apple's share in the international tablet market.

New Zealand police helped Canadian investigators track down a child porn syndicate leading to the rescue of 386 children and the apprehension of 348 suspects. Canadian police discovered a Web site outside of Canada that was said to be the distribution of child abuse videos all over the world. Authorities launched an investigation with the aid of sex crime units in New Zealand and Australia.

One person dies from diabetes every six seconds, according to the International Diabetes Federation.

The United Nations is calling for a quicker response to relief operations in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan left some parts of Visayas devastated. The strongest typhoon to ever hit the country has affected the lives of nearly 12 million people and claimed 4,460 lives, almost twice the official count of 2,360 by government officials, according to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.