Reissa Su

New Zealand has gained its highest migration rate in 10 years with fewer Kiwis leaving Australia, according to Statistics New Zealand. The country had more people arriving than departing with 2,740 migrants in Sept. 2003. The figure is the highest number of migrants since Jul. 2003.

New Zealand’s emergency hotline 111 may soon come under fire with authorities with its rising number of calls reportedly gone wrong. Other deaths were associated with 111’s defective defibrillators, ambulance delays and administration of wrong medication.

Apple Inc co-founder Steve Jobs may just have been proven right with his strong emphasis on Apple to focus on high-end consumer gadgets over cheaper ones.Three surveys that came out in the last two weeks suggest that the iPhone 5S outsells the iPhone 5C at least 2 to 1. Brokerage firm KGI Securities Co. has announced it was cutting its estimates for the quarterly sales of Apple's iPhone 5C by a third.

The World Health Organization reported that air pollution may be filled with substances that can cause cancer.

When the giant Asian hornets attacked dozens of people in China, almost 30 of them are children who are now in the hospital are diagnosed with severe organ failure. The latest wave of attacks came after reports surfaced that 40 people have been killed by the deadly giant insects.

According to the New Zealand's Ministry of Health, more than 1 million Kiwi adults are obese. The annual report indicated that adult obesity in the country has grown substantially in the past 15 years.

Rod Drury of Xero, who will also represent New Zealand in the Global Entrepreneur of the Year Awards won the top prize and was crowned Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2013. It's been a string of positive news for Mr Drury and his online accounting software company, Xero. The company's shares had climbed to 30 per cent or at $25.20 per share as of Oct. 17. The Xero stock spike came after news of a $180 million investment as new capital for the company.

Twitter disclosed new revenue figures to motivate investors to buy its shares when the company becomes public. The popular micro-blogging social network site reported that its revenue increased sharply in the third quarter of 2013 at $169 million. As Twitter Inc's IPO nears, the company has hired an advertising executive from Google Inc to be the retail head.

A local paper in Papua New Guinea has caught the attention of world media after it headlined a story about a "vampire cannibal" father who ripped his daughter's throat and killed her instantly. He allegedly sucked her blood after biting her to death. According to the local report, police arrested Rex Eric after reportedly biting the neck of his 3-year-old daughter, eating her flesh and sucking her blood.

An injured kangaroo hopped its way to Australia’s Melbourne Airport which puzzled onlookers and passengers waiting to board. The kangaroo went inside the terminal shop and made its way to the pharmacy.

After winning the 2013 Man Booker Prize for “The Luminaries”, Eleanor Catton hits back at critics in New Zealand. Ms Catton is the second Kiwi and the youngest author ever to win the prestigious literary award.

A man from a Pacific island nation of Kiribati has asked a New Zealand court to let him appeal a decision to recognise him as an asylum seeker and allow him to stay in the country as a climate change refugee.

Apple Inc, named most valuable brand and most innovative company in 2013, is predicted to drop to third place in market share for smart phones in 2015. This is according to a fearless forecast by Seeking Alpha's Adrian McCarroll who based his statements on current smart phone trends.

Cockroach farms are on the rise in China as breeders hope to earn big money on the dreaded pests with as much as $20 per pound. Dried cockroaches are in-demand in China as cockroach farmers sell them to pharmaceutical companies as a key ingredient to Asian medicine and cosmetics.

At least 151 people have died from a powerful earthquake in the Philippines with a magnitude of 7.2. The quake struck central Philippines on Oct. 15 on the island of Bohol which destroyed centuries-old churches, triggered landslides and damaged homes especially those located along the coastal highways.

Australia's obesity problems are far from over as health experts were shocked to find new evidence that indicated 40 per cent or 4 out of 10 Australians are now dangerously fat or obese. The Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute tracked 11,000 Australians and monitored their waist circumference for 12 years.

Medical clowning is now a qualified degree in New Zealand with professional “care clown” Dr Thomas Petschner leading the way. Kiwis who believe in the power of laughter as the best medicine will have the chance to earn a degree in medical clowning. New Zealand’s first medical clowning is scheduled to be launched on Dec. 2013.

New Zealander Eleanor Catton has been awarded the prestigious Britain’s Man Booker Prize for her epic tale, 'The Luminaries.' At 28 years old, she became the youngest winner of the top literary award for her book set in 19th century New Zealand.

Mining billionaire Andrew Forrest has donated $65 million to improve the quality of higher education in Western Australia. The record-breaking donation of Mr Forrest is the largest single donation in the history of Australia. He also encouraged other tycoons to share their wealth in philanthropy.

More people in New Zealand use the Internet, according to survey results of Statistics New Zealand. The statistics agency surveyed Internet service providers and discovered that broadband users in New Zealand used 50 per cent more data in June compared to the same month in 2012.

The New Zealand government has rejected the appeal of tech companies to be exempted from the controversial spy law.

Billboards showing Jesus Christ covered in tattoos have sparked outrage in Texas, United States. The billboards were part of an advertising campaign by a Christian outreach organisation, JesusTattoo.org. The controversial billboards depicted Jesus Christ with tattoos of words like “Hated”, “Outcast”, “Addicted” and “Faithless” on his body.

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has released a statement for the public to be aware of Krokodil, a drug allegedly from Russia. Jack Riley, Special Agent-in-Charge of DEA Chicago Field Division, said the agency was "very concerned" about the news of patients being treated at Presence St. Joseph Medical Center.

A Jestar Airways passenger may have just had the shock of his life when he saw his suitcase on the baggage carousel with the words “I AM GAY” on his red suitcase. He was one of the passengers on a red-eye flight from Perth. The Jestar passenger and father of two kids posted on his Twitter account @aaronpp a picture of his suitcase upon his arrival at Brisbane airport during the weekend.

A storm has hit New Zealand with about 4,200 homes without power as electricity lines fell because of strong winds blowing in the country. Strong gusts of wind blown debris and trees which also caused disconnection of several power lines.

A New Zealand biotechnology company, CuroNZ, received funding from the US National Multiply Sclerosis Society worth $540,000 to be used in pre-clinical studies. The Auckland-based firm will begin testing the Neural Regeneration Peptides (NRPs) as a possible treatment to multiple sclerosis which affects 2.5 million people all over the world.

The use of female condoms may soon be on the rise as a randomised trial has found that three new models of female condoms are more effective compared to the established model. The new models of female condoms are also viable for production. This will also increase the range of options for protection among women, according to an article from the recent issue of Lancet Global Health.

The Vatican has issued a recall of its thousands of commemorative papal medals after seeing the name of "Jesus" misspelled on the medals as "Lesus." Based on the report of the Vatican Information Service, the Italian State Mint has produced more than 6,000 papal medals in commemoration of the Pope Francis' papacy.

The number of people living in extreme poverty may have sharply declined in the last 30 years but there are still 400 million children in the world surviving in abysmal conditions. The World Bank report also found that there are less than 721 million people in extreme poverty based on data collected in 2010 or those living under $1.25 a day compared to figures in 1981. In low-income countries, half of the children live in extreme poverty.