Reissa Su

From bulletproof clothing and backpacks to protect schoolchildren from stray bullets in case of an emergency, a new type of backpack will soon be available in the market. Designed by Isreali designer, Hila Raam, the bomb-proof backpack is said to provide protection to students in case of a bomb attack. She designed the bomb-proof bag to provide people with protection in open spaces. It is useful in an event when immediate shelter is not available.

A mash-up video of Miley Cyrus and characters from the hit TV series Breaking Bad went viral on the Internet. The footage was taken from a pivotal scene of a recent episode of Breaking Bad in which the characters, Hank and Marie, watch footage of brilliant-chemist-turned-drug-kingpin Walter White's taped “confession”.

Instead of seeing animals inside cages, New Zealand's Orana Wildlife Park locks people up while animals are free to roam. Visitors who had been inside the cage felt like being inside a cage underwater with sharks moving about, only this time, it's a pack of hungry lions outside the cage.

New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra has announced that it will resume its Sri Lankan operations after temporarily suspending work and plant processing for the safety of its employees. Meanwhile, the price of Fonterra's NZX-listed units went up 3.2 per cent or $7.10 after the company retested its alleged contaminated whey protein concentrates and found the botulism scare to be a false alarm.

Reports of Apple Inc getting a deal with China Mobile may be attempts to make an aggressive push for Chinese customers to buy more iPhones. If Apple does release a cheaper iPhone, the company should get the pricing right since there is no guarantee it will be warmly welcomed.

A 14-year-old boy in Bihar, India, looked like he’s living inside the body of a 110-year-old. He has a rare disease known as progeria which makes the boy age eight times faster than the normal aging process. Ali Hussein has five other siblings with the same disease, and he watched them die because of progeria.

United States President Barack Obama talked with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd about possible international interventions to Syria's recent chemical weapons attack against civilians. The White House said Mr Obama called Mr Rudd and both leaders were deeply concerned about the Syrian regime's alleged use of chemicals as weapons. In a statement, the White House also said they were talking about options to take to address the crisis.

The mayor of London in the United Kingdom has called for the nation to open its doors and welcome New Zealanders who are currently restricted from entering. Boris Johnson made the public appeal following the results of survey conducted by the New Zealand government regarding the experience of Kiwis with work visas in the UK.

The New Zealand government has made 106 requests to Facebook to gain access to 119 users during the first half of 2013. Facebook said it gave New Zealand around 58 per cent of the requests containing private data of more than half of the requested users.

About one million cockroaches escaped from a farm in China after the facility was ransacked. The cockroaches were kept to be used in making traditional Chinese medicine. The insects were found to be infesting the nearby cornfields in Dafeng, China and were yet to be contained. The Jiangsu Board of Health has sent five investigators on-site to develop a plan to get rid of the escaped cockroaches. The department will support a large-scale disinfection of the area as soon as possible.

A new advertising study has suggested that Google Inc Australia's revenue will reach almost $1.74 billion as mobile search advertising on tablets and smartphones continues to remain popular. Google Australia was also pegged to become the biggest mode of advertising in the country by 2018.

As the United States celebrated the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, many people resorted to social media to criticise a restaurant in South Carolina for kicking out 25 African-American customers to leave because their presence is "threatening" to a single white customer.

United Nations chemical weapons experts have successfully reached the Syrian victims of a deadly chemical attack. The UN representatives took blood samples and interviewed the victims who survived the poison gas attack in the rebel territory of Syria's capital. Australia currently holds the presidency of the United Nations Council and will use its position to push for an end to the Syrian crisis. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd called the deadly chemical weapons attack in Syria as a "medieval a...

More young people in New Zealand have died due to poisoning from butane and other chemicals with hydrocarbons. A new study on chemical poisoning causing unintentional deaths has found that "huffing" or inhaling butane butane gas and other chemicals having the same substances is the main cause of death among the youth between ages 15 to 24.

The New Zealand government and the honey industry were hard-pressed to act quickly as a national warning was issued in Britain amid concerns of food safety over fake honey based on a statement made by Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye. The chairman and chief executive of Littleover Group in Derby, Tony Spacey, said that most of the "shonky" manuka honey in the UK came from New Zealand. The manuka honey is bottled in New Zealand and exported by New Zealanders. Mr Spacey said he strongly su...

German researchers at the Max-Planck Institute for Meteorology has studied a new factor in global warming which was not previously included in climate change studies. The researchers have discovered that oceans around the world take in more carbon dioxide. When seas take in CO2, they give off a sulphur compound which can block the sun's radiation. Oceans that become more acidic because of fuel-burning emissions can enhance global warming.

The body of 26-year-old Sean Cole, who was attacked by a crocodile, was recovered by police in Australia's Northern Territory. A saltwater crocodile suddenly snatched Mr Cole while he was swimming across a muddy river.

As New Zealand Prime Minister John Key faced a Labour leadership challenge from Grant Robertson, Shane Jones and David Cunliffe, a poll said New Zealanders do not believe in what he says.

New Zealand's Fonterra has suspended its operations temporarily in Sri Lanka after consumers continue to grow angry about food safety and the sale of Fonterra's products. Fonterra's botulism scare has prompted an angry protest outside of the company's local head office.

A massive sinkhole in rural Louisiana has opened up and continued to expand at a rapid rate which caused it to devour a clump of trees and land. The video of the Louisiana sinkhole was captured on video and posted on Youtube by the Assumption Parish Police Jury.

A UFO was allegedly spotted by the Indian army near Taj Mahal. A video posted online appeared to show an unidentified flying object close to India's popular white marbled monument, Taj Mahal. A misleading news headline has led to confusing reports of the UFO sighting.

A strange photo of an Asian girl was posted on Reddit this week allegedly showing the results of a new trend in plastic surgery. The Reddit user who posted the photo claimed it was a picture of an Asian girl who permanently curled the corners of her lips. The plastic surgery would put a permanent smile on a person's face.

Having broken bones has never been this cool and stylish thanks to the winning design of a 21-year-old New Zealander Jake Evill. The James Dyson Award in New Zealand went to Mr Evill for his lightweight, non-itch cast made out of nylon for broken bones. The 3D printed cast was designed to replace the traditional plaster cast.

A group with Sri Lankan government affiliations protested in front of New Zealand's Fonterra local office and demanded that the dairy giant follow a court order to withdraw the supposedly contaminated milk products from the market. Meanwhile, the New Zealand government was still working on restoring Chinese relations after China issued an import ban on some of contaminated milk products.

The United Nations Human Rights Committee criticised Australia for its "cruel and inhuman" treatment of asylum seekers and demanded their immediate release from detention. A UN watchdog pressed the Australian government to free the refugees who were placed on indefinite detention.

As the election date nears, Australia will have a new First Lady. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's wife, Therese Rein or Tony Abbott's marital partner Margie Abbott will soon become the Australia's First Lady.

Brazilian health officials have banned the distribution and sale of Heinz ketchup made from Mexico because it was contaminated with rat fur. The rodent fur was discovered as health officials conducted testing on Heinz products.

According to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, men continue to earn more money than women in the country. Australian men earn an average of 17.53 per cent more than women with a weekly average of $1,518.40. The figure is higher compared to women who have an average of $1,252.20 per week.

A Fairfax poll in New Zealand revealed that more than three-quarters of New Zealand citizens were concerned about the government reforming spy laws in the passing of the GSCB Bill. In a survey of 1,000 New Zealanders, the poll found that 75.3 per cent of the people expressed that they were either "very concerned," "somewhat concerned" or "little concerned" about the Government Communications Security Bureau (GSCB) to monitor their activities including foreigners who are in New...