Reissa Su

After the federal government exemption of Western Australia from environmental laws, drumlines are set to appear along the state's coastline to catch and kill large sharks. According to reports, the private contractor tasked to set-up and monitor drumlines was told to prepare over the weekend which coincides with Australia Day.

Fecal matter is floating in New Zealand's Ocean Beach stream and swimmers have been warned to stay away from the water. Authorities said the Waipuka Stream goes into the beach beside the popular swimming spot. Signs have been put up to warn bathers of water contamination and potential risks to health.

New Zealand's "free" education system will actually cost the average parent thousands of dollars. A survey claims that parents will have to pay almost NZ$35,000 by the time their child completes secondary school. Over 1,000 parents who are members of New Zealand's ASG Programs were asked to calculate the total cost of school fees, uniforms, transport, computers and school-related trips as part of the survey. It was estimated that about 15,600 families in New Zealand have enrolled in...

A newly-released report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed New Zealand and Australia as the countries with the highest bowel cancer rates in the world. The report has prompted support groups to call for a national screening programme for early prevention and treatment of bowel cancer.

Apple Inc is once again the target of billionaire activist Carl Icahn as he posted on Twitter that he bought US$500 million more shares within the past two weeks. With his latest investment in Apple, Mr Icahn's shares are now worth more than US$3 billion. With Mr Icahn's additional investment, Apple Inc's share price climbed 0.5 per cent at US$552.09 after its previous increase of as much as 1.5 per cent. The billionaire investor has made it clear he is not against Apple management but ...

New Zealand scientists have discovered an ancient fossil belonging to a dolphin family that once lived around the country's waters millions of years ago. The recent discovery was named "Papahu taitapu" and known as the first of its kind to have the closest relationship to modern dolphins and toothed whales.

Australia's policies on asylum seekers, sexual orientation, indigenous affairs, and disability were scrutinized by New York-based watchdog Human Rights Watch and found them wanting. The group gave a scathing review of Prime Minister Tony Abbott's Coalition government and the previous Labour government.

Mental health experts are outraged over the new doll "Nenuco Won't Eat" which is set to be sold in the UK in February. The doll, designed to turn its head away when food is offered, has provoked the ire of critics who claim it encourages children to develop eating disorders like anorexia.

Sexually transmitted diseases among the elderly have been spreading like wildfires due to unprotected sex.

Extreme weather may affect the quality of Australia's drinking water. This was revealed in a study that the country's drinking water is vulnerable to climate change based on availability and quality.

Energy drinks like Red Bull may be banned from British schools as UK Government Adviser John Vincent has claimed they are more harmful than drugs and should be blamed for the decline in discipline among children.

Western Australia is given the green light to undertake its plans of catching and killing sharks in its popular beaches. But the Humane Society has described the move as a "complete disgrace" as the federal government granted the state of Australia an exemption from environmental laws.

An 82-year-old man in New Zealand has died from brain hemorrhage due to wrong medication. An elderly woman was surprised to learn she had diabetes since her doctor never told her anything about rising blood sugar levels. These are some of the gross negligence cases the Health and Disability Commission is investigating in New Zealand.

Apple Inc's market share in the U.S. has been the key driver of the company's success despite the growing competition led by Samsung Electronics. Although Samsung is gaining market share in the U.S., its gains are not the same with Apple Inc. While Apple Inc and its CEO Tim Cook are looking forward to "big plans" in 2014, analysts have speculated that the company's stock could reach $1000 after hitting the $705 mark in September 2012.

Australia's heat wave lasting for several weeks had matched the intensity of rising temperatures before the tragic Black Saturday bushfires in 2009.

A British skydiver who was seriously injured in Fiji thanks social media for helping him save his leg from amputation. Ben Cornick's leg was injured badly after the accident that doctors considered cutting it off. Mr Cornick's British cousin Ricky Davies turned to Facebook to raise money to fund his leg-saving surgery in Auckland that costs almost $40,000.Mr Davies set up a Facebook page and spread the word about Mr Cornick's condition.

A man in Australia got the shock of his life when a snake that he killed in the graveyard suddenly came alive and bit him. Jake Thomas was just mowing the lawn of a cemetery in eastern Australia when he saw a black snake with a red belly. The snake was hiding inside a vase on top of a tombstone.

Aftershocks continue to shake New Zealand's North Island, following the powerful 6.2 magnitude earthquake that struck on Jan 20. Train services and power in the lower North Island have been restored. When the earthquake shook central New Zealand before 4pm (1400 ADT), buildings were damaged while power was cut in some areas. No one was seriously injured due to the quake.

Eating dark chocolate can help prevent diabetes. A new study has revealed that dark chocolate contains powerful compounds which can ward off one of the obesity's health complications. Scientists have discovered that "superfoods" like dark chocolate, tea, berries and red wine are rich in flavonoids which can fight Type 2 diabetes. The study is published in the Journal of Nutrition.

New Zealand braces for rain and windy conditions as Cyclone June heads to the country. Weather reports said the cyclone which came from New Caledonia is expected to bring strong winds and rain.

As the Pacific Ocean continues to have rising temperatures, extreme weather events will become more frequent. According to a new study led by CSIRO climate scientist Wenju Cai, the frequency of El Niño events is associated with the effects of climate change.

Australia is the only non-European country in the Top 12 in a new report which ranked the healthiest places to eat in the world. The country ranked eighth on the list. The Netherlands took the top spot out of 125 countries in Oxfam's Good Enough to Eat, a list based on the rankings of countries in criteria related to food and diet.

A strong 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Central New Zealand. According to data from the Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GeoNet), the severe earthquake hit 10km north of Castlepoint in Wairarapa at 73km deep at 3:52PM. Buildings shook in Wellington's central district.

A man who lost his forearm and leg in a shark attack came out and criticised Western Australia's shark cull plans. Paul de Gelder, a navy clearance diver, described the culling as a "knee-jerk reaction" and called it "stupid." In 2009, Mr de Gelder was in Sydney Harbour for exercises when he was attacked by a bull shark. Although he survived the horrific incident, the shark bit off his leg and arm. Mr de Gelder now uses custom-made prosthetics to replace the body parts he lost.

The New Zealand dollar broke records when it surpassed the Australian dollar due to weak jobs data in Australia and differences in interest rate outlooks between neighbour countries. The Kiwi dollar climbed as high as 94.80 Australian cents as it traded against the Aussie at 94.72 cents on Jan. 16. It is the highest climb of the Kiwi dollar in 8 years. The local currency soared to 83.44 U.S. cents from 83.29 cents as of the same day.

The heat wave in Australia sparked bushfires in the state of Victoria and killed one person. While parts of the country face another day or rising temperatures, fire authorities discovered a body in the Northern Grampians area. According to authorities, the bushfires have gone out of control and advised residents to flee their homes.

New Zealand braces for the arrival of a cold front that rammed into South Island "like a freight train," leaving 100 km/h winds threatening the eastern part of the country. Authorities in Hawkes Bay, Canterbury and Wairarapa issued severe weather warning alerts as a result of strong winds. The weather bureau said that the cold front carries cold Antarctic air from south of New Zealand.

Patients of two dental clinics in Sydney may have been exposed to HIV, hepatitis and other infectious diseases. About 980 patients received letters in January from Sydney's local health district informing them of a possible "low risk" infection if they had undergone treatment between Aug. 2002 and Aug. 2013.

Apple's CEO Tim Cook is optimistic of iPhones doing well in China as China Mobile, the world's largest mobile carrier, starts selling iOS devices Jan. 17. In a brief interview with the Wall Street Journal and other publications, Cook hinted at Apple's future plans in China and said it is only the "beginning."