Reissa Su

The privatization of the Australian Post has triggered a heated debate after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman, Rod Sims, was reportedly convincing Prime Minister Tony Abbott to consider selling government-owned assets.

Some suburban areas of Christchurch may be under the water within 100 years due to rising sea levels. In a Taylor & Tonkin report, experts have warned that South Shore, South New Brighton, Summer and Brooklands could sink if current sea levels continue to rise. The city council is making plans to prepare for a worst case scenario of a great change on Canterbury's coastline due to melting ice in Antarctica and Greenland, storm surges and warming seas.

The latest road safety ad by the New Zealand Transport Agency has a grim message for drivers who love speeding. The road is not the right place to learn from mistakes. The video of the ad campaign has gone viral on the Internet which is exactly what the agency may have been hoping for.

Apple Inc has vowed to hire more women as executives and consider people from minority groups as board candidates. Although the company has not made an official statement on the matter, Apple has decided to change its bylaws to allow more diversity in its board of directors.

Western Australia continues to experience rising temperatures due to a record-breaking heat wave that began in the later weeks of December before creeping towards South Australia. Queensland and New South Wales were not spared from the sweltering heat with temperatures peaking across Queensland on Jan. 3. Fears of bushfires having the same magnitude as those in Oct. 2012 were triggered by the ongoing heat wave. Authorities have issued severe fire warnings in Queensland and Western Australia.

An angry baker in New Zealand sent a poo-shaped cake to a customer with the message "Eat sh*t." The customer was shocked and of course, not happy with the cake. Emma McDonald, the baker who created the poo cake "masterpiece" has refused to apologise to the 24-year-old customer Micaela Harris. A relative of Ms Harris had placed an order with Oh Cakes, a business run by the Kiwi baker, for an engagement cake.

After promising to not have sex for a year on the first of 2013 for charity, Pete Lynagh has become a changed man.

Carbon polluters in Australia will not be punished under the Abbott government's Direct Action plan. Prime Minister Tony Abbott's climate policy was not designed to be punitive, according to Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt. Unlike Labour's carbon tax policy, the Coalition government does not penalise companies that fail to comply with emissions targets. Instead of penalties, the federal government will offer generous and flexible compliance settlements.

Britain is expected to experience more flooding as gigantic waves slam the west coast. Residents are advised to prepare and brace for the coming Winter Storm Hercules. The storm system caused a record-breaking freezing temperature in the United States. Waves as high as 27 feet or 8,2 metres have been recorded at Land's End. Various reports and weather forecasts claimed that professional "big wave chasers" were tracking the movement of Storm Hercules across the Atlantic Ocean.

Apple Inc has acquired Australian start-up SnappyLabs, creator of rapid-fire iPhone camera SnappyCam. Apple has confirmed the acquisition of the one-man tech company. SnappyLabs is owned by Australian John Papandriopoulus who has a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Melbourne. Apple Inc stocks may have finished low on the first few days of 2014 but that did not stop analysts from thinking the rest of the company's year will be bleak.

Migrant workers in New Zealand may soon enjoy the benefits of a proposed law to make migrant abuse a criminal offence. New Zealand Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse remarked a change in migrant protection laws will help improve the welfare of foreign workers in the country. The proposed change came after allegations of exploitation of migrant workers in Christchurch.

Despite the protest of thousands of Australians at Cottlesloe Beach, the Western Australia government will still go with its plan to cull sharks. More than 4,000 people showed up on Perth's beach on Jan 4 in protest of the government's plan to kill large sharks using baited lines.

The abortion rate in New Zealand has declined to a 20-year low since fewer Kiwi women, especially teenagers, opted for the procedure. The drop in New Zealand's abortion rate has been attributed to the wider use of contraceptives, better sex education and lessons from real-life experiences on reality TV.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade in New Zealand has confirmed that no arrests were made in the shooting of Kiwi woman, Lynn Howie and British man, Mark De Salis, in Libya.

Apple Inc shares dropped 1.12 per cent on Jan. 2 after receiving a "Market Perform" rating from a Wells Fargo analyst. Maynard Um downgraded Apple's stocks from an Outperform rating to Market Perform due to market concerns. He maintained the stock's valuation between $536 and $581. Wells Fargo has become skeptical of Apple Inc because of gross margin concerns.

After the Bureau of Meteorology has announced 2013 as the hottest year in Australia, the spotlight shines on Prime Minister Tony Abbott as critics seized an opportunity to call for a climate policy change. Richard Di Nitale, acting Greens leader, called Mr Abbott a "reckless ideologue who ignores the science." Mr Abbott was also accused of "listening to people who are part of the tinfoil hat brigade."

Inland Australia continues to deal with rising temperatures as the Bureau of Meteorology declares 2013 the hottest year on record with average temperatures at 1.20 degrees Celsius higher than the long term average of 21.8C. According to the bureau's Neil Plummer, the statistics point to a warming trend in Australia. He added it is not only in Australia where rising temperatures have been recorded but in other parts of the world as well.

A Kiwi woman and British man were reportedly killed in western Libya. New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is checking details of reports concerning the deaths in Libya. According to Reuters, the two were found dead with gunshot wounds near the coastal area of Mellitah, 100 kilometres west of Tripoli where a large gas and oil complex is located. The complex is owned by Italy's ENI.

An Indian IT worker in New Zealand was denied entry to a bar on New Year's Eve. Sandesh Gopal, a 30-year-old software project manager from Bangalore, described what he called an act of "racism" when a bouncer stopped him and his friends from going inside a bar in Viaduct Harbour, Auckland.

Apple Inc's iOS7 now runs on 78 per cent of iPhones, iPod touch and iPads based on official data on the company's latest mobile OS version. The number of devices running on iOS7 has increased from 74% earlier in Dec. 2012. Apple smart phone owners were hailed the smartest, based on a Test of Wits sponsored by British betting company, Ladbrokes.

Some parts of Australia welcome the New Year in sweltering heat as South Australia and Queensland experience scorching temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. The heat wave is expected to continue in the coming days as authorities issue total fire bans in the northern areas of South Australia. The Bureau forecasted the town of Moomba to have a temperature of 49C on Dec. 2 while Oodnadatta will experience 48C.

Smoking pregnant women in New Zealand are offered $300 vouchers to quit the habit. The South Auckland government imposed the voucher scheme to protect unborn babies from tobacco damage.

A father in Sydney, Australia has been charged by authorities for consenting to the genital mutilation of his infant daughter during a holiday trip abroad. According to the police, the man travelled with his family in Feb. 2012. It was also during that time the father consented to have his nine-month-old baby undergo female circumcision. It was only six months later that the mother realised what her partner had done when she took her baby to the doctor.

CNN was recently in the hotseat after mistakenly reported that Auckland is a city located in Australia. The American news channel showed a video of the annual fireworks display at Auckland Sky Tower with a caption of "Auckland, Australia."

Apple Inc has confirmed the opening of its flagship store in Brisbane, Australia. Apple's retail store is expected to open in the historic MacArthur Chambers building. Signs have been placed outside the building advertising the long-awaited opening of the first Apple character flagship store in Australia.

In most countries, a fireworks display marks the celebration of New Year's Eve, but 40 per cent of New Zealanders want fireworks banned. The Fire Service is happy with the attitude of Kiwis since many people use fireworks in a dangerous manner. Meanwhile, New Year revelers are warned of fake Ecstasy drugs rumoured to be in circulation.

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp is under fire for running articles depicting New Zealanders as "backdoor migrants" and "dole bludgers." Kiwi rights group in Australia OzKiwi is considering legal action against the media company for its racist label of Kiwis. OzKiwi's David Faulkner was shocked by the articles featured in the Saturday edition of Brisbane's Courier Mail, Northern Territory News and other papers under the Murdoch-owned News Corp.

About 3.6 million Australian workers are most likely exposed to carcinogens or cancer-causing agents in mining, agriculture and transport industries. Australian researchers have found that 40 per cent of workers are at risk of cancer with 37 per cent of men exposed to higher risk than 7.9 per cent of women.

Tropical Cyclone Christine, a Category 3 storm, has made landfall in Western Australia's Pilbara coast. Residents were forced to seek refuge as the storm continues to bring heavy rain, strong winds and dangerous storm surges. Authorities in West Australia have issued a red alert warning as Cyclone Christine crossed Pilbara coast between Whim Creek and Roebourne overnight with winds of 180 km/hour. The cyclone was spotted 190 km southwest of Port Hedland and 70 km southeast of Karratha and hea...