Swedish retailer IKEA has garnered a worldwide following for its stylish but affordable furniture and accessories. However in China, the store is popular for an entire different reason - As a destination to relax, catch up with friends and even, take long naps!...

Starting a bank from scratch a child's play? Absolutely, if you ask some enterprising youngsters in India, who have not only managed to establish one, but also, unlike many of the large International banks, run it successfully since 2001. What's even more impressive is that the young bankers and their 9,000 + clients are all homeless!...

While destruction of rainforests is causing concern in many parts of the world, nowhere is it worse than in the Amazon. Often referred to as the 'lungs of the planet' the 1.2 billion acre rainforest produces about 20% of the earth's oxygen and is therefore, not just crucial for its own ecosystem, but also, for the survival of all living creatures, including humans! Fortunately, the deforestation there trends are slowly but surely, starting to reverse....

Cruising around town in a giant mechanized robot suit is something every kid (and most adults) dream about - Now thanks to the efforts of Japanese artist Kogoro Kurata and Roboticist Watara Yoshizaki, their wishes may come true....

With a special cable television network, hotels reserved just for them, surfing competitions and even beauty pageants, dogs are almost as pampered as humans. So why not a cafe inside which canines can just chill and hang out? Welcome to South Korea's, Dog Cafe!...

Now that the 2012 London Olympics have officially kicked off, swimming fans are in for some thrilling head to head confrontations in the pool. While most intense athletic rivalries tend to occur between athletes representing different countries, in this case, the most exciting showdown is expected to be between Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte - Both part of Team USA....

If you ever happen to visit Central Asia's Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan, you will witness a strange but breathtaking sight - A giant hole in the middle of the desert aglow with a fire that never seems to go out - And the fact is, that it has not gone out for the last forty years at least. However, this phenomenon, which has become a minor tourist destination, is not a natural wonder but the result of an accidental excavation....

Every four years, a new breed of determined youngsters make their way to the world's most competitive arena with one dream in mind - To compete against the world's best athletes and make their country proud by bringing home the Olympic gold medal. This year is no different. On the eve of the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, here are a few of the many youngsters you will be cheering on starting tomorrow, and for many years to come....

With specialty cupcake stores sprouting all over America, the price of this bite-size treat has certainly escalated over the last few years. However, none even come close to this beauty, which at $1,010 USD can safely claim the title of the 'World's Most Expensive Edible Cupcake'....

No matter how hard conservationists try, there is always some ruthless poacher out there to kill animals regardless of how close they are to becoming extinct. Now, a trio of endangered young mountain gorillas in Rwanda have decided to take it upon themselves to try save their species, by thwarting their attempts....

Less than two years after it made headlines for losing a piece of ice four times the size of Manhattan, the Petermann glacier that covers four-fifths of Greenland, is making headlines again, for losing another large chunk to the sea....

When the discovery of an exciting archeological find is announced, the person at the forefront is usually the paleontologist leading the dig. However, the credit of unearthing one of the most complete pre-human skeletons can be being solely attributed to the sharp eyes of technician Justin Mukanka at South Africa's University of Witwatersrand....

While a visit to any physician can be terrifying the one to the dentist has to be the worst of all. One never knows when he/she will shake their head in dismay and mouth out the dreaded 'C' word. However if two scientists have their way, cavities will be a word dentists will never be able to utter again....

Tokyo's International Toy Show is always awaited with great anticipation because the toys unveiled at this annual event are usually the most technologically advanced. This year was no exception. During the three-day extravaganza that took place from June 14-June 17th, 141 Japanese companies unveiled over 35,000 new products that ranged from old-fashioned puzzles to smart pets and even, a three-seater car. Here, is a small sample of what you can expect at your toy stores in the near future....

Every kid and adult knows how hard and time-consuming it is to make one's bed. First you have to lift and fluff the pillows, then flatten the comforter and tuck it all the way to the top and last, but not least, place the pillows above. Whew! That's a lot of hard work early in the morning. What's worse is that within a few hours, it is rumpled all over again....

What's better than having an ice cream cone? How about one that is 13 feet high and filled with one ton of ice cream? That was what the lucky people of Gloucester, England were able to witness and even better, get a sample of, on Saturday June 30th, 2012....

When Spencer West was just five years old, he was diagnosed with a rare spinal defect that resulted in the amputation of both his legs. However, the young Canadian has never let this minor disability get in his way. He has proved that he can do anything a person with two legs can do including, climb the world's highest free-standing snow covered equatorial mountain - Mt. Kilimanjaro!...

On June 23rd 2012, thousands of tourists and locals lined up along Hong Kong's various harbors to celebrate Tueg Ng or Dragon Boat Festival. Though host to some of the country's biggest celebrations, has been organizing the events only since 1976, it is a significant Chinese holiday, one with a long history that dates back 2,000 years....

On Sunday June 25th, 2012, Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, best known for its giant tortoises had some sad news to report - its most famous bachelor, a tortoise nicknamed 'Lonesome George' was found dead by its keeper of 40 years. What makes the death even more poignant is the fact that he was the last known living member of the Pinta Island giant tortoise subspecies....

Earlier this week, the folks at Guinness World Records confirmed that Colombian stuntman Jhonathan Florex had shattered multiple records on April 20th, 2012, when he flew off an airplane in his wingsuit from an altitude so high, that he had to strap along an oxygen tank....

Researchers had always believed that Neanderthals, the predecessors to modern humans, had not been very smart. However, recent evidence has led them to think otherwise - Not only did the stocky hunters build complex tools, but also, spoke a language and even, buried their dead. Now it turns out, they may also be responsible for some of Europe's oldest cave art....

No matter how old one is, frolicking around in a bubble bath is always exciting. Now imagine if the bubbles were a couple of feet thick and extended out three miles into the open ocean - That, is exactly what the locals and tourists visiting Lorne in Victoria, Australia were able to experience on June 5th, 2012....

The carnivorous pitcher plants are known for enticing their prey by secreting sweet nectar from their rims. Once the unsuspecting insect is trapped inside the plant's unique pitcher-shaped leaves, the slippery inner surfaces ensure that it slides straight down into the digestive juices that lie at the bottom. Now, scientists have discovered that one crafty species has conjured up an additional trick up its lid....

Beginning June 29th, visitors to Singapore will be able to add one more attraction to their already long list of things to see - The 133-acre Bay South Garden. Located in the city's swanky Marina Bay, the eco-park is the first of three attractions under the Garden by the Bay project, a 250-acre (the size of 190 football fields) green initiative embarked on by Singapore's government in 2006....