FBI pays $1.3m to break into iPhone

FBI Director James Comey said on Thursday the agency paid more to get into the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters than he will make in the remaining seven years and four months he has in his job.

Health inspectors shut down Tokyo cat cafe for animal neglect

A Tokyo "cat cafe" was raided by health inspectors and ordered to close its doors due to animal neglect after complaints about nasty smells coming from the premises.

Chinese technology saves lives in Ecuador

ECU911 emergency monitoring system plays key role in coordinating rescue work

'Queengate' row photographer back for 90th birthday shots

Queen Elizabeth II's official 90th birthday portraits released on Thursday were taken by the celebrity photographer at the center of one of the fiercest recent controversies to hit Britain's monarchy.

Harriet Tubman to be face on $20 bill

US paper money is getting a historic makeover.

Furry endangered friend gets 'toad-smart' to survive

Scientists are training an endangered furry marsupial - Australia's beloved quoll - to avoid eating toxic toads that have devastated predator populations in a novel attempt to save native fauna.

Two 'goodwill' pandas unveiled to public

A pair of Chinese giant pandas that arrived in South Korea in early March, were unveiled on Thursday to the South Korean public after an approximate 50-day adjustment period.

UN begins evacuation as Syrian peace talks fray

The UN began evacuating hundreds of people from besieged Syrian towns in a rare sign of humanitarian progress, as the US Air Force for the first time deployed a B-52 bomber against the Islamic State group.

European Unionhits Google with antitrust charge

The European Union charged Google on Wednesday with using its dominant Android mobile operating system to squeeze out rivals, opening a second front against the technology giant that could result in large fines.

Up to 500 feared dead after boat sinks

The UN refugee agency said on Wednesday as many as 500 refugees and migrants may have lost their lives after an overcrowded boat sank in the Mediterranean Sea between Libya and Italy. The incident, if confirmed, could be one of the worst tragedies involving refugees and migrants in the past 12 months.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

An 'eyesore' in Paris gets $1bn spruce up

Swapping burgers for lobster souffle and rusty welding for a state-of-the-art canopy roof, Paris' mayor this month unveiled a $1 billion revamp of the city's dilapidated main shopping and transport complex, Les Halles.