IN BRIEF (Page 8)

UN extends Syria gas attacks investigation for one year

The UN Security Council on Thursday unanimously decided to extend for another year the mandate of a panel tasked with investigating chemical attacks in Syria and identifying those responsible.

Monroe's gown from JFK's birthday sold for $4.8m at auction

The figure-hugging gown Marilyn Monroe wore to serenade US President John F. Kennedy on his 45th birthday smashed its guide price to sell for $4.8 million at auction on Thursday.

Court grants dying girl's wish to freeze her body

The teenage girl's instructions were direct: She didn't want to be buried, but to be frozen - with the hope she can continue her life in the future when cancer is cured.

Currency swap sparks frustration

The first people showed up at the bank long before dawn, forming a line in the cold and the smog and silently waiting for the chance to withdraw their own money. They left more than seven hours later, each holding the handful of bills, worth $60 at the very most, that they'd been allowed to take home.

Stairway to heaven: Iranian's mural turns heads

In a canyon walled by drab gray and brown high-rises, a ragged line of men, women and children hold red helium balloons, ascending a staircase that ends in a spiral at an opening in the roof, where a single giant balloon slips into the blue sky. Two people at the top lift their heads in wonder.

Rolling back the years to the Stones' 1962 apartment

When Mick Jagger was coming up with ideas for an exhibition highlighting The Rolling Stones' five-decade long career, he wanted to recreate the mood of the band in its early years.

Pangolin center shows scale of the wildlife challenge

Pangolin Mi Bo has seen better days. He arrived at a rescue center in Vietnam missing a paw after it was cut off in a snare trap.

Home device to help breast cancer sufferers

This might be the ultimate do-it-yourself project: Doctors are testing a device that would let women do part of their own breast reconstruction at home.

Evacuation completed in town cut off by quake

New Zealand military leaders said on Wednesday they had almost completed the evacuation of more than 700 tourists and residents from a small coastal town, two days after a powerful earthquake cut off train and vehicle access.

Damascus to 'wait and see' if Trump keeps promises

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Tuesday Damascus would have to "wait and see" if US President-elect Donald Trump would change Washington's policy on Syria but that he was ready to cooperate with him in fighting militants.

Pair of pear-shaped diamond earrings sell for $17.6 million

A pair of pear-shaped diamond earrings sold on Tuesday in Geneva for $17.6 million including fees, falling well short of the pre-sale estimate and suggesting that the auction house may have misjudged the market for that piece.