ADELAIDE, Australia, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- A 94-year-old great-great-grandmother in Australia has become the oldest person in the world to earn a master's degree.

Phyllis Turner, who dropped out of primary school at the age of 12, earned her masters in medical science from Adelaide University, the Melbourne Herald Sun reported Friday.

Turner resumed her education at the age of 70 after leaving primary school nearly 60 years earlier to help her mother care for her siblings. She earned honors in anthropology in 2002 from the university and moved on to Adelaide's medical school for her masters.

"I feel very, very happy after five years of study, but sorry that I am just a little bit immobilized," said Turner, who uses a walking stick.

Turner's daughter, Anne O'Herran, said her mother is being officially entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest higher degree research graduate.

"She is a strong old matriarch," granddaughter Sue Rudall said.

Lobster restaurant sues alleged copycat

NEW YORK, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- The proprietor of a Maine-style New York lobster restaurant is suing her former sous-chef, claiming his new restaurant is a copy of hers.

Rebecca Charles, who opened the Pearl Oyster Bar about a decade ago, filed suit against her former longtime employee, Ed McFarland, who started Ed's Lobster Bar 16 blocks away from Charles' restaurant in April, the Christian Science Monitor reported Friday.

Charles claims McFarland committed intellectual theft by copying her decor, menu and business model for his own lobster shack. The suit claims McFarland failed to put business-related responsibilities above personal gain.

"It's not a lawsuit about a lobster roll recipe," Charles said. "Thirty-one out of 34 recipes on his menu are mine. They've stolen my restaurant's identity and have plans to make a great deal of money off it, and that's not right, and I plan to do something about it."

McFarland denies any wrongdoing.

"I am deeply saddened to learn that Rebecca Charles has brought an action against me," he said. "I believe her action has no merit. I harbor no ill will and wish her safely to port."

Australian judge rules for eBay bidder

SYDNEY, Australia, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- An Australian judge has ruled against a man who refused to give up a $215,000 vintage plane he sold on online auction site eBay.

Judge Nigel Rein ordered Vin Thomas to give the 1946 World War II Wirraway to Peter Smythe for the amount on which they agreed, The Age reported Friday.

Smythe filed suit against Thomas after he changed his mind about selling the plane after the auction ended. Thomas had attempted to back out of the auction to sell the plane for a higher price to a buyer outside of eBay.

"It follows that, in my view, a binding contract was formed between the plaintiff and the defendant and that it should be specifically enforced," Rein said in his decision.

The decision could lead to eBay sales being viewed as legally binding contracts, The Age said.

Daniel Feiler, a spokesman for eBay, said before the decision the case would not affect public confidence in the Web site.

"It has always been our understanding that you are entering into a binding contract when you are listing an item and someone has made a bid on the item," he said.

Stolen statue returned to frat house

CORVALLIS, Ore., Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Police have recovered a Delta Chi fraternity statue taken from Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore., and arrested a suspected thief.

Police received a phone tip that led them to the 3-foot-tall bronze statue of the Roman god Vulcan after the fraternity's insurance company offered a $5,000 reward for the item's return and information leading to the successful prosecution of the thief, the Corvallis Gazette-Times reported Friday.

The police said the object was found in the basement of Marcus Annis, who was charged with first-degree burglary and aggravated theft.

Detectives said the statue weighs between 60 and 80 pounds, so it is Not Impossible the theft was carried out by a single person. However, police said they are still investigating the theft and further arrests may follow.

The statue of Vulcan, god of fire and metal working, has been on display at the house since it was given to the fraternity in 1926 by the family of Charles Rosenkrans, a Delta Chi member who died in an accident.