360 News Briefs

Vatican denies sex abuse cover-up

The Vatican condemns claims that Benedict XVI, before he became pope, did nothing about a US priest suspected of abuse.

Prince Charles visits Afghanistan troops
The Prince of Wales becomes the most senior royal to visit British troops in Afghanistan, during a surprise trip.

Ned Kelly art sets auction record
A painting of outlaw Ned Kelly becomes Australia's most expensive work of art at auction, fetching $4.8m.

Dutch coffee shop fined $13 million
The owner of the Netherlands' biggest cannabis-selling coffee shop is fined 10m euros (£9m) for violating the country's drugs laws.

Southern 'cousin' of T. rex found
Scientists find the first evidence that tyrannosaurs - relatives of the famous T. rex - existed in the southern hemisphere.

Highway robbery: Money grab as cash falls from truck
Police in the US say tens of thousands of dollars are missing after a bag of cash fell from an armoured car, sparking a money grab.

Ex-Poet Laureate to write Treasure Island duex
A sequel to the adventure story Treasure Island is to be written by the former Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion.

Japan's deflation gloom continues

Consumer prices in Japan are continuing to fall, latest figures show, threatening the country's recovery from recession.

Dennis Hopper 'is terminally ill'
Actor Dennis Hopper is terminally ill and unable to undergo chemotherapy to treat prostate cancer, his lawyer says.

Forest loss slows as China plants
The speed of forest loss across the world has slowed markedly over the last decade, reports the UN.

N Korea warns Seoul over tour ban

North Korea threatens "extraordinary measures" unless Seoul lifts its ban on cross-border tours, an official says.

China faces 'diabetes epidemic'
New research suggests diabetes is taking on epidemic proportions in China because of the rapid change in lifestyle.

Reuters; Spiegel; AP; BBC; IRIN; Wall Street Journal; NBC Europe.