Authorities said a man stole a pickup, a sedan and a Volkswagen Beetle — along with perhaps 300 other cars. Not to mention boats and recreational vehicles. Taylor Jacob Norton, 22, sold many of the vehicles to support a methamphetamine habit, and used others just to give rides to friends, sheriff's Detective Jess Sanders said. Drug paraphernalia was found in his home, investigators reported. "He's a one-man crime ring," Sanders said. An electronic beacon from a stolen car led to Norton's arrest on Jan. 23 in his mobile home outside Arlington, 40 miles north of Seattle, authorities said. In the yard, authorities said, were four stolen vehicles — a 1994 Chevrolet pickup, a 1998 BMW 528, a 2003 BMW 325 and a 2003 Volkswagen Beetle, which had the locator device. Norton then led investigators to dozens of homes where he said he stole vehicles, recalling the make, model and license plate number of each one, as well as how he made off with it, Sanders said.... http://www.msnbc.msn.com censor News |
Editor - 10:07:00 02-23-07 |
Cheney warns on Chinese build-up |
US Vice-President Dick Cheney has expressed concern over China's military policies, saying they were at odds with the country's stated peaceful aims. On a visit to Australia, he praised China's role in a nuclear deal with North Korea but criticised its military build-up and anti-satellite tests. Mr Cheney also thanked Australia for its support for US operations in Iraq. Australian PM John Howard is facing opposition on the issue, and there have been protests over Mr Cheney's visit. The US vice-president commended Chinese leaders for their role in six-party talks with North Korea, which resulted in a landmark agreement on 13 February committing Pyongyang to shut down key nuclear facilities. "The Chinese understand that a nuclear North Korea would be a threat to their own security," he said. However, he added that "other actions by the Chinese government send a different message". ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6388557.stm
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Editor - 09:54:00 02-23-07 |
UK-US in talks on missile defence |
The UK and US have held high level talks on the possibility of putting a "Son of Star Wars" missile defence system on British soil. Downing Street stressed talks were at an early stage. The US is thought to favour a site in eastern Europe. Russia has said the system, which will destroy missiles launched at the US, will trigger an arms race. Anti-war groups said UK involvement was "ill-conceived", and other critics said it could make Britain a target. A Downing Street spokeswoman confirmed that Prime Minister Tony Blair thought the discussions were a "good idea". "We believe that it is an important step towards providing missile defence coverage for Europe," she said. But hours later, US deputy chief of mission in London, David Johnson, seemed to rebuff these claims. He told the BBC: "As we go forward there may be opportunities for us to talk to other countries about their needs. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6388713.stm
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Editor - 09:48:00 02-23-07 |
Emotion robots learn from people |
Making robots that interact with people emotionally is the goal of a European project led by British scientists. Feelix Growing is a research project involving six countries, and 25 roboticists, developmental psychologists and neuroscientists. Co-ordinator Dr Lola Canamero said the aim was to build robots that "learn from humans and respond in a socially and emotionally appropriate manner". The 2.3m euros scheme will last for three years. "The human emotional world is very complex but we respond to simple cues, things we don't notice or we don't pay attention to, such as how someone moves," said Dr Canamero, who is based at the University of Hertfordshire. The project involves building a series of robots that can take sensory input from the humans they are interacting with and then adapt their behaviour accordingly.... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6389105.stm
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Editor - 09:44:00 02-23-07 |
U.S. forces detain son of powerful Iraqi politician |
U.S. troops detained the eldest son of Iraq's powerful Shi'ite politician Abdul Aziz Hakim at a border checkpoint with Iran on Friday, Iraqi security force officials told Reuters. The U.S. military said it was checking the report. Ammar Hakim's convoy was stopped at the Badrah checkpoint in Wasit province as he returned from Iran, they said. It was not immediately clear why he had been detained. The Iraqi security sources said U.S. forces had taken him to forward operating base Delta, a U.S. camp in nearby Kut, capital of Wasit province. Ammar's father is leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), the biggest party in Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's national unity cabinet. He held talks with President Bush at the White House last December on how to curb sectarian violence in the country. Ammar Hakim is an influential member of the ruling Shi'ite Alliance in his own right and is secretary general of a humanitarian charity set up by SCIRI.... http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2898743
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Editor - 09:40:00 02-23-07 |
Mozambique cyclone leaves destruction |
A powerful tropical storm that struck Mozambique lost some of its fury on Friday but left a trail of destruction and may have forced thousands of people from their homes, officials said.Cyclone Favio, which has killed four people and injured at least 70 in the resort town of Vilanculos, was downgraded to a tropical storm as wind speeds dropped from a peak of 270 kph (170 mph) to between 60-80 kph (35-70 mph). Officials fear it still may take its rain toward the Zambezi river basin, where several weeks of flooding had already displaced more than 120,000 people. Authorities and humanitarian agencies are already battling to keep tens of thousands of flood refugees in central Mozambique supplied with food and fresh water. ... http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2898746
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Editor - 09:39:00 02-23-07 |
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