MAN CHARGED WITH STEALING U.S. SECRETS AWAITS TRIAL

Man charged with stealingU.S. secrets awaits trial
SANTA ANA, Calif. -- As a top engineer at a major U.S. defense contractor, Chi Mak helped develop some of the most advanced and closely guarded naval technology in the world, including silent-running propulsion systems that can make submarines virtually undetectable. Now, in a case that experts say could have serious implications for U.S. security, he is accused of stealing those secrets for the Chinese. Prosecutors say the Chinese-born Mak was working for China from 1983 until his arrest two years ago, stealing hundreds of documents about a number of defense systems, including the weapons, nuclear reactors and propulsion systems aboard U.S. submarines. The 66-year-old Mak is set to go on trial Tuesday on charges of conspiracy to export U.S. defense secrets to China, possession of property in aid of a foreign government and failure to register as a foreign agent. He could get more than 50 years in prison if convicted.
Iranian nuclear crisis
UNITED NATIONS -- Major powers submitted the final draft of a resolution to pressure Iran to suspend uranium enrichment with only minor amendments Thursday, meaning the U.N. Security Council will likely vote on the new sanctions within two days. The five veto-wielding members of the Security Council, along with Germany, rejected South Africa's proposal for a 90-day "time out" on all sanctions. Acting U.S. Ambassador Alejandro Wolff said the United States also rejected amendments by Indonesia and Qatar calling for the Middle East to be free of weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them, saying the resolution should deal only with Iran's nuclear program. The resolution's sponsors -- Britain, France and Germany -- submitted the text in its final form, and it will likely be voted on Saturday, said British Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry.
British police arrest3 suspects in bombings
LONDON -- Counter-terrorist police arrested three men Thursday in the 2005 suicide attacks on the London transit system, the first major development in the investigation in months. Two of the suspects were detained as they prepared to board a flight to Pakistan. The third man was arrested in Leeds -- the northern city that was home to three of the four bombers. Police also raided five properties in the city -- at least one on the same street where one of the bombers lived. "Anybody who imagined that this had simply been treated as four lone wolves or a lone pack of wolves on July 7, 2005 is very wrong," Lord Carlile, the government's independent reviewer of terror laws, told the British Broadcasting Corp. "There is a lot of work going on." No one has ever been charged in connection with the bombings, which were the deadliest attack on London since World War II. The four bombers and 52 commuters died in blasts on three subway trains and a double-decker bus, and more than 700 people were injured.
Plan to let Mexican trucksdeeper into U.S. hits snag
WASHINGTON -- Mexican trucks could have to wait longer than anticipated to haul freight deep into the United States. The Bush administration in February announced that it would soon allow 100 Mexican trucking companies to travel beyond the current 20-mile limit for a one-year pilot project. But a Senate panel on Thursday voted to delay the plan by requiring the administration to publish details about it and giving the public time to comment on it. The action came as part of a supplemental spending bill to pay for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "The administration is rushing to open the border to Mexican-domiciled trucks without assuring their safety and enforcement of the law of the U.S.," said Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen. "They can't go rushing forward in opening the border without having explained what their pilot project is."
Staircase issue threatensconstruction at WTC site
NEW YORK -- A prolonged debate over whether to preserve a 175-ton staircase that still stands at the World Trade Center site is threatening construction schedules for new office towers, rebuilding officials said this week. The staircase, which several people used to escape the debris-filled complex in the moments after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, has been named one of the nation's most endangered places by a preservation group. It is the only remnant of the complex that is above street level. Historians first lobbied to keep the staircase in place, and lately have lobbied to move it intact to a nearby park or plaza while officials prepare the land to build one of three office towers. The staircase sits on the footprint of a tower proposed by British architect Norman Foster. That building is one of three planned to complement the 1,776-foot-tall Freedom Tower skyscraper.
Associated Press