U.S. Navy
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Friday, May 17, 2013 at 10:42 PM
Hundreds of Thousands Worth of Jewels Swiped from Cannes Hotel
AP
A trove of fantastically valuable jewelry that was to be lent to movie stars at the Cannes Film Festival was stolen from a hotel room on Friday, and a police source tells NBC News that the heist appears to be an inside job. The jewels were stored in a safe in a room at the Novotel Hotel rented by an American employee of Chopard, a Swiss luxury jeweler. The employee was not in her room at the time of the heist, which the French media say took place at around 5:00 a.m. local time. Although the heist was initially reported to have been of about $1 million worth of jewels, Le Figaro reported later that Chopard had valued them at between 200,000 and 300,000 euros. The film festival at the famous French Riveria town started on Wednesday and is scheduled to run until May 26.
Get More at NBC News 
Navy Leader Accused of Sending Inappropriate Texts
U.S. Navy
Friday, May 17, 2013 at 8:18 AM
Kidnap Suspect in Custody After Snatched Girl's Mom Rams Car
Albuquerque Police
A 31-year-old man has been charged with kidnapping and child abuse, one day after the snatched girl's mom chased down his car during a high-speed pursuit and rammed it with her own, police told NBC News. David Jesus Hernandez allegedly snatched a 4-year-old girl from the yard of her apartment complex Wednesday and forced her into his silver Buick. As the victim's mother chased him in her own car, Hernandez pushed the child out of his vehicle, according to authorities. The mother didn't notice and continued to chase the man, eventually ramming the Buick to a stop, after which Hernandez fled on foot. He turned himself in Thursday night.
Get More at NBC News
Birth of Anteater Has Zoo Staff Puzzled
AFP/Getty Images
Friday, May 17, 2013 at 10:45 AM
Drone Pilot Burnout Triggers Call for Recruiting Overhaul
US Navy
Those training to pilot drones drop out at a rate of 30 percent, compared to a burnout rate of 10 to 15 percent for pilots training to helm fighter jets like the F-16, according to research by Brad Hoagland, an Air Force colonel and visiting researcher at the Brookings Institution. Hoagland, a fighter-jet pilot and operations commander of 23 years himself, is calling for a review of drone pilot selection, especially as 500 more pilots are expected to join the ranks of the military’s 1,300 combat drone pilots in the next few years, NBC News reported. Click through to read about how drone pilots are selected now and what challenges they face.
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Friday, May 17, 2013 at 1:58 PM
Russia Sends Advanced Missiles to Assad in Syria
AP
Russia has sent antiship cruise missiles to Syria in a move that shows the depth of its support for President Bashar al-Assad's regime, The New York Times reported. Russia has previously provided a version of the missiles called Yakhonts to Syria, but those delivered recently are outfitted with powerful advanced radar, according to American officials familiar with the intelligence reports who spoke to the Times. Unlike Scud and other long-range missiles the Assad regime has used against rebels, the Yakhont missiles provide the Syrian military with a powerful weapon to combat international efforts to establish a naval embargo or no-fly zone. The missile delivery follows news that Russia and the U.S. are planning to meet at an international conference with the goal of ending a civil war in Syria that has killed more than 70,000 people.
Get More at NBC News
Cause of West Fertilizer Blast Ruled "Undetermined"
Getty Images
Friday, May 17, 2013 at 2:16 AM
Uzbek Man Arrested in Idaho on Terror Charges
Getty Images
A man from Uzbekistan who was living in Boise, Idaho, was arrested Thursday and charged with plotting to support Islamist extremists there, according to federal prosecutors. Fazliddin Kurbanov, 30, a truck driver, had acquired a fuse, explosive powders and other parts that could be used to make a hand grenade, they said. He had also distributed bomb-making instruction videos, but he had been closely monitored by federal agents, prosecutors said. According to officials, Kurbanov watched videos online on how to make bombs, then bought components and then reached out to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan for more information on how to make them. It was then that the FBI learned about him, they said, and they stressed that he had not yet plotted any attacks. The Associated Press reported that he would appear in federal court Friday morning.
Get More at NBC News
Friday, May 17, 2013 at 3:56 AM
2nd Top Official Out at IRS, Obama Names New Chief
AP
A second top official is out at the Internal Revenue Service, as the agency reels from a scandal over revelations that it gave special scrutiny to conservative groups applying for tax exemption. An internal memo said that Joseph Grant, commissioner of the IRS's tax-exempt and government entities division, will retire on June 3. That news came after President Barack Obama appointed a new acting IRS commissioner earlier Thursday, hours after he said he knew nothing about the actions within the agency until they were reported in the press. He named Daniel Werfel to fill the position vacated by Steven Miller, who resigned Wednesday on the Treasury's request. The president, however, declined to endorse appointing an independent counsel to investigate the controversy.
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Perry Describes Incomprehensible Damage in Granbury
WATCH: Texas Gov. Perry Tours Tornado Damage
Texas Gov. Rick Perry will head to a North Texas city devastated by a tornado that left at least six people dead. Perry on Friday afternoon plans to visit Granbury and survey the destruction. Wednesday night's tornado destroyed 97 of the 110 homes in the Rancho Brazos Estates subdivision, about 40 miles southwest of Fort Worth. Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds said the storm killed two women and four men and injured more than 100. Donations to the recovery effort can be made through the American Red Cross.
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"Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker" Arrested in NJ Killing
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Man Finds $4.85 Million Lotto Ticket in Cookie Jar
A Chicago-area man is thankful he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar — it turned him into a millionaire. Ricardo Cerezo's wife threatened to throw out some old lottery tickets stashed away in a cookie jar, so he finally decided to check them. "The last ticket said, 'file a claim," Cerezo said. The ticket, which he bought in February, was worth a cool $4.85 million. The winning ticket couldn't have come at a better time for the family. Cerezo's home was facing pending foreclosure, and the family was reeling from the loss of his 14-year-old daughter Savannah, who died as a result of a series of seizures. Savannah had bought the cookie jar a few months before she died. "The honest first reaction was mammoth regret. Regret because our youngest wasn't here to enjoy this," Cerezo said. But now he says he's able to find peace, knowing this was an incredible gift from his daughter. The family plans to keep working to pay off their mortgage, pay for college and donate a portion of the money to charity and their church. Read »
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