A man has been reunited with his now-vintage motorcycle nearly 50 years after it was stolen. Donald DeVault, 73, from Omaha, Nebraska, in the US, has now received the 1953 Triumph Tiger 100.
Mr DeVault learned two weeks ago that California authorities had recovered his motorcycle at the Port of Los Angeles.
The bike was about to be shipped to Japan when customs agents who checked the vehicle identification number discovered it was reported stolen in February 1967.
Mr DeVault’s first reaction? To hug the customs agent who found the bike. He had had it for only a year or two when it was taken from his fenced backyard. (PA)
Spain’s King Juan Carlos in hospital
Spain’s King Juan Carlos has been admitted to hospital to undergo the second part of an operation on his hip, his sixth surgery in fewer than two years.
The surgery has been planned since the 75-year-old king had a hip prosthesis removed in September after it developed an infection. The latest health problem triggered speculation that the king might abdicate in favour of his son, Crown Prince Felipe, but that was ruled out by the palace.
The king’s popularity has dipped in recent years following scandals, including an elephant shooting trip in the middle of Spain’s financial crisis, that tarnished the royal family’s image. (AP)
Sarah Palin’s vehicle up for auction
Sarah Palin’s home town is auctioning an car she drove when she was mayor, years before she rocketed to fame.
The small town of Wasilla, Alaska, listed the 1999 Ford Expedition on eBay with a minimum bid of $10,000. The listing’s photo shows the tan SUV with a cardboard cut-out of Palin in the driver’s seat.
Public works director Archie Giddings said the hope is that someone finds historic value in the vehicle because Palin drove it. No bids have been submitted so far.
The listing expires on November 27. Palin drove the vehicle during her second term as mayor, ending in October 2002. (PA)
Boeing makes wrong landing
A Boeing 747 Dreamlifter cargo plane has landed at the wrong Kansas airport.
The Dreamlifter, carrying parts for the new 787 Dreamliner jet, landed safely at Colonel James Jabara Airport, several miles from McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita where it was supposed to land because it is next to Spirit AeroSystems, a major supplier for the Dreamliner.
Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel did not say why the plane landed at the wrong airport. (PA)
Hydrogen cars to go on sale soon
Cars that run on hydrogen and exhaust-only water vapour are emerging to challenge electric vehicles as the world’s transportation of the future.
At motor shows on two continents three car makers have unveiled hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to be delivered to the public as early as next spring.
South Korea’s Hyundai will be the first to the mass market in the US. It unveiled a hydrogen-powered, Tucson small SUV at the Los Angeles Auto Show that will be leased to consumers. Honda has also revealed plans in Los Angeles for a car due out in 2015.
Earlier, at the Tokyo Motor Show, Toyota promised a mass-produced fuel cell car by 2015 in Japan and 2016 in the US. (AP)