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CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela will begin installing some 20,000 fingerprint scanners at supermarkets nationwide in a bid to stamp out hoarding and panic buying, which the government blames for long lines and widespread shortages of basic goods. ... On Saturday, President Nicolas Maduro said that seven large private retail chains had voluntarily agreed to install the scanners. "I ask for the the comprehension of all of Venezuela, to understand this problem, because there is a lot of manipulation taking place," Maduro said at the inauguration of a state-run supermarket. Economists say the effort is bound to fail. They blame...

Mobile fingerprint scanners plan 27.10.08   Police will be able to check the identities of people in the street using mobile fingerprint scanners.The hand-held devices, no bigger than a BlackBerry smartphone, are being issued to every police force in the UK under a scheme called Mobile Identification At Scene (Midas), according to The Guardian.They will enable officers to scan suspects' fingerprints on the spot and compare them against records on the police national biometric database, Ident1.It is claimed the scanners will save police time and cut the number of wrongful arrests.Currently, officers have to take suspects to custody suites...