Free Republic

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran warned of a world oil crisis if sanctions are imposed over its nuclear program even as the United States and Europe struggled to get support for UN Security Council action. "In case of sanctions, other countries will suffer as well as Iran," Oil Minister Davoud Danesh-Jafari said, according to the official news agency, IRNA. "One of the consequences will be the unleashing of a crisis in the oil sector and particularly a price hike." Iran, the number two oil exporter in OPEC with oil revenue last year of 42 billion dollars, risks being referred to the...

Armed Louisville man barricades self in house 05:29 PM EDT on Thursday, August 18, 2005 An armed man is barricaded inside his home after witnesses say he shot and killed his estranged wife Thursday morning. Police say she was found shot to death in the 6400 block of Venango Drive in Pleasure Ridge Park. The man then went back to his home in the 8100 block of Blake Lane where the stand-off continues. Police are waiting for Gary Goodman to make the next move. Goodman is still holed up in his home in the 8100 block of Blake Lane, a...

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea said Friday that establishing a peace agreement to replace the cease-fire that ended the Korean War would also resolve its nuclear standoff with the international community. A peace pact would "lead to putting an end to the U.S. hostile policy toward (North Korea), which spawned the nuclear issue," a spokesman for the North's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. That would "automatically result in the denuclearization of the peninsula." The unnamed spokesman, quoted by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, said such a move would "give a strong impetus" to international nuclear...

S. Korea: Stopping Late Night Suicide Attempt Early morning on July 6th, an unidentified man(left) carrying a knife made a scene attempting to take his own life on the southern end of Young-dong Bridge (in Seoul.) A cop(right) was handing out a cigarette to him, while trying to persuade him to stop. After 8 hours of standoff, police was able to detain him without any incident.

Israeli missile fails again in test-firing From Rahul Bedi DH News Service New Delhi: As both the rounds of validation firing were not satisfactory, Rafael may be answerable to the penalty clause for delayed delivery of the missile systems. The Israeli armament maker Rafael’s medium range conventional stand-off AGM–142 Raptor Have Nap/Popeye missile, specially configured for the Indian Air Force (IAF), proved unsuccessful in its second validation test-firing in Rajasthan recently. The first validation firing of the missile specially code named ‘Crystal Maze’ by the IAF took place last December. According to the deal signed with Rafael in December 2001...

Both law enforcement officials and terrorists are lauding a compromise plan that will allow the hostage takers in the recent standoff to execute only 40% of those being held hostage. The settlement was reached just hours before officials were planning on taking aggressive action that would have freed all of the hostages. “Freeing them all might have gotten ugly,” the police chief said. “Storming the place can lead to bad publicity and public relations for law enforcement. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed.” If such scenario had actually happened, no one, of course, would have stood for it. Terrorists don’t have the...

5/6/2005 - DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- B-1B Lancer bombers here recently demonstrated their superior flexibility and air power capability by simulating 72 launches of the bomber’s newest weapon, the joint air-to-surface standoff missile during JASSM Thunder 05-01. The exercise is the first operational-level planning-to-execution exercise for the B-1B bomber featuring its new JASSM capability, base officials said. The missile is an air-to-surface, self-propelled weapon with a single warhead that has an effective range of about 230 miles. It was designed to penetrate highly defended airspace as an independent cruise missile to eliminate high-value fixed targets. It has...

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea on Saturday called President Bush a "hooligan" and said it expected no solution of the standoff over its nuclear program during his administration. The comments by North Korea's Foreign Ministry spokesman followed a White House news conference Thursday in which Bush described North Korean leader Kim Jong Il as a "tyrant" and a "dangerous person." "Bush is a hooligan bereft of any personality as a human being ... and a Philistine whom we can never deal with," the ministry spokesman said Saturday, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency. North Korea "does...

"BRUSSELS, Belgium — Police said Friday they had removed all unarmed Iranian pro-monarchists (search) without resistance from a Lufthansa (search) plane ending a 15-hour protest action by the group against the Iranian government. Police spokeswoman Els Cleemput said at least 90 officers were used to remove the 56 protesters from the aircraft which was moved away from the terminal at Brussels airport after negotiations failed to end the protest action at 0230 GMT. "The plane is now empty," Cleemput said, adding no handcuffs had to be used and there were "no major incidents". She said however some protesters had to...

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea (search) said Saturday that it was "quite possible" to settle the international standoff over its nuclear weapons program if the United States allows for the existence of the communist regime.

A man on Mistletoe Street in Irving, TX has barracaded himself in a home after shooting at police. It is still ongoing now, after 4 hours. Man has been despondent over recent divorce.Man has several weapons.Had a cop pinned down for several minutes earlier. Cops have fired tear gas into the home, shooting continues. No-one hurt yet.Lights on the street have been cutPolice have not been able to make contact.

Mon 20 Sep 2004 12:39pm (UK) Police Shoot Man Who Threatened Them with Cobras "PA" Police shot a man after he wrapped himself with two deadly cobras and threatened to commit suicide, then swung the snakes at officers who had rushed to his home in southern Austria. One of the cobras bit the 40-year-old man in the hand during the stand-off in Leoben, in the province of Styria. He underwent emergency surgery for the snake bite and the gunshot wound and remained was in critical condition today. Two policemen arrived at the man’s apartment after he sent a mobile phone...

In an interview earlier this month, multinational corps commander Lt. Gen. Thomas F. Metz admitted, "As much as I would love the Iraqis to love me, and my doctrine tells me I want to win the hearts and minds, I know I'm not going to do that." He's right. But few of his superiors seem to have accepted that reality. Rather, as recent events in Najaf reveal, military operations in Iraq continue to fall between two levels, destructive enough to provoke Iraqi resistance but not ruthless enough to suppress it. Instead, we continue to play at making war, sacrificing both...

Standoff in Texas Town Ends With Two Dead, One Officer Critically Injured Angela K. Brown/Associated Press Jun 18, 2004 GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (AP) - A gunman in a van in a Wal-Mart parking lot killed one police officer and critically wounded another Friday, prompting an hours-long standoff that trapped customers in the store for hours before the attacker was found dead. Sgt. Gregory Hunter, 54, was fatally shot Friday morning as he and another officer, Bruce Seix, checked on a blue camper-style van that had been parked all night with its engine running, said police spokesman John Brimmer. Hunter went...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States warned North Korea that it would face action from the international community if it does not stop exporting dangerous weapons and other illegal activities. "If North Korea will not act, it will find the United States, its allies and other partners equally prepared to respond with measures that ensure North Korea cannot threaten our countries or international stability," said Mitchell Reiss, the department's director of policy planning. Speaking at the Heritage Foundation, one of Washington's leading repositories of expertise on East Asia, Reiss said the United States was taking steps to enforce its laws...

<p>BUCKEYE - The female corrections officer who was held hostage for 15 days was released Sunday night when two violent felons released her peacefully.</p> <p>The inmates are also in custody after surrendering.</p> <p>"She will be reunited with her fmaily," said Cam Hunter, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Department of Corrections.</p>

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. -- A Sorrento woman faces a number of serious charges after she allegedly opened fire during a standoff with deputies, shooting toward a church where services were going on. Deputies say, 39-year-old Michelle Hurley began firing shots from her home along County Road 437 with her two children inside. Her 12-year-old daughter called 9-1-1 and said her mother had been drinking and threatening to harm herself. Hurley was inside the home for hours, until negotiators talked her into coming out.Meanwhile, nearly 100 church members took cover while deputies got control of the situation.No one was hurt, but...

What's next for property owner in zoning dispute BY FRED GRAY NEWS-REVIEW STAFF WRITER CHARLEVOIX - Alanson pastor Norm Olson and former Bay Township supervisor Bob Taylor presented a spirited defense of Lyle Barkley inside the closed-door meeting Thursday with parties to the Barkleys' property dispute. Excerpts of their statements, taken from an authorized tape of the session, follow. Olson, who has interceded on behalf of the Barkleys, responded to an opening question from Sheriff George T. Lasater on where the Barkleys stood on the issues: "Both sides are moving too rapidly toward confrontation and that is unwise. Especially for...

Parties agree to talk again after court appeal:Confrontation averted, for the moment BY FRED GRAY NEWS-REVIEW STAFF WRITER CHARLEVOIX - The Barkley family and Charlevoix County and Bay Township officials agreed Thursday to put off any confrontation over a contested zoning violation until after a circuit court judge has ruled on the matter. Lyle Barkley and his daughter, Kim, who have been ordered to remove three manufactured housing units from their property by township officials backed by a district court order, met with the officials at a meeting called by sheriff George T. Lasater. Barkley, backed by militia groups across...

Barkley meeting with officials set for next week BY FRED GRAY NEWS-REVIEW STAFF WRITER CHARLEVOIX - Charlevoix County Sheriff George T. Lasater said today the meeting he promised to set up between disgruntled Bay Township property owner Lyle Barkley and township and county officials will take place next week. Lasater said the meeting had tentatively been set for 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2, in the Pine Lake Room of the county building. He said he had invited the Barkleys, township officials, county prosecutor Mary Beth Kur and county building official Ken Doty to attend. He said he would leave...