Afghanistan to vote in historic election

Afghanistan votes in only its second parliamentary election in history on Saturday. With repeated Taliban threats to voters, the entire Afghan security apparatus is on high alert. This is the first election since the presidential poll that witnessed massive fraud in 2009. So, the vote is being seen as a defining moment in whether Afghanistan moves up the ladder of democracy or slides further into a cycle of violence.

The NATO-led international force is now at about President Obama's promised surge of 150,000. ISAF, official sources say will operate as a quick response force when needed.

Kabul is plastered with election posters. Till the last day, ballot boxes and election material were being transported to places outside Kabul.

The Taliban have been quiet in the capital in the last few weeks. But, this has been the bloodiest year since they were defeated in 2001. Civilian and military deaths are at record levels. Officially over 500 foreign troops and over 1500 civilians have been killed.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/afghanistan-to-vote-in-historic-election-52777?cp

Michael Jackson's mother sues concert promoter

Michael Jackson's mother sued a concert promoter on Wednesday, alleging the company failed to provide life-saving equipment and oversee a doctor who was hired to look out for the pop star's well-being as he prepared for what were intended to be his comeback concerts.

Katherine Jackson's lawsuit was filed against AEG Live in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

The suit contends AEG and its agents told Michael Jackson the company would provide the equipment and hire Dr. Conrad Murray to care for him so he could perform at the concerts in London.

"AEG's representations to Jackson were false because in reality AEG was merely doing whatever it took to make sure that Michael Jackson could make it to rehearsals and shows and AEG did not provide a doctor who was truly looking out for Jackson's well-being and did not provide equipment," the lawsuit stated.



AEG spokesman Michael Roth said the company has not seen the lawsuit and had no immediate comment.

AEG Live President and CEO Randy Phillips said after Jackson's June 2009 death that Murray was enlisted to act as Jackson's personal physician and was to be paid $150,000 a month by AEG Live as the singer prepared for the concerts.

Jackson, however, died before signing the agreement. As a result, Phillips said it was not binding.

The suit also said AEG Live was responsible for the actions of Murray in the care of Jackson. Murray, however, was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

"At the time of his death, Michael Jackson was under the immediate care of a doctor selected by, hired by, and controlled by AEG; indeed AEG demanded and required that Michael Jackson be treated by this particular doctor to ensure that Michael Jackson would attend all rehearsals and shows on the tour," the complaint stated.

Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death at age 50.

Police said Murray gave Jackson an overdose of the anesthetic propofol.

Katherine Jackson, who is the guardian of the singer's three children, also sued on their behalf. Her lawsuit claimed Jackson's eldest son, Prince, suffered great trauma and severe emotional distress because he witnessed his father's final moments.

The lawsuit alleged that Jackson's agreement with AEG put him under immense pressure to complete the London concerts. The suit claims AEG would have taken over Jackson's share in a lucrative music catalog that includes songs by The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, Jackson and the Jackson 5, which was one of the singer's best assets after years of accumulating debt.

The comeback concerts in London sold out in anticipation of Jackson's return as the King of Pop.

Despite years of self-imposed exile, he retained a huge, loyal following of fans overjoyed at the prospect of seeing him reclaim the glory he'd attained with albums like "Thriller" and songs like "Beat It!" and "Billie Jean."

The singer's father, Joe Jackson, has sued Murray for wrongful death in federal court. Murray's attorneys filed a motion on Wednesday seeking a dismissal of that case, which alleges the cardiologist acted negligently and lied to emergency-room physicians trying to resuscitate the singer.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/michael-jackson-s-mother-sues-concert-promoter-52424?cp

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/michael-jackson-s-mother-sues-concert-promoter-52424?cp

U.S. drone attacks kill 12 in Pakistan

Twelve militants were killed Wednesday in drone attacks carried out by the United States in northwest Pakistan, a media report said.

The pre-dawn attacks targeted the Haqqani terror network in Dargah Mandi village. The village is located on the outskirts of Miranshah town in the troubled North Waziristan tribal region, Geo TV reported.

“US drones fired seven missiles at two militant compounds early this morning, killing at least twelve militants,” a senior security official said.

Local residents said there was panic in the village after the noise of drones was heard just before dawn.

The terror network is run by Sirajuddin, son of Afghan warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani, and is linked to Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

Japanese PM wins party vote, will stay in power

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan was re-elected president of the ruling Democratic Party on Tuesday, surviving a stiff challenge from a veteran powerbroker and sparing Japan another change in leadership.

Kan, in office just three months, defeated Ichiro Ozawa by an unexpectedly wide margin, 721-491. Parliamentary party members accounted for two-thirds of the votes, while rank-and-file members around the country made up the remaining third.

A party heavyweight, Ozawa quit as the party's No. 2 in June, amid a political funding scandal.

The leadership tussle has distracted Japan at a time when it desperately needs to confront a host of problems, from a sluggish economy and a surging yen - which Tuesday hit a new 15-year high against the dollar - to an escalating spat withChina over a collision near disputed islands. Had Ozawa won, he would've been Japan's third prime minister in a year.

A fiscal disciplinarian who has urgently called for Japan to create more jobs to revive the economy, Kan is far more popular among the general public than Ozawa, who is widely viewed as a backroom kingmaker with a scandal-tainted image. Ozawa could be indicted as early as next month for allegations of political finance irregularities.

Famous for standing up to Japan's bureaucrats when he exposed a government cover-up of HIV-tainted blood in the mid-1990s, Kan has pledged to make politics more transparent and accountable. Surveys show that voters prefer Kan by a margin of 4-to-1.

Ozawa, a fixture in Japanese politics for 40 years, mounted a strong challenge, tapping into his deep support base within the party. A master strategist, Ozawa is widely credited with engineering the Democrats' landslide victory a year ago, unseating the conservative Liberal Democratic Party that ruled Japan for most of the post-World War II era.

While Ozawa said he would back Kan if he loses, some analysts have speculated that Ozawa may try to break away from the Democrats to form his own party or even join with the LDP.

Sensex crosses 19k after 32 months, Nifty above 5,700

Mumbai: The BSE benchmark Sensex regained the crucial 19,000-level in early trade on Monday, adding 287 points on fund-based buying driven by a firming global trend.

The 30-share index of the Bombay Stock Exchange surged by 287.69 points to 19,087.35 in opening trade. It had risen by 132.95 points in the previous session

The buoyant investor sentiment also propelled the wide- based National Stock Exchange Nifty past the 5,700-mark. The Nifty gained 83.60 points to 5723.65 in early trade today.

Both indices have regained these levels after almost 32 months.

Sushil Kumar wins gold in World Wrestling Championship

New Delhi: Wrestler Sushil Kumar rewrote the history books once again as he became the first Indian wrestler to win a gold medal in the World Wrestling Championships.

The 27-year old wrestler from Haryana beat Russia's Gogaev Alan in the final to clinch the gold medal.

He had earlier assured atleast a silver medal by defeating Hasanov Jabrayil of Azerbaijan in the semifinal.

Speaking to NDTV, Sushil said, "I am very happy with this win and this is bigger than my win at the Beijing Olympics".

His coach said that Sushil was confident of winning the gold medal even before the final.

The final bout was decided 3-1 in the favor of the Indian wrestler.

He had earlier done the country proud by winning a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and with this win he starts as a favourite at home to clinch a gold in the Commonwealth Games.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/sports/sushil-kumar-wins-gold-in-world-wrestling-championship-51526?cp

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/sports/sushil-kumar-wins-gold-in-world-wrestling-championship-51526?cp

Japan's revolving door of prime ministers set to spin again

Tokyo, Japan (CNN) -- The wife of Japan's prime minister is a pragmatist. When her husband, Naoto Kan, became prime minister in June, they moved in only with their summer clothes, she told a Japanese weekly magazine.

Her fashion move may have been a premonition.

Japan's first couple may well not see an autumn in the prime minister's residence, as Japan's leading political party votes for its third party leader this year, on Tuesday. The party leader typically becomes the prime minister, because the Democratic Party of Japan, also known as the DPJ, has the majority in Japan's parliament. If Naoto Kan can't keep his three-month job as the party leader, the country will likely have its third prime minister this year.

Running against Kan is Ichiro Ozawa, a political heavyweight widely known for backroom political deals that won him the nickname the "Shadow Shogun." Ozawa says he is challenging Kan because he thinks the prime minister has been ineffective and lacks determination. Ozawa says Kan has been unable to wrest power from the government's powerful bureaucrats.

The two men worked together to bring the DPJ into power more than a year ago, booting out the Liberal Democratic Party, which had ruled Japan continuously for almost 50 years. A political funding scandal forced Ozawa to resign as party leader late last year, and Kan publicly distanced himself from his ally.

The prime minister has, at every recent opportunity, reminded the public of Ozawa's controversial past and repeated that the top job should be one of trust.

"Mr. Ozawa should tell Japan what kind of prime minister he would like to be," Kan said at a recent campaigning event, insinuating that Ozawa is a political wheeler-dealer, not a statesman.

"I have to be myself," Ozawa said in response. "I will implement polices as the prime minister in a sincere manner. We have to put our priorities on improving the lives of the people."

A public investigation into the funding scandal continues against Ozawa, with an indictment still possible. Yet Ozawa, who has been a political operative in Japan for four decades, remains a formidable candidate against Kan.

Within the DPJ, many politicians owe their current jobs to Ozawa's deals. Yukio Hatoyama, the prime minister before Kan, said of Ozawa, "I became prime minister, thanks to Mr. Ichiro Ozawa's gracious guidance. I must repay him." It suggests that political payback may reign supreme to the direction of the country.

The political skirmishes have been fodder for the nightly news in Japan, but the revolving door at the top job in Tokyo has meant a lack of policy for the world's third-largest economy, wracked with deflation, a surging currency and an exploding elderly population.

On the economy, Ozawa favors stimulus spending. He unveiled his proposal for a 2-trillion-yen ($24 billion) stimulus plan, more than twice that of Kan's proposal. Ozawa has also suggested the government may have to issue more bonds, even issuing zero-interest national bonds, to boost the economy in the face of deflation.

On the currency, Ozawa has said the Bank of Japan should intervene and curb the yen's advance by selling the yen. The yen is at a 15-year high versus the U.S. dollar, eroding the value of overseas earnings for exporters like Toyota.

The prime minister has also said Japan should yet again revisit the issue of moving U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma off the island of Okinawa. In May, Japan and the U.S. agreed to move the air station within Okinawa, after months of back-and-forth debate that strained relations between the two allies. The issue torpedoed then-Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's approval ratings and ultimately cost him his job. Yet Ozawa has maintained that the issue merits more negotiations with Washington.

Kan has opposed any further dispute over the base. Kan also favors reining in Japan's debt, the developed world's largest. More stimulus spending will eventually lead to a crisis similar to the one experienced in Greece, he says.

National poll after poll shows Kan is the public's preferred choice as the nation's leader. Opinion polls show voters favor Kan 65 percent to 70 percent, versus Ozawa's support, which lingers in the teens.

But the public doesn't vote in the DPJ party leader election. It's up to the politicians.

India's F1 calendar entry delights Mallya

India's inclusion in next year's Formula One calendar was on Thursday welcomed by Force India owner Vijay Mallya who described the world motor sports governing body FIA's decision as "a dream come true".

"As team principal of India's very first F1 team - Force India and in my capacity as chairman of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India and a member of the FIA World Motor Sports Council, this is a dream come true," Dr Mallya said in a statement about the development.

"As an Indian, I feel proud and walk tall amongst the world's motor sports community. There are a maximum of 20 F1 Grand Prix races worldwide each year and it is a matter of pride that India is on the list," Dr Mallya pointed out.

FIA, on Wednesday, decided that India will host its first Formula One Grand Prix on October 30, next year in Noida, one of the 20 events in next year's F1 calendar.

The track needs to be completed by July 30 and it will get a go-ahead subject to FIA's homologation.

Dr Mallya was confident that the track would meet the deadline and live up to the necessary specifications.

"I would like to record my appreciation for the bold initiative taken by the Jaypee Group in establishing a greenfield F1 race track at Noida. From the regular reports I have received, construction is in full progress and the track with considerable supporting infrastructure will be ready well in time for the 2011 event," he said.

Mallya also said that the country will become one of the most attractive sporting destinations in the future.

"India's economic growth, young and aspirational demographic and the growing popularity of F1 in the country make it one of the most attractive future destinations for a high technology-driven and fantastically competitive sport like F1 where both man and machine are tested to the absolute limit," he added.

Is the new CVC against 2G scam probe?

As the government's decision to appoint PJ Thomas as the new Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) sparks off a huge political row, NDTV has accessed a Department of Telecom (DoT) note which puts a question mark on whether the new CVC is in favour of probing the 2G scam.

In the note dated July 10, 2010, the Department of Telecom objects to the Comptroller and Auditor General or CAG's scrutiny of the 2G scam. PJ Thomas was the Telecom Secretary when this note was sent to the Law Ministry, seeking its opinion on the CAG's right to scrutinise the 2G spectrum allocation.

The Law Ministry replied to that note on August 13, 2010 saying the CAG or the CVC have no powers to challenge government policy.

In that note, the Law ministry clearly says the CVC can only probe corruption cases, not government policy.

PJ Thomas took oath as the Central Vigilance Commissioner on Tuesday. But BJP boycotted the ceremony. It alleged that the government wanted to appoint Thomas as the CVC head to "cover-up" the alleged scam in allocation of 2G spectrum in which accusations have been levelled against Telecom Minister A Raja.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/is-the-new-cvc-against-2g-scam-probe-50374?cp

The BJP has taken its battle against the new CVC to President Pratibha Patil. Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj met the President on Tuesday evening and explained why BJP boycotted the ceremony, setting the stage for a confrontation with the UPA government.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/is-the-new-cvc-against-2g-scam-probe-50374?cp

The BJP has taken its battle against the new CVC to President Pratibha Patil. Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj met the President on Tuesday evening and explained why BJP boycotted the ceremony, setting the stage for a confrontation with the UPA government.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/is-the-new-cvc-against-2g-scam-probe-50374?cp

The party has even written to the Prime Minister against it. Thomas was named in a farm oil duty case in Kerala some years back. Although he was exonerated, the BJP says the CVC should be entirely non-corrupt.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/is-the-new-cvc-against-2g-scam-probe-50374?cp

Sushma Swaraj, who was a part of the three-member Committee that selected Thomas for the CVC Chief's post, had registered her dissent over his appointment.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/is-the-new-cvc-against-2g-scam-probe-50374?cp

This was ignored by the Committee headed by the Prime Minister and also included the Home Minister.

The Prime Minister on Monday defended the appointment of Thomas, saying "We have done the right thing. We have chosen the best candidate out of the list of three."

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/is-the-new-cvc-against-2g-scam-probe-50374?cp

Thomas succeeded Pratyush Sinha, a 1969 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre, who demitted office on Monday after a four-year tenure as CVC. (With PTI inputs)

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/is-the-new-cvc-against-2g-scam-probe-50374?cp

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/is-the-new-cvc-against-2g-scam-probe-50374?cp

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/is-the-new-cvc-against-2g-scam-probe-50374?cp

Will Iranian woman be stoned to death after Ramzan?

The son of an Iranian woman sentenced to be stoned to death for adultery said Monday that he fears she will be executed shortly after this week's end to the Muslim holy month of Ramzan.

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani's 22-year-old son Sajjad Mohammadi Ashtiani was speaking by telephone to a news conference organised in Paris by the French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy.

"Ramzan is coming to an end and, according to Islamic law, executions can resume," the young man warned. The Islamic calendar varies a little around the world, but Ramzan is due to come to an end everywhere this week.

However, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said that Iranian authorities had told Italy's ambassador that "no decision has been taken" over Mohammadi Ashtiani's fate and that he had "invited" his Iranian counterpart to Rome to discuss the case.

"Our ambassador met with Iranian authorities who told us that no decision has been taken yet," Italian news agency ANSA quoted Frattini saying on Italian radio.

Sajjad said he had had no contact with his 43-year-old mother since her August 11 televised "confession", which her lawyers believe was coerced from her by Iranian authorities.

"Weekly visits have been halted. We heard that she had received 99 lashes in prison," the young Iranian said, speaking to Levy and assembled reporters in Persian through a French translator.

Mohammadi-Ashtiani was sentenced to death for adultery and has since also received a 10-year jail term for participating in her husband's murder.

Her case has generated a worldwide uproar, with international governments and human rights bodies denouncing stonings as barbaric, and some questioning whether she received a fair trial.

"This woman faces the most barbaric of executions in the coming days," warned Levy, a prominent French intellectual and media star who has gathered a petition of 80,000 names calling for her release.

"We have sworn to remain mobilised for as long as justice has not been done, that's to say for as long as Sakineh has not been pardoned and freed," he added.

In Strasbourg, members of the European Parliament gave their unanimous support to Mohammadi-Ashtiani and EU Agriculture Commissioner Dacien Ciolos decried stoning as an "inhuman practice from another time", speaking on behalf of the European Commission.

Sakineh's son expressed confidence that international pressure would help and called for the support of Turkey and Brazil, who have friendly relations with Iran.

Shahnaz Gholami, a female journalist who in 2008 was held for several months in the same prison as Sakineh in the northern city of Tabriz, said she was with Sakineh at the moment she was sentenced.

"Sakineh speaks a Turkish dialect and did not understand her conviction which was spoken in Persian with the word for stoning in Arabic. She signed her conviction without understanding it," said Gholami at the gathering in Paris.

"The director of the prison explained to her that she had been sentenced to be stoned."

Gholami added,"Sakineh is the symbol of all the women who are tortured and assaulted in prison in Iran. I hope international support, as well as obtaining Sakineh's liberation, will open the way to a change in this situation."

Mina Ahadi, head of an international campaign against stoning, said her organisation listed 150 stonings of people in Iran over 30 years.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/will-iranian-woman-be-stoned-to-death-after-ramzan-50157?cp

"Stoning is a political act to frighten women in Iran," she said.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/will-iranian-woman-be-stoned-to-death-after-ramzan-50157?cp

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/will-iranian-woman-be-stoned-to-death-after-ramzan-50157?cp

Bombing at an Iraqi army base in Baghdad kills 12, injures at least 20

Just five days after the United States declared the end of its combat mission in Iraq, U.S. soldiers opened fire Sunday morning on suicide bombers who snuck into an Iraqi army base in Baghdad, a U.S. military spokesman said.

The assailants detonated a car bomb outside an army division headquarters housed in the former defense ministry building, killing at least 12 people, most of them Iraqi soldiers, authorities said. The blast wounded at least 20 people at the complex, where a bombing last month targeting recruits killed more than 60 people.

A gun battle raged for more than two hours after the explosion as Iraqi soldiers tried to corral the two bombers who managed to get inside the base, Iraqi officials at the scene said. A small contingent of U.S. soldiers is based at the facility.

The assailants, who wore vests rigged with explosives, threw grenades as Iraqi soldiers shot at them from a distance, fearing that their bullets could detonate the bombs. American soldiers backed them up with "suppressive fire," said Lt. Col. Eric Bloom, the U.S. military spokesman. U.S. helicopters, drones and explosives experts also responded.

During the shooting, the explosives in the vests detonated, killing the suicide bombers. Two other men wearing explosive vests were shot in the head outside the building. Their vests were defused.

The brazen attack is the second targeting the base in less than a month.

The involvement of U.S. soldiers underscored that while they are no longer officially in a combat mission, many among the roughly 50,000 American soldiers still in Iraq remain in harm's way.

Commanders have stressed that U.S. soldiers retain the right to self-defense and will conduct joint operations with Iraqi security forces.

The attack also illustrated how much help Iraq's fledgling security forces need as insurgents continue their almost daily attacks.

Just before the U.S. military officially changed their mission from combat to stability operations last week, the Iraqi government put the nation and security forces on high alert in anticipation of attacks.

Despite the extra checkpoints that have worsened traffic jams throughout Baghdad, the bombers were able to infiltrate a high-profile building and kill a dozen people outside.

Many worry that without an Iraqi government in place nearly six months after Iraq's national election and after a declaration by President Obama that it was time to "turn the page" in Iraq, violence will continue to increase as it did last month.

Nine injured in wildfires in Russia's Volgograd region still in hospital

A total of nine people injured in wildfires in Russia's Volgograd Region remain hospitalized, with another 19 receiving ambulatory treatment, a local emergency ministry department said in a statement on Saturday.

Wildfires raging in Russia's Volgograd Region killed at least six people, with over 900 evacuated.

Over 500 buildings were destroyed by flames.

"531 buildings have burnt down, including 419 residential houses," the statement said.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin allocated on Friday 1 billion rubles ($33 million) to the wildfire-stricken Volgograd and Saratov regions, a cabinet statement said.

President Dmitry Medvedev ordered that measures be stepped up in order to contain the new outbreak of fires, the Kremlin said.

Medvedev also ordered Russian Regional Development Minister Viktor Basargin to "organize the speedy rebuilding of houses and the payment of compensation to those affected."

Experts fear that strong winds could cause the new fires to spread to other regions, namely the Astrakhan Region and the republics of Tatarstan, Bashkortostan and Kalmykia, an emergencies spokesperson said earlier.

The fires that ravaged the European part of Russia in August killed over 50 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes.

The government's response to the disaster was widely criticized and the damage wreaked by the new blazes, coming just days after Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu declared the fires beaten, could provoke further criticism.

The Russian Investigative Committee said on Friday it sees signs of negligence in the actions of officials in the Volgograd region during efforts to put the fires out.

Iran conducts third round of missile tests

Iran on Monday test-fired its long-range Shahab-3 missile which it says could hit targets in arch-foe Israel, as the Revolutionary Guards staged missile war games for the second straight day.

The exercise comes at a time of heightened tension with the West after the UN nuclear watchdog revealed on Friday that the Islamic republic was building a second uranium enrichment plant.

The Guards on Sunday launched the missile manoeuvres marking "Sacred Defence" week, which commemorates the start of the eight-year Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.

Iran's English-language state-owned Press TV channel today broad casted footage of the Shahab-3 being fired in desert terrain.

Iran says the weapon has a range of 1,300-2,000 kilometres, which would put Israel, most Arab states and parts of Europe including much of Turkey within its range.

The Guards yesterday fired several short and medium-range missiles, some with multiple warheads, state media reported.

The medium-range Shahab-1 and Shahab-2, with a range of between 300 kilometres and 700 kilometres, were successfully launched, the Guards' air force commander Hossein Salami said.

Earlier, the Guards test-fired three types of short-range missile - the Tondar-69, Fateh-110 and Zelzal. All three weapons, powered by solid fuel, have a range of between 100 and 400 kilometres.

Gunman holds Discovery staff hostage, shot dead

Police shot dead a gunman to safely free three persons ending hours of standoff after he had taken them as hostages at the Discovery Channel headquarters in the suburb of Silver Spring.

The gunman has been identified as James Lee who was against the programmes shown by the channel, police said, adding he had explosive devices in his backpack.

The hostages were rescued unhurt during the standoff.

It all began around 1 pm, when Lee entered the building and appeared to have bomb strapped to his chest, they said.

The gunman took them hostage and asked others not to leave the building.

Police immediately cordoned off the area and evacuated the building. Around 100 children in the daycare centre of the building were safely moved to a nearby location.

Meanwhile, police started negotiations with Lee who demanded that the Discovery Channel "must broadcast to the world their commitment to save the planet".

Montgomery County Police chief J Thomas Manger told reporters after the standoff that police officers were able to get into very close position during the negotiations.

Lee was said to have a device on his body and was holding another device, both with blinking lights.

"They were close enough to hear what he was saying and what he was doing on camera. At one point the suspect pulled out a handgun and pointed it at one of the hostages. At that point, our tactical units moved in, they shot the suspect. The suspect is deceased," Manger said.