Iran won't retreat from nuclear program\nTEHRAN, Iran -- Iran will not retreat from its nuclear program, Tehran's hard-line leaders said Tuesday, one day after North Korea announced it had conducted a nuclear weapons test. "Our policy is clear: progress, offering transparent logic and insisting on the rights of the nation without retreat," supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, according to state-run television.
Bush summit on school violence opens\n\nCHEVY CHASE, Md. -- More than metal detectors or security cameras, the key to halting school violence is communication, safety specialists said at a White House-led summit Tuesday. President Bush called experts together after three deadly shootings at schools in Wisconsin, Colorado and Pennsylvania. In panel discussions led by members of Bush's cabinet, speakers said the best response is basic: Get parents, school leaders, students and police to work together.
Hastert: Anyone who hid page info will be fired\nWASHINGTON -- House Speaker Dennis Hastert said Tuesday he'll dismiss anyone on his staff found to have covered up concerns about ex-Rep. Mark Foley's approaches to former pages. Hastert said he huddled with his staff members last week, and he believes they acted appropriately in handling information on Foley's conduct. But he also issued them a stern warning: "If they did cover something up, then they should not continue to have their jobs."
Gunman threatened Amish hostages in call\nLANCASTER, Pa. -- The Amish schoolhouse gunman threatened to kill his hostages "in two seconds" if authorities did not leave the property, according to a 911 transcript released Tuesday. "Don't try to talk me out of it; get them all off the property now," Charles Carl Roberts IV told a Lancaster County dispatcher in a call that came in at 10:55 a.m. Oct. 2.
Iraq moves ahead with plan to combat violence\nBAGHDAD, Iraq -- A bombing at a Baghdad bakery killed at least 11 people Tuesday as the Iraqi government put forth a new idea to help stop sectarian violence: ensuring security checkpoints in the capital have an equal number of Shiite and Sunni troops. The new effort reflects the deep mistrust between Shiites and Sunnis even within the security forces -- effectively putting them together to keep watch on each other. Each side accuses the other of backing militias, and Sunnis in particular say the Shiite-dominated police force often allows Shiite militias to carry out kidnappings and murders.
