Officers eventually crept close to the building, and there were reports of an explosion inside. Lynn Bigham, who said she was a family friend of the girl who died, said her friend had just turned 16 "She's real bubbly Every time you see her, she gives you a hug," she said. The sight of students fleeing the high school in long lines, and of frantic parents scrambling to find their children, evoked memories of the 1999 attack on Columbine High School, where two students killed 13 people before committing suicide. Tom Grigg said his 16-year-old son, Cassidy, was in a classroom when the man walked in, fired a gun and began telling some students to leave and others - all girls - to stay "He stood them up at the blackboard," Grigg said. "He hand-picked the ones he wanted to get out." The gunman told Cassidy to leave, but he said he wanted to stay with the girls, Grigg said.

"I don't know why he wanted to do this," Wegener said, his voice breaking. The wounded girl was taken to a Denver hospital in critical condition, but was declared dead, a hospital spokeswoman said She did not release the girl's name The last hostage was unharmed and talking with authorities. After the suspect entered the building, hundreds of students at Platte Canyon High School were evacuated in a scene that recalled the horror at Columbine High School just a short drive away. Students said the bearded suspect wore a dark blue hooded sweat shirt and a camouflage backpack. Attempting to defuse the crisis which is proving one of the most serious in his political career, he insisted he had done nothing wrong in the affair.. A gunman took six girls hostage at the US high school in Bailey, Colorado, yesterday, using them as human shields for hours before he shot and fatally wounded a girl and then killed himself as a police commando team moved in, authorities said. The confrontation unfolded just a short drive away from Columbine, the site of one of the nation's deadliest school shootings.

The gunman, believed to be between 30 and 50 years old, was cornered with the girls in a second-floor classroom, and he released four of them, one by one. Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener said authorities decided to enter the school to save the two remaining hostages after the man cut off negotiations and set a deadline. He said authorities used explosives as they entered the classroom, only to have the suspect fire at officers, shoot one of the girls and then himself. The suspect was not immediately identified, and the sheriff was at a loss to explain a motive. The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, defended himself in the Dail yesterday against opposition charges that he had been at fault in accepting money from a dozen business figures more than a decade ago. Dublin's most astute political operator, whose outstanding political skills always kept him clear of the Irish Republic's recurring financial scandals, has finally become entangled in allegations of impropriety. Last night the brand celebrated its 85th anniversary with a party where a giant Gucci logo fashioned from leaves welcomed guests..

Last night's show, held at the ballroom of the Hotel Diana, felt like an uncomfortable compromise between the two modes of dressing - winsome and wanton - that doesn't yet provide a convincing new direction for a brand that is recovering from a period of transition.What Gucci has retained, and what consumers clearly still tap into, is an alluring heritage, in particular proved by the continued success of its monogrammed leather goods. Her first collection focussed on girlie, floral-printed tea dresses that divested the brand of any hint of the aggressive sexuality that its former designer Tom Ford made synonymous with Gucci in the late 1990s.Veering in the opposite direction for her second collection shown last February, Giannini showed 1970s disco-diva dresses. Robert Polet, the president and chief executive of Gucci Group, which also owns brands including Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Stella McCartney and Bottega Veneta, has set a target of $3bn (£1.6bn) in revenues for the leather goods house by 2011. And Giannini's accessories - in particular her best-selling "Flora" bags - are the products that have boosted the brand's coffers.But Giannini's clothing collections have seemed less confident. Last year Gucci revenues hit a record $2.2bn, so it is well on its way.

Giannini described this collection as "a kaleidoscope of luxurious looks created from a few simple elements". But the final effect was simply confused.Is Gucci, a label that not too long ago was setting fashion's agenda, having an identity crisis? According to the brand's money men, it is in rude health. Neat, A-line mini-dresses, Mod suede coats trimmed with patent and flat shiny black pumps: the Chelsea Set of the 1960s was on the Gucci catwalk for spring/summer 2007 But that wasn't all. Designer Frida Giannini, 34, now in her third season as chief designer at the label, also sent out frilly baby-dolls in Celia Birtwell style prints; hippie tunics with Indian embroideries; tiny black mini-dresses with metal plates at the bosom that suggested the aggressive sexuality of Azzedine Alaia's designs in the 1980s; and a finale of long paisley gowns that recalled the bohemian designs of, er, Matthew Williamson. The all-important new Gucci bag, meanwhile, is a punky, crescent-shaped number with a curved metal strap inspired by the steering wheel of a vintage sports car. The point now is to find a way out of this situation and there is the prospect of early elections on the horizon."The leader of the largest opposition party, the centre-right Civic Platform, Donald Tusk, accused the government of corruption, called on Mr Kaczynski to resign and said parliament should be dissolved.All "decent people" should demand the "immediate resignation of Jaroslaw Kacz-ynski," Mr Tusk said.Even before the revelations, Mr Kaczynski faced a difficult task in trying to cobble together a new coalition, and many believe such a prospect is now impossible. Elections had already been pencilled in for 26 November and Law and Justice is likely to lose seats.Nationalist, Eurosceptic and noted campaigners against gay rights, the Kaczynski twins have made few friends in European capitals. However, yesterday's convulsions will be seen as further evidence of political instability in the EU's new, eastern, countries, following last week's riots in Hungary.In its short life the government has been no stranger to drama.