71.   FBI agents Wednesday escorted a teenage girl from the Freemen compound, raising hope that the standoff was beginning to play out.

72.   Emery said that since the standoff began he has stopped receiving calls from foreign investors seeking new opportunities.

73.   The standoff began last Friday when the group rushed into the residence demanding political asylum and safe conduct out of the country.

74.   The standoff began Tuesday morning when loyalist inmates refused to cooperate in a tightened security regime of regular searches and head-counts.

75.   The standoff began Tuesday when authorities surrounded a ranch in northeastern Montana where about a dozen of the protesters, called Freemen, are believed to be holed up.

76.   They were the first non-official negotiators allowed by federal authorities to enter the compound since the standoff began.

77.   Since the standoff began, authorities have declined to say exactly how many officers are here.

78.   Since the standoff began three days ago, authorities have declined to say exactly how many officers are here.

79.   The political standoff began with an opposition boycott of parliament in March, with each side accusing the other of sinking efforts to end the crisis.