■ PANAMA
Noriega homes not selling
No one wants to buy two crumbling mansions that once belonged to former strongman Manuel Noriega. Officials said there were no bidders on Thursday for the two properties, valued at US$6.1 million. The failed auction was a surprise given that the country is in the midst of a real estate boom. The sale represented the first time the government received permission to put Noriega’s homes on the auction block since he was ousted by the 1989 US-led invasion.
■ MEXICO
Police free hostages
Police on Thursday freed around 20 people taken hostage in a Mexico City department store owned by billionaire Carlos Slim, the public security ministry said. Police entered the store “without firing a single shot and rescued the victims safe and sound,” a statement said. The hostage takers, including a former soldier and a woman, “held at least 20 people ... including clients, waiters and other employees.” They entered the Sanborn’s store early on Thursday and first held up an employee at a cash register. The hostage-takers were between 21 and 44 years old. There are more than 100 Sanborn’s stores in Mexico City alone.
RSS