Lawmakers criticize 1989 US invasion

PANAMA CITY - Yesterday's anniversary of the 1989 US invasion was declared a day of "national mourning" by Panama's Legislature, and it established a commission to determine how many people were killed when US troops stormed the capital. The measure was unanimously approved as Panama commemorated the 18th anniversary of the day thousands of troops landed to arrest dictator Manuel Noriega on drug charges. US officials downplayed the issue. "We prefer to look to the future," said a US Embassy spokesman, Gavin Sundwall. (AP)

NICOSIA - Illegal trappers on Cyprus killed more than half a million protected birds this fall for sale at local restaurants, conservationists said yesterday. The numbers are the worst in four years and occurred despite a European Union ban on the decades-old tradition, said BirdLife Cyprus Executive Director Martin Hellicar. Migratory birds cooked over coals are a traditional delicacy and sell for up to $7 each in restaurants. (AP)

BUENOS AIRES - The Venezuelan businessman caught with a cash-stuffed suitcase was reportedly seen two days later inside Argentina's presidential palace, a prosecutor said yesterday, eroding the administration's efforts to distance itself from the case. Argentine and Venezuelan officials vehemently denounced US court allegations that Guido Antonini Wilson was bringing Venezuelan contributions to presidential candidate Cristina Fernandez, who won Argentina's Oct. 28 election. Officials in both countries say the US government is using its courts to undermine them by falsely asserting they are linked to the $800,000 seized from Antonini on arrival in Argentina on Aug. 4 on a charter with state energy company officials from both countries. (AP)