World Notes PANAMA

Only two days after Panama's legislature voted to lift a 19-day state of emergency last week, the government cracked down again. Authorities shut down an opposing radio station, and armed men, in full view of police, torched a building owned by a prominent member of the opposition. Thousands of protesters thronged the streets of the capital, calling for the removal of General Manuel Antonio Noriega, the country's de facto leader, who is accused of corruption and murder.

Meanwhile, about 2,000 people attacked the U.S. embassy, denouncing a recent U.S. Senate resolution that called on Noriega to step down. The State Department charged that Panamanian officials orchestrated the mob attack. Assistant Secretary of State Elliott Abrams called on Panama's military leaders to "remove their institution from politics" and keep the politics more democratic.