AUSTRIA
Agency postpones plan to sell mountain peaks
VIENNA — An Austrian government agency abruptly pulled two sky-high pieces of real estate - majestic peaks offering stupendous alpine views - off the open market Tuesday after an outpouring of national outrage over the perceived sellout of the nation’s heritage.
BIG, the agency that purchases state property and manages it in the public interest, announced the decision after discussions between Economics Minister Reinhold Mitterlehner and top officials in charge of the agency.
“We have suspended the sale to evaluate alternative possibilities,” agency spokesman Ernst Eichinger said. He said the transaction likely would go ahead but buyers would be restricted to “Austrian institutions” instead of the highest free-market bidders.
The peaks are in the easternmost part of Tyrol province, home to some of Europe’s highest mountain ranges.
The Rosskopf is more than 8,500 feet high, and the Grosse Kinigat nearly 8,800 feet. The asking price is nearly $175,000 for both. Of the two, the less picturesque Rosskopf is a relative steal at nearly $42,000.
Austria is fiercely proud of its alpine ranges. Its national hymn begins with the worlds “Land of Mountains,” its history is replete with the heroic exploits of rugged mountain men - and news over the weekend that the two summits were up for sale next month quickly went viral.
MEXICO
Former mayor ordered released from prison
TIJUANA — A federal judge ordered the release of former Tijuana Mayor Jorge Hank Rhon early Tuesday, saying officials lacked evidence to charge him with illegal weapons possession after a military raid on his house.
The 55-year-old gambling magnate had been held since the June 4 raid on his Tijuana house, next to a racetrack and casino. Mr. Hank Rhon is part of a prominent clan in the Institutional Revolutionary Party that is trying to regain Mexico’s presidency in next year’s election.
Judge Blanca Evelia Parra Meza also ordered the release of eight people arrested with Mr. Hank Rhon and the dismissal of charges against all 11 who were picked up in the raid. Two others were released last week.
It was not clear early Tuesday if Mr. Hank Rhon had left the prison.
According to a court statement, the judge said there was not enough evidence presented before time ran out on the constitutional limit for holding Mr. Hank Rhon and the others on charges of illegal possession of weapons, ammunition and possession of weapons for use only by the military.
It says the ruling can be appealed.
IRAQ
Nine dead in attack on government compound
BAGHDAD — Assailants launched a complex strike on a government compound northeast of Baghdad on Tuesday, setting off a suicide car bomb outside and then breaching the building’s perimeter.
Nine people were killed, including at least three of the attackers.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the attack bore the hallmarks of al Qaeda in Iraq.
The assault also raised questions about how prepared Iraqi security forces are to protect the country, with U.S. troops scheduled to leave by the end of this year.
The assault in Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, began when a suicide bomber exploded a car bomb at the entrance to the compound, according to the commander of the Iraqi army’s 5th Division, which is in charge of Diyala province.
RUSSIA
Two neo-Nazi leaders sentenced to life in prison
ST. PETERSBURG — Two leaders of a neo-Nazi gang were sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for a rash of hate killings that terrorized minorities in Russia’s second-largest city.
The St. Petersburg City Court said Alexei Voevodin and Artyom Prokhorenko headed a gang that enlisted Russian supremacists and soccer fans ages 16 to 22 who preyed on non-Slavs with dark skin or Asian features, kicking and stabbing them to death.
The court also sentenced another 10 gang members to up to 18 years for their roles in dozens of attacks over three years. Their victims included a 9-year old from the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan, and natives of North Korea, China and African nations.
The gang also killed two former members suspected of cooperating with police and buried their bodies in a suburban forest.
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