Panama

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

For First Time on Record, Panama's Ocean Fails to Flip

Weakened trade winds disrupt vital cold-water 'upwelling' in Gulf of Panama

(Newser) - For the first time in at least four decades of record keeping, the annual upwelling event in the Gulf of Panama, on Panama's southern coast, was a no-show in 2025. This process, typically driven by northern trade winds each dry season (between December and April), brings cool, nutrient-rich...

Strong Quake Hits South of Panama
Strong Quake Hits
South of Panama
Jul 14, 2025 2:28 PM CDT

Strong Quake Hits South of Panama

There were no immediate reports of injuries, damage after 6.2-magnitude quake

(Newser) - An earthquake with a preliminary 6.2 magnitude struck off the Pacific coast of Panama on Monday, authorities said. No injuries or damage were immediately reported. The US Geological Survey said that the quake occurred around midday about 130 miles south of Punta Burica at a preliminary depth of 6...

The Screwworm's Northern Creep Should Scare Us All
We Should All
Fear the Screwworm
Jun 1, 2025 6:30 AM CDT

We Should All Fear the Screwworm

The US managed to eradicate the parasitic fly, but it's inching back

(Newser) - The US has fought to keep the New World screwworm, a parasitic fly whose larvae "eat animals alive," out of North America since the 1950s—and has been wildly successful. That success is now in jeopardy. As Sarah Zhang reports for the Atlantic , the USDA's effective...

Hegseth Vows to 'Take Back' Panama Canal
Hegseth Vows
to 'Take Back'
Panama Canal
THE RUNDOWN
Apr 9, 2025 10:20 AM CDT

Hegseth Vows to 'Take Back' Panama Canal

He wants to free it from 'China's influence,' a remark that China isn't too pleased about

(Newser) - "China did not build this canal. China does not operate this canal. [A]nd China will not weaponize this canal. Together, we will take back the Panama Canal from China's influence." Those were Pete Hegseth's fighting words on Tuesday during his visit to Panama—the first by...

Report: Trump Asks Pentagon to Look at Panama Canal Options

Administration wants DOD to draw up 'credible military options' for 'unfettered' US access to canal

(Newser) - Panama's leader has been pushing back hard on President Trump's insistence on "reclaiming" the Panama Canal for the United States, going so far as to accuse him of lying, but that hasn't stopped Trump from moving forward with his ultimate plans for the Central American waterway....

Panama President: Trump Is 'Lying Again'

Leader rejects Trump's remark that US is 'reclaiming' canal

(Newser) - Panama President José Raúl Mulino on Wednesday accused President Trump of lying when he said in his address to Congress that his administration was "reclaiming" the Panama Canal. Trump was referencing a deal announced Tuesday for a consortium led by the US investment management company BlackRock Inc. to...

Panama's Leader Says US Claim Is 'Intolerable' Falsehood

State Department said US government vessels can now transit canal for free

(Newser) - "US government vessels can now transit the Panama Canal without charge fees, saving the US government millions of dollars a year," the State Department said in a post on X Wednesday night. That was apparently news to Panama, whose leader called the statement an "intolerable" falsehood. The...

On His First Trip, Rubio Pressures Panama on Canal

Nation's president says he sees no threat of force

(Newser) - Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino on Sunday that the Central American ally must immediately reduce Chinese influence over the Panama Canal area or face potential retaliation from the Trump administration. Mulino said later that "there is no real threat of retaking the...

Rubio Heading to Panama for First Trip
Rubio's First Trip? Panama
Jan 24, 2025 1:00 AM CST

Rubio's First Trip? Panama

Newly minted secretary of state has previously said canal 'security' needs to be dealt with

(Newser) - Newly minted Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be heading to Panama during his first trip as head of the Trump administration's State Department. President Trump, of course, has spoken at length about his desire to retake the Panama Canal , and Rubio mentioned the key trade route during his...

Trump's Favorite New Theme: 'Imperialism'
Trump's
Favorite
New Theme:
'Imperialism'
the rundown
Dec 24, 2024 10:10 AM CST

Trump's Favorite New Theme: 'Imperialism'

Analysts do not think he's joking about plans to take over Greenland and the Panama Canal

(Newser) - As he prepares to return to the White House, President-elect Trump has floated the idea of the US taking over Greenland and the Panama Canal , not to mention needling Canada about becoming the 51st US state . A look at related coverage:
  • No joke: OK, disregard the Canada comments, which were
...

Panama to Trump: Hands Off Our Canal

Nation's president responds after president-elect suggests US might take it back

(Newser) - The president of Panama delivered a clear message in response to a surprise threat from Donald Trump on Sunday: You can't have the canal back.
  • "As president, I want to express clearly that every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zone belongs to Panama, and
...

Plan to Save the Panama Canal Isn't Entirely Without Harm

Construction of new reservoir will force relocation of 2K people

(Newser) - You could forgive Ricaurte Vásquez Morales his cellphone addiction. As the New York Times explains, he checks it constantly—to make sure Lake Gatún is registering about 83.5 feet deep. That's the artificial reservoir that forms a crucial part of the Panama Canal system, of which...

Panama Sends Its Navy After 'Irregular' Migrants

Nation also erects barbed wire along perilous Darien Gap route out of Colombia to slow migration

(Newser) - Less than two weeks after Panama's leader vowed to shutter the perilous Darien Gap, the Panamanian government has taken another step to crack down on the 66-mile jungle route used by migrants to cross over into Central America from Colombia. The country's Ministry of Public Security on Thursday...

US Inks Deal to Help Panama Control 'Shocking' Migration

New Panama president says he'll shut down Darien Gap route; US will pay migrant repatriation costs

(Newser) - Hundreds of thousands of people cross the Darien Gap each year, a perilous 66-mile stretch of jungle connecting the South American country of Colombia and the Central American country of Panama—many of them on their way to the United States. Now, Panama's new leader is vowing to shutter...

Sinking Island's Residents Throw in the Towel

Gunas of Gardi Sugdub, an island off Panama, relocate to mainland amid sea level rise

(Newser) - On a tiny island off Panama's Caribbean coast, about 300 families are packing their belongings for a dramatic change. Generations who have grown up on Gardi Sugdub in a life dedicated to the sea and tourism will trade that next week for the mainland's solid ground. They go...

President-Elect Wants to Close Migration Route in Panama

Path through Darien jungle is a dangerous but popular way to head toward the US

(Newser) - Panama is on the verge of a dramatic change to its immigration policy that could reverberate from the dense Darien jungle to the US border. President-elect José Raúl Mulino says he will shut down a migration route used by more than 500,000 people last year. Until now, Panama...

Half a World Away, More Bad News for Global Shipping

Traffic slashed at drought-stricken Panama Canal as attacks continue in Red Sea

(Newser) - A severe drought that began last year has forced authorities to slash ship crossings by 36% in the Panama Canal, one of the world's most important trade routes, per the AP . The new cuts announced Wednesday by authorities in Panama are set to deal an even greater economic blow...

Number of People Braving the Darien Gap Is Exploding

Some 250K migrants crossed the perilous stretch of jungle in 2022

(Newser) - The Darien Gap is a perilous place: a jungle filled with vipers and anacondas, deadly spiders, bandits, and flash floods and lacking any roads or even trails. It's also the sole overland path from South America into Central America, a 66-mile run of land between Colombia and Panama. As...

Panama Adds Day to Mourn Victims of US Invasion

On Dec. 20, the nation will commemorate the hundreds killed in 1989

(Newser) - The president of Panama has declared an annual national holiday to commemorate Panamanians who died during the 1989 US invasion of the country. The decree signed Thursday by President Laurentino Cortizo establishes Dec. 20, the date of the invasion, as a national day of mourning, the AP reports. People in...

At Panama Canal, 7 Hikers Massacred

A man has been charged

(Newser) - Seven young people on a trip at Gatún Lake, which forms part of the Panama Canal, were found murdered in a wooded area near the lake Saturday, the BBC reports. All had been shot in the head. The victims, four males and three females aged 17 to 22, were...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
Most Read on Newser