Panama Archives

The evacuation of around 1,200 members of the Indigenous Guna community to a new life on the mainland was one of the first planned migrations in Latin America due to climate change

World

Year after exodus, silence fills Panama island threatened by sea

Streets once filled with children’s laughter have fallen silent on a Panamanian island where almost all residents left a year ago due to the...

AFPJune 3, 2025

Central America's biggest copper mine, the Cobre Panama pit, closed in 2023 following crippling protests over its environmental impact

Business

Panama launches maintenance work at contested mine

Panama’s government said Friday it would start maintenance work at a major mine forced to shut by protests, but insisted the project was not...

AFPMay 31, 2025

Vehicles drive through banana plantations belonging to a subsidiary of US banana Chiquita Brands in Bocas del Toro, Panama

World

‘State of emergency’ in Panama after strike leads to layoffs

The Panamanian government on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in one province after US banana giant Chiquita Brands laid off about 5,000 workers...

AFPMay 27, 2025

The Liberian-flagged MSC Emden III at the Port of Balboa at the entrance to the Panama Canal on April 23. The port is managed by CK Hutchison Holdings

World

China warns Panama ports deal firms to ‘proceed with caution’

China urged parties involved in Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison’s sale of Panama Canal ports to exercise “caution” Thursday, warning of legal consequences should...

AFPMay 15, 2025

Former Panama president Ricardo Martinelli spent 15 months at the Nicaraguan embassy to avoid a nearly 11-year sentence on money laundering charges

World

Convicted ex-Panama president Martinelli granted asylum in Colombia

Former Panama president Ricardo Martinelli announced his arrival on Saturday in Colombia, where he has been granted asylum after spending 15 months at the...

AFPMay 11, 2025

Thousands of government critics demonstrated in Panama City to protest a deal allowing the US military to deploy to bases around the Panama Canal, among other government policies

World

Thousands demonstrate in Panama over deal with US military

Thousands of students and workers demonstrated in Panama on Tuesday over a planned increase in the US military presence around the country’s vital interoceanic...

AFPMay 6, 2025

The Cobre Panama mine was closed by the courts in 2023 following weeks of crippling protests over its environmental impact

Business

Panama president says moving toward reopening contested mine

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino said Thursday that his government was working toward the reopening of Central America’s biggest copper mine, despite fierce opposition...

AFPApril 24, 2025