Author: Michael Meuret

Workers have started a five-month, $139,000 repair project inside Terminal 2 at Tocumen International Airport. The airport’s administration launched the initiative to fix damage caused by water leaks during Panama’s recent rainy season. These essential repairs aim to maintain the terminal’s structural integrity and passenger safety without disrupting daily flight operations.The initial phase focuses on the central area’s metal ceiling panels and structural beams. Project plans call for specialized cleaning, anti-fungal treatment, and resealing across 780 square meters of ceiling. Crews will also clean and repaint approximately 1,400 linear meters of metal beams.Airport Management Prioritizes Safety and StandardsAccording to Tocumen…

A construction worker died on Thursday after suffering an electrical shock at the massive Fourth Bridge project over the Panama Canal. The fatal occupational accident occurred on the afternoon of March 12 and prompted an immediate halt to work in the affected western section of the site.Preliminary information from workers at the scene suggests the incident involved a crane truck contacting a high-tension power line. Unofficial reports and social media videos show the vehicle emitting smoke as colleagues attempted a rescue. The worker, whose identity has not been officially released, succumbed to injuries from the electrocution and a subsequent vehicle…

Panama’s Social Security Fund (CSS) reported a slowdown in formal job creation last year. Director Dino Mon presented the data to a National Assembly committee on March 11, 2026, highlighting growing concerns about economic momentum and social security coverage.The figures show the number of new individuals entering the contributory social security system was lower in 2025 than the previous year. This trend serves as a key indicator for the health of the nation’s formal economy, according to officials. While the total insured population reached 2,819,622 people by the end of 2025, a significant portion of the country’s workforce remains outside…

Securing residency in Panama through its popular Friendly Nations Visa program requires a specific $200,000 bank deposit. Navigating the country’s banking sector to meet this requirement demands an understanding of key regulations and institution types. The process hinges on using a bank with a specific regulatory classification, a detail that can make or break an application. Panama’s National Immigration Service mandates that the qualifying deposit be held in a certificate of deposit at a bank possessing a “General License.” This license is a formal designation issued by the country’s financial regulator, the Superintendency of Banks of Panama. Choosing the correct…

The Panama Canal is entering its dry season with its main reservoirs at their highest recorded levels for March. This follows an exceptionally rainy February that bolstered the water supply critical for global shipping. Canal authorities are now balancing this abundance against the potential for a severe drought later this year, a scenario that could force a return to water-saving transit restrictions.Ayax Murillo, the Panama Canal Authority’s manager of hydrology, confirmed the unprecedented water levels in an interview. He stated that the Gatun and Alajuela lakes, which form the canal’s freshwater lifeline, are more robust than at any other point…

Panamanian lawmakers are weighing three competing bills that could either ban or regulate electronic cigarettes and vaping products. The debate within a subcommittee of the National Assembly’s Labor, Health, and Social Development Commission pits public health warnings against concerns over organized crime and illicit trade. This legislative analysis follows a session held this week where health experts, industry representatives, and civil society groups presented conflicting evidence.The three proposals under review represent starkly different approaches to a growing public health and economic issue. They range from an outright prohibition on all related devices to a comprehensive regulatory framework governing their sale…

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Panama issued a clarifying statement on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. It asserted that Panama did not sign any formal document during the ‘Americas Shield’ meeting in Miami, Florida, which was led by U.S. President Donald Trump. This statement directly amended the government’s initial announcement from the day of the event. Officials now describe the meeting as a forum for a tacit agreement among twelve nations to unite against international crime, particularly drug trafficking. The clarification seeks to delineate the nature of Panama’s participation in the multinational security initiative promoted by Trump. Contradictory Communications Create…

West Texas Intermediate crude oil prices skyrocketed 12 percent on Monday, reaching 101.88 dollars per barrel. The surge reflects intensifying investor anxiety over the economic fallout from a widening military conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran.At 9:00 a.m. local time in New York, April futures contracts for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) had gained 10.98 dollars from Friday’s closing price. This dramatic increase follows an unprecedented weekly gain of nearly 35 percent last week, the largest such rise in the oil futures market since 1983.The immediate catalyst for Monday’s spike appears to be a coordinated production cut by several…

Panama’s Ministry of Health has taken emergency action to address a dangerous national crisis in medical waste management. The country’s Ministry of Health (Panama) secured a $20.4 million contract in November 2025 to overhaul a system where hazardous hospital waste was being handled by unqualified individuals, leading to widespread environmental contamination. Health Minister Fernando Boyd Galindo revealed the alarming practices that necessitated the urgent, no-bid contract approved by the Cabinet of Panama.The one-year contract with the company Construcciones, Limpiezas y Equipo, S.A. was authorized under a special procedure reserved for public benefit and sanitary emergencies. It mandates the complete management…

New geospatial analysis reveals several Panama City neighborhoods have seen surface temperatures soar by up to 3.8 degrees Celsius since 2000, a rate of warming five times greater than nearby untouched forests. The study, conducted by Esri Panama, the Urban Risk Observatory of FSU, and Metromapas, points to unchecked urban development and material choices as the primary drivers of this intense local heating.Researchers compared satellite imagery from two periods, 2000-2006 and 2019-2025, to map the change. While protected forests in the canal area warmed by 0.64°C over two decades, consistent with broader climate trends, the urban landscape told a different…