Author: spieper
Two major ferry companies halted all passenger service to Taboga Island on Friday, November 7, stranding residents and cutting off tourist access. Taboga Express Fast Ferry and Barcos Calypso announced the indefinite suspension, citing unsafe conditions at the island’s docking pier and a lack of security guarantees for passengers. The decision plunges the popular island destination into a transportation crisis. It follows recent protests by island residents who are angry about a recent fare increase that raised ticket prices for locals and tourists. The situation leaves the island’s community fearing economic isolation and a collapse in vital tourism traffic. “[We…
Panama’s Ministry of Health has officially confirmed a major new hospital project for the capital’s northern district. Health Minister Fernando Boyd Galindo announced the government will invest more than 60 million dollars to build the Panama North Hospital, a facility that will feature 170 beds and serve a population exceeding 300,000 residents.This long awaited infrastructure project aims to address a critical healthcare gap for communities that have sought proper medical facilities for over ten years. Minister Boyd Galindo characterized the hospital as an urgent necessity for improving medical attention in the sector. He expressed the current administration’s commitment to finally…
Panamanian marketing agency Star5 earned the highest creative honor in the Spanish and Portuguese speaking world this week. The agency won the “Best Idea of Ibero America” country award at the FIAP 2025 festival for its groundbreaking NESCAFÉ Decaf Billboards campaign. This victory marks the first time a Panamanian idea has received the top prize at the prestigious international competition. The campaign also collected five additional medals across multiple categories. These included three gold awards in Outdoor formats, Public Road Gold, and Best Use of Ambient Media. It secured two silver awards for Innovation in Outdoors and Public Road Products.…
Panama’s Ministry of Environment has launched a formal investigation after a citizen’s social media post alleged potential environmental damage. Officials from the agency conducted a technical inspection at the reported site in the Panama Metropolitan region this week. The inspection aimed to verify the claims and assess any impacts on the local ecosystem.The ministry mobilized its Directorate of Environmental Performance Verification and the Regional Directorate of Metropolitan Panama to lead the inquiry. They deployed a team of specialists to the location following the online complaint. This rapid response underscores the government’s stated commitment to addressing public concerns about ecological welfare.Immediate…
Panama successfully completed its fourth Universal Periodic Review before the United Nations Human Rights Council this week. The Central American nation presented its human rights record during the 50th session of the UPR Working Group at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.An official delegation led by Vice Minister of Indigenous Affairs Doris Bill and Ambassador Juan Alberto Castillero Correa, Panama’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, defended the country’s progress. The session unfolded under the presidency of Paul Empole Efambe, Vice President of the Human Rights Council and Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Congo.Comprehensive National RepresentationPanama sent…
The Inter-American Union of Electoral Organizations (Uniore) has a new presiding nation. Panama officially transferred the Pro Tempore Presidency to Paraguay during the organization’s seventeenth conference held in Asuncion. This move concludes a two-year term where Panamanian authorities focused on technical strengthening and defending digital democracy.Alfredo Juncá Wendehake, a magistrate from Panama’s Electoral Tribunal, formally handed over leadership to César Emilio Rossel, a minister from Paraguay’s Superior Court of Electoral Justice. The ceremony marked the end of a period defined by ambitious regional cooperation. Officials from across the Americas witnessed the transition, which sets the stage for Paraguay’s upcoming leadership…
Colon Mayor Diogenes Galvan issued a forceful demand to Panama’s national government during independence day ceremonies, insisting it must correct a fiscal system that prevents 2,600 businesses from paying municipal taxes. The mayor delivered his sharply worded address on November 5 during flag day celebrations attended by President Jose Raul Mulino, creating a direct public challenge to the new administration. Galvan framed the situation as a structural crisis preventing basic municipal functions. He stated that while more than 4,300 companies should theoretically pay taxes in the district, the vast commercial operations centered around the Colon Free Trade Zone and private…
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has introduced a new fee structure for cancellations within its long-term transit reservation program. These changes, which took effect on November 1, 2025, aim to improve operational efficiency by encouraging shipping lines to cancel slots further in advance. The revised policy provides a financial incentive for early cancellations, allowing the ACP to better manage the coveted transit slots through the vital waterway.Under the new rules, cancellations made 15 days or more before a vessel’s required arrival date will now incur a charge equal to 80 percent of the awarded slot amount. This new fee is…
The family of Maria Elena Casasola is demanding Panamanian authorities reopen a medical negligence investigation they believe caused her death. Their legal battle centers on a nearly three week delay in performing emergency surgery for appendicitis at a public hospital in Bocas del Toro. Despite two court rulings that absolved the involved medical staff, the family insists the case must not be closed.Maria Elena Casasola was admitted to the Raul Davila Mena Hospital on October 18, 2017, where she received a diagnosis of unspecified appendicitis. Her surgery, however, was not performed until November 5, a full twenty days after her…
The National Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers starts installing new water pipelines along the Centenario highway near Rod Carew Stadium on Thursday, November 6. These essential infrastructure works form part of a broader initiative to provide reliable drinking water to the Kuna Nega community, directly benefiting more than ten thousand residents through improved water conduction and distribution systems.Crews will operate exclusively within the road’s right-of-way area on the Panama City-bound lane, working daily from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The National Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers confirmed the pipeline installation will not require complete road closures since all activities remain…