Author: Sebastian Pieper

Panama City, Panama. The Ministry of Health Panama has temporarily suspended the operating license of Cosmetic Plus. Officials detected failures in quality standards and manufacturing processes. The suspension took effect immediately after recent inspections. The National Directorate of Pharmacy and Drugs conducted surveillance audits at the company’s facilities. Inspectors found deviations in manufacturing procedures for several cosmetic products. These included hair care items, dermatological treatments, and personal hygiene goods. The Ministry of Health Panama announced the measure as a preventive action to protect public health. Inspections Reveal Manufacturing Deficiencies The Department of Audit within the drug authority carried out the…

Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino announced he will travel to Greece this Friday. He aims to address growing concerns over the detention of Panamanian-flagged vessels in Chinese ports. The trip comes amid rising tensions in the maritime sector. Mulino will participate in a major international maritime fair. He also plans high-level meetings with Greek authorities and shipowners. Greece stands as one of the world’s largest players in shipping and a top user of the Panama Ship Registry. The president’s agenda focuses on maritime and logistics issues. He wants to reassure the global shipping community about Panama’s flag reliability. Recent months…

Panama City’s ambitious cable car project has hit a major roadblock. The Panama Metro confirmed Thursday that no companies submitted bids for the San Miguelito teleférico system. The deadline passed without a single proposal from two prequalified consortiums. The project was designed to connect Panama and San Miguelito districts. Both prequalified groups had until Thursday to present their offers. Neither the SPE Cable Car Consortium nor the San Miguelito Cable Car Consortium TSM delivered a bid. SPE included Sofratesa de Panama Inc. and Promotora y Desarrolladora Mexicana de Infraestructura. TSM brought together Cointer Concessions S.L. and Doppelmayr Panama Corp. Both…

Panama’s Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha Vásquez told the United Nations Security Council that his nation remains a land of encounter and a bridge for peace. He spoke Tuesday during a high-level open debate in New York. The session was convened by China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, whose country holds the Security Council’s rotating presidency for May. The debate focused on defending the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. Martínez-Acha Vásquez acknowledged Wang Yi’s initiative and thanked UN Secretary-General António Guterres for his contributions. The world faces one of its most complex and tense periods since the international body was…

Two separate power outages struck Panama on Monday, affecting thousands of customers and reviving questions about the reliability of the national electricity system. The first incident originated at the Cobre Panama power plant in Donoso, while the second was linked to a transmission line failure attributed to weather conditions. The blackouts hit the capital, Colon, and eastern Panama zones. They exposed lingering vulnerabilities in a grid still adjusting to the aftermath of the mine’s operational shift. ENSA, the distribution company serving those areas, confirmed the disruptions. First Incident Linked to Cobre Panama Power Plant The first outage occurred at 11:59…

Panama will debut its first satellite-based mobile network later this year. Operator Más Móvil announced the partnership with Starlink during the Move On 2026 event in Panama City. The service, called “+Más | Starlink,” aims to bring cellular coverage to remote areas beyond the reach of traditional ground networks. The solution relies on Direct-to-Cell technology. This system uses Starlink’s low-Earth orbit satellite constellation to connect standard LTE phones directly. No external antennas or specialized equipment are needed. The announcement came from Cable & Wireless Panama, the parent company of the operator. Rocio Lorenzo, CEO and general manager of +Móvil, confirmed…

Panama will reduce maximum fuel prices across the country starting Friday, May 29, with the biggest cut applied to diesel. The National Energy Secretariat of Panama announced the adjustment on Wednesday. The new rates will remain in effect until June 12, 2026. The price of 95-octane gasoline will drop to $5.06 per gallon in Panama City and Colon. That works out to $1.337 per liter. The 91-octane gasoline will fall to $4.74 per gallon, or $1.252 per liter. But the largest reduction hit diesel fuel. Ultra-low sulfur diesel saw a decrease of 4.5 cents per liter, which translates to roughly…

Two young Panamanian scientists have launched pioneering research on the Mesoamerican otter in the country’s central watersheds. The project marks the first ecological data collection for this species in Panama. The research focuses on the Lontra annectens species across river basins in Veraguas and Herrera provinces. Scientists Gabriela Quintana and Ángel Pérez lead the field studies with support from the Coiba Scientific Station and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). [Translated from Spanish] Field Studies in Veraguas and Herrera Gabriela Quintana, a student at the International Maritime University of Panama, works in the upper Santa María River basin in…

The United States ambassador to Panama announced a major environmental investment for the Darien province on Tuesday. Kevin Marino Cabrera confirmed the delivery of approximately 3 million dollars to fund a comprehensive clean-up plan. The initiative targets areas heavily impacted by the mass transit of migrants in recent months. The funds will support environmental recovery in zones affected by solid waste accumulation. Plastics, clothing and other debris have damaged the natural landscape. The project aims to restore the ecological conditions of the jungle region. Cabrera explained that the effort represents a joint operation with Panama’s Ministry of Environment. It forms…

Environmental authorities in Panama have begun demolishing an illegal concrete swimming pool. The structure was built directly on top of a living coral reef ecosystem. The pool sits within a luxury residential complex in Portobelo, Colon province. Officials from the Ministry of Environment confirmed the operation on Tuesday. The demolition follows years of legal disputes and citizen complaints dating back to 2020. Technical staff from the ministry’s regional office in Colon are now supervising the removal. They are enforcing Resolution DRCL-M-REMOC-001-0502-2025, issued on February 5, 2025. That document orders the complete removal and demolition of the illegal structure. Pool Built…