Moderator_03
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2 km Metro airport extension cost reaches $150 million
Posted 04/11/2021
A $3,422,395 addendum to the cost of the 2-kilometer section that will connect Line 2 of the Metro with the Tocumen International Airport will raise the price to $150 million.
After adjusting the work schedule after the pause caused by the pandemic mobility restrictions it is estimated that the project which is 82% complete will enter into operation in the first quarter of 2023. The contract is with the Ramal consortium made up of the Brazilian company Odebrecht (CNO) and the Spanish Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC).
The works related to the railway system registered progress of 34% and the Metro explained that the gap with the civil works is due to the delay caused by the pandemic in the formalization of the contract.
The extension of line 2 will have a station at the Higher Specialized Technical Institute of Panama (ITSE) and will end at the new Tocumen passenger terminal.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/2-km-metro-airport-extension-cost-reaches-150-million
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Secretary in kidnap-murder plot found alive
Posted 03/11/2021
Police sources have confirmed that the kidnapped Chirican businesswoman Ruth Saucedo Nielsen 48, was found alive at dawn on Wednesday, November 3, in Pocr de Aguadulce, Coclé province.
Nielsen had been kidnapped along with the American businessman Randall Leigh Steittmeir and the Chirican Armando Miranda Pittí. The bodies of the two men were found last Saturday, October 30, a few meters from the bridge over the Chico de Natá river, in Coclé.
The sources said that the woman, who showed signs of blows, wandered down a street and asked for help. She was taken to a medical center in Aguadulce.
On Tuesday, the funeral services of Leigh Steittmeir and Miranda Pittí were held in the city of David, Chiriquí.
According to the investigations, Leigh Steittmeir had an aerial spraying company and was contracted to carry out work in Soná, Veraguas province. The American went to Soná with the pilot Miranda Pittí and Saucedo.
The relatives later received calls from the kidnappers asking for money in exchange for their release. Days later, the bodies of the two men were found with signs of torture.
The Chirican community and groups of foreigners residing in Panama have asked the authorities to thoroughly investigate what happened.
The United States Embassy said this week that it will cooperate with Panamanian authorities in investigations related to the murder of a US citizen.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/secretary-in-kidnap-murder-plot-found-alive
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“The State does not bow to crime” – security minister
Posted 03/11/2021
"The State does not bow to crime, for any reason," said Security Minister Juan Manuel Pino, on Wednesday, November 3 referring to the latest bloody events that occurred in the country amid growing calls for his resignation.
According to Pino, the instruction given to the zone chiefs and the Police is that "no one talks to criminals."
Recently, the kidnapping and murder of American businessman Randall Leigh Steittmeir and one of his collaborators, Armando Miranda, has caused consternation in the country.
This double crime is in addition to the five people who were murdered last Friday at the Espacio Panamá nightclub, in San Felipe, as well as a triple homicide in Kuna Nega.
"I say it was a bad week because it was," but that does not mean that every week will be like this. We are going to have better days," he said.
The minister added that the police officers will continue in the streets. "We are going to do the job, those responsible will go to justice," he said. Earlier he had called on police to be “more forceful” in combatting crime.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/the-state-does-not-bow-to-crime-security-minister
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Murder of American citizen alerts authorities to surging crime wave
Posted 03/11/2021
The kidnapping and murder of the American businessman Randall Leigh Steittmeir, and his pilot Armando Miranda, whose bodies were found in Río Chico, Natá, has finally alerted the security authorities to a growing crime wave after months of denials.
The investigation into the kidnapping of Steittmeir and two other people close to his aerial fumigation business was carried out by the Special Prosecutor's Office against Organized Crime, but their murder has led to the intervention of the Homicide and Femicide Prosecutor's Office.
Sources linked to the investigation revealed that the kidnappers demanded a ransom of $350,000 for freeing Steitmeir, who owned a fumigation company, as well as the other two people.
The sources revealed to La Prensa that a first payment was delivered to the kidnappers, but then they demanded the entire ransom, after which contact was lost and then their bodies were found in Natá
Two weeks ago in that same sector, the lifeless body of a young woman resident in Aguadulce was found.
This double crime is in addition to the five people who were murdered last week at the Espacio Panamá nightclub, in Casco Viejo, as well as a triple homicide n Kuna Nega, in the vicinity of the Cerro Patacón landfill.
The bodies were bound and their hands tied and it is presumed that they were killed elsewhere and their bodies were abandoned near the landfill.
On Tuesday two people were arrested in Santa Anna for their alleged connection to an attack last Thursday in Los Angeles, which left three injured, one of them seriously.
Police sources revealed that the suspects were recognized through a series of security videos obtained by surveillance -
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US blacklists makers of spyware bought by Martinelli
Posted 03/11/2021
The US Department of Commerce announced Wednesday that it added NSO Group, the Israeli company that makes the Pegasus software to its list of companies that pose a threat to national security.
The Ricardo Martinelli administration bought the Pegasus system during his last two years in office and used it to spy on 150 political opponents, judges, businessmen, and journalists. Trainers from the NSO Group were brought to Panama and lodged at the Mirimar Hotel
Investigations published by a consortium of 17 international media outlets revealed that Pegasus had allegedly allowed spying on the numbers of journalists, politicians, activists, or business leaders from various countries.
Pegasus-infected phones basically become pocket spy gadgets. They allow the user to read the messages of the affected person, look at their photos, know their location, and even turn on the camera without their knowing it.
"These tools have allowed foreign governments to apply transnational repression, which is the practice of authoritarian governments to follow dissidents, journalists and activists outside their borders to silence dissent," the Commerce Department said in a statement.
Washington also included the Israeli company Candiru, the Computer Security Initiative Consultancy PTE (COSEINC) of Singapore, and the Russian firm Positive Technologies on the list.
The addition of these companies implies that the exports they could receive from US organizations are restricted. For example, it is now much more difficult for US parties to sell information or technology to them.
For its part, the Israeli group said on Wednesday it was "dismayed" by the US decision to include it on its blacklist of companies that threaten national security.
"The NSO Group is dismayed by the decision" of the United States and "will work to ensure that this decision is modified," a spokesman for the company based on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, which claims to have a "Rigorous ethical charter based on American values."
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/us-blacklists-makers-of-spyware-bought-by-martinelli
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OPINION: Politics highjacked by thugs and crooks
Posted 03/11/2021
Starting today, Panamanians celebrate the national holidays. Our separation from Colombia marked a milestone, since then we have taken the reins of our destiny as a State and a nation. After more than 100 years of republican life, we must ask ourselves where we are going, what kind of democracy we want, and what we are as a society and as citizens. We should have learned from our failures, but we seem doomed to walk in circles, making the same mistakes. Corruption is suffocating and has permeated even our homes, something that will eventually lead many to commit acts of corruption, making our society vulnerable and tolerant to this rot. Our future is now uncertain, as politics is hijacked by thugs and crooks who disfigure our identity as citizens and country. The growing dependence of Panamanians on clientelism, created and cultivated by white-collar criminals entrenched in the Government, puts the future at serious risk, as the country is filled with drones instead of productive people. Let us reflect on how to separate ourselves from corrupt Panama to flourish as the honest and upright Panama – LA PRENSA, Nov. 3.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/opinion-politics-highjacked-by-thugs-and-crooks
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National holiday highway lane reversals
Posted 02/11/2021
Lane reversal operations to the interior for the national holidays began at 10 am Tuesday, November 2.
The Transit and Land Transportation Authority (ATTT).reports that the investment will be made:
Tuesday, November 2: From Av. De los Mártires to Arraiján head, from 10 in the morning until 6 in the afternoon. At the same time, it will be from La Espiga de la Chorrera to Capira.
Wednesday, November 3: From La Espiga de La Chorrera to Loma Campana, from 10 in the morning to 6 in the afternoon.
Sunday, November 7: From San José in San Carlos to Sajalices, from 10 in the morning until 6 in the afternoon. At the same time, it will be done from the entrance of Campana to La Espiga de La Chorrera.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/national-holiday-highway-lane-reversals
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Green alert turns yellow in six provinces
Posted 02/11/2021
The National Civil Protection System (Sinaproc) issued a yellow alert notice in six provinces and one region, on Tuesday, November 2 given the forecasts of constant rains in the coming hours.
Sinaproc specifies that in light of the forecasts of prolonged rains and storms in the coming days, this yellow alert is issued in the provinces of Bocas del Toro, Chiriquí, Veraguas, Los Santos, Herrera, and Coclé, and in the Ngäbe Bugle region.
The entity reiterated that the green alert is maintained for the rest of the country.
"The country is still under surveillance due to the development and slow displacement of a low-pressure system between the Caribbean coasts of Panama and Costa Rica, but it maintains an organization and cyclonic flow, favorable to rainy events in Central America", details the Sinaproc that is referenced in a bulletin from the Miami Hurricane Center.
Constant rains are expected in the mountainous regions of the country and river floods, floods, and landslides may occur.
The yellow alert in these six provinces and the region comes about 20 hours after a green alert notice throughout the country.
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US Embassy demands justice for American citizen kidnapped and killed
Posted 01/11/2021
The US Embassy in Panama has called for the full weight of the law to fall on the killers of American businessman Randall Leigh Stettmeir Tilly, whose body was found last weekend alongside his pilot Armando Eliécer Miranda Pittí.
"We express our deep condolences to the family members and ask to respect their privacy at this difficult time. The Embassy demands that the murderers be captured and brought to justice," the US Embassy in Panama said in a statement.
"We reject violence and crime in all its forms. We cooperate with the Panamanian authorities in the investigations related to the case. We trust that the murderers will be punished with the full weight of the law”.
The bodies were found near the Chico river bridge in Natá de Lo Caballeros, Coclé province.
Randall was the owner of the spraying company FABSA and the owner of a helicopter that does spraying work. The kidnappers were allegedly asking for more than $200,000 for the ransom reports .
His secretary Ruth Saucedo was also kidnapped on Sunday, October 24, when they left to carry out fumigation work in Veraguas, but her whereabouts are still unknown.
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Martinelli trial judges will hear closing arguments November 8
Posted 01/11/2021
The wiretapping retrial of former President Ricardo Martinelli ended after the defense abruptly suspended its presentation of evidence and witnesses on Monday, November 1. The retrial began on July 21.
In total, the defense presented 13 pieces of evidence, of which one was testimonial, another expert, and the rest documentary. Originally the defense group stated that it would present at least 40 pieces of evidence.
Both the Prosecutor's Office and the plaintiffs finished their presentation of evidence last week. The Oral Trial Court ordered a recess on Monday until November 8.
The pleadings phase will begin on Monday, November 8 at 2:00 pm and both the defense, the Prosecutor's Office and the plaintiffs will have one hour for their final presentations.
In addition, the Prosecutor's Office and the plaintiffs may present the victims of illegal wiretapping before the three judges of the Trial Court
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/martinelli-trial-judges-will-hear-closing-arguments-november-8
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New York prosecutor moves to seize money of Martinelli sons
Posted 01/11/2021
The New York prosecutor’s office has asked a federal judge to seize assets of Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares , nine months after presenting the formal accusation against both, for alleged crimes related to money laundering.
In a note presented on October 29, prosecutor Breon Peace identified two amounts that would be subject to seizure: one for $697,458.75, "plus accrued interest" and any other product of that sum. traceable, indicating that it could be bank accounts; another for a million dollars and all their products are traceable.
The seizure of these assets has been linked to charges numbered 1 to 5, in the indictment filed against the children of former President Ricardo Martinelli l (2009-2014), on February 6.
In this case, the United States requested Guatemala to arrest and extradite Ricardo Alberto and Luis Enrique. Both were captured on July 6, 2020, and since then, they remain in a military prison, waiting for the delivery process to be completed.
In February, prosecutors for the Eastern District of New York brought three charges against the brothers: one for allegedly conspiring to launder money, and two more for hiding information about money laundering.
Luis Enrique faces two additional charges, for the alleged use of money obtained through money laundering.
In that indictment, the prosecutors noted that, if they are finally convicted, the assets linked to the charges for which they are accused could be confiscated.
The indictment against the Martinelli Linares is based on events allegedly committed between August 2009 and September 2015, largely coinciding with the presidential mandate of their father, and includes at least four suspicious transactions.
For example, the prosecution details two transactions, on November 12 and December 10, 2013, for $899,978.32 and $30,887.21, respectively, made from a financial institution located in Switzerland to a bank in New York.
The indictment also mentions two transfers linked to Luis Enrique: one, on February 11, 2013, for $346,500, and another, on August 26, 2015, for approximately $570,000 both made from a Swiss bank to a bank in New York, and from there - finally - to accounts in New Jersey and Florida, respectively.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/new-york-prosecutor-moves-to-seize-money-of-martinelli-sons
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Panama has low resilience to gang networks - study
Violence has taken over the streets of the capital reports La Prensa.
Posted 31/10/2021
According to the Global Organized Crime Index 2021, Panama has low resilience to face organized crime. On a score from 1 to 10, Panama obtained 4.83, when studying 12 parameters that view political, economic, legal and social measures to combat organized crime.
The document highlights that, at the global level, State officials with influence over national authorities are now the main actors of organized crime and not the heads of cartels or mafias.
The index, prepared with data from 2020, is the first of its kind and seeks to raise, in a quantifiable way, the actors of organized crime and the illicit activities they carry out in different countries. This, counteracted with the state and justice mechanisms that each country has to confront them.
Panama obtained a crime score of 6.68 on the index (on a scale of 1 to 10, where the lower score indicates less crime). This places Panama in 17th of 193 member states of the United Nations,
Above Panama, are countries such as Venezuela, Guatemala, Peru, Russia, and Ukraine. The index divides crime into two main aspects: illicit actors and markets. In terms of actors, those that obtain the highest score in Panama are “mafia-style” groups (gangs) and “actors embedded by the State,” with a score of 7.5 for both.
“Criminal networks and foreign actors” are the other two actor ratings, for which Panama received a score of 7.0 and 6.0 respectively.
Regarding illicit markets with the highest scores, Panama obtained its most critical rating regarding the “cocaine trade” (8.5). Second, regarding “human trafficking”, a score of 8.0 was obtained.
At the regional level, the index places Panama in position 5 out of 35 countries in terms of organized crime. that much of the organized crime to which Panama is subjected has to do with its geographical position and its nature of transit.
"The cocaine trade, which involves transnational organizations that work with the support of local groups and actors embedded by the State, is the largest illicit market in Panama and poses a significant security risk for the country". In terms of resilience, Panama is ranked 96th out of 193 countries globally.
The index gives Panama a score of 4.83 in terms of resilience, which is defined as the ability of the State to cope with and interrupt organized crime activities Panama is ranked 96th out of 193 countries globally.
Some of the measured aspects in which Panama shows the most deficiencies are in its judicial and detention system, government transparency, anti-money laundering systems, and support for victims and witnesses.
“The participation of states in crime is a deeply rooted phenomenon around the world: state officials and clientelist networks that have influence over the stable authorities are now the main corridors of organized crime”, is one of the findings.
The countries with the highest scores in terms of the role played by “actors embedded in the State” have less resilience capacity. The findings show that the level at which crime permeates the state varies, from low-level corruption to complete capture of the state apparatus.
In September, La Prensa detailed that at least 178 officials had been arrested so far this year in operations against drug trafficking networks and money laundering. They worked in institutions such as the National Police and other security entities, the Tocumen Airport, the National Assembly, and the Public Ministry.
In September 2020, the then governor of the Guna Yala region was arrested with 79 kilos of drugs.
Panama's profile on the index website exposes “hundreds of mafia-like organizations” operating in the country, and identifies the Baghdad and Calor Calor gangs, both involved in drug logistics and territory control.
The profile details that Baghdad specializes in domestic sales and Calor Calor in the transport of drugs for foreign organizations.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama-has-low-resilience-to-gang-networks-study-1
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Climate entering “unchartered territory” – 7 years warmest on record
Posted 31/10/2021
The seven years between 2015 and 2021 will likely be the warmest on record to date, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced on Sunday, in a report warning that the climate is entering "uncharted territory."
The annual report on the state of the climate "is based on the latest scientific data that shows that the planet is changing before our eyes," said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, quoted in the text.
"From the deep ocean to the mountain tops, from melting glaciers to relentless extreme weather events, ecosystems and communities around the world are being destroyed," he added.
The text, prepared from observations on the ground and through satellites of meteorological services from around the world, is published at the beginning of the UN climate change conference, COP26, this Sunday.
The Scottish city of Glasgow hosts this key conference, in which the international community must step up its fight to limit global warming and ideally bring it to a maximum of + 1.5ºC.
COP26 "must be a turning point for people and the planet," said Guterres.
The report is based on the historical records of temperatures on the planet, and in particular, uses the period 1850-1910 that the UN climate experts (IPCC) use as a basis to compare with today.
Humanity is currently emitting much more than twice the greenhouse gas emissions compared to that time.
However, these historical records do not take into account previous meteorological phenomena, which are recorded thanks to climatic paleontology.
Alarming tone
The tone of the WMO report is alarming, linking droughts, forest fires, major floods in different regions of the planet with human activity.“2021 is less warm than recent years due to the influence of a moderate La Niña episode that occurred at the beginning of the year. La Niña has a temporary cooling effect on the global average temperature and affects regional meteorological and climatic conditions. In 2021, the La Niña seal was clearly observed in the tropical Pacific, ”the text recalled.
However, the average temperature of the last 20 years exceeds the symbolic barrier of + 1 ° C for the first time.
"The persistent above-average rainfall during the first half of the year in some parts of northern South America, especially in the northern Amazon basin, caused severe and long-lasting flooding in the region," he added. the text.
And at the same time, “for the second year in a row, there were major droughts that devastated a large part of the subtropical region of South America. The precipitations were very inferior to the average in most of the south of Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and the north of Argentina ”.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/climate-entering-unchartered-territory-7-years-warmest-on-record
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Attorney General seeks action on criminal assets
Posted 01/11/2021
The acting Attorney General Javier Caravallo has called on the Legislature to debate the project that creates the jurisdiction for the “extinction of domain” [seizure of assets] as an effective tool against organized crime" and for the Executive to provide more resources to expand the saturated judicial morgue.
“If there is something that characterizes organized crime, it is the desire to accumulate resources with which they become stronger and stronger. For this reason, to the extent that the country can have a domain forfeiture law that allows us to attack that fortress, we will be able to face organized crime in a better way ”.
Caraballo called on the National Assembly as soon as ordinary sessions begin, to discuss the postponed bill 625 "accurately and objectively."
The initiative, presented by the Minister of Public Security, Juan Pino, last April rests in the Government Commission of the AN, chaired by deputy Víctor Castillo. He has said that there is an intention to advance the project but that they have not had enough time because of issues such as electoral reforms.
For the security authorities, this would be a tool that would weaken the financial muscle of organized crime, whose local gangs, have been the protagonists of the latest crimes in the country.
According to Caraballo, the Ancón judicial morgue, with a capacity for 45 bodies, was already overrun due to bloody events that left at least 12 dead.
For 2022 the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences received a budget of $48.1 million, below what they had requested. This forced the suspension of plans to build a new judicial morgue.
Tons of cocaine
While the Public Ministry is struggling due to a lack of space and budget to handle the bodies left by organized crime in the streets, drug trafficking is not slowing down.On Saturday, the National Air and Naval Service seized 3.499 packages of drugs found in containers on a ship in transit from Chile to the Netherlands. In total there were 3.5 tons, with which the country breaks the annual record of drug seizures.
For all of 2020, a total of 84.8 tons of drugs were seized.
Most of the drug is destined for the United States, the world's leading cocaine consumer. And now, according to the authorities, much of this drug would be reaching Europe.
This year, the country's anti-drug fight received a boost when the Regional Center for Naval Air Operations (Croan) was inaugurated on February 11, with the support of the USA.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/attorney-general-seeks-action-on-criminal-assets
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Eight out of 10 consider Panama unsafe – survey
Posted 01/11/2021
Eight out of 10 Panamanians consider that the country is unsafe and three out of 10 have been the victim of some crime in the last year, according to an investigation by the new quality of life observatory of Panama's the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (CCIAP) "Panama, tell me!"
The first report of the observatory addresses, among other components, citizen security.
The report details that 1,200 Panamanians were asked how they evaluate the country in terms of security and if in the last 12 months they had been victims of any crime.
Business unions such as the Association of Restaurants, Bars and Clubs of Panama have called for "a national crusade for safety in our streets and neighborhoods, contributing ideas and inviting the National Government to attack the problem head-on."
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/eight-out-of-10-consider-panama-unsafe-survey
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Panama achieves record Europe-bound drug seizures
31/10/2021
AFP - Panama this year seized the record amount of 20 tons of drugs destined for Europe, hidden in containers and the authorities believe that drug trafficking is changing its routes to the Old Continent.
"Lately we have seen that the route (of the drug) has been leaving South America with a final destination to Europe," Luis De Gracia, chief commissioner of the second region of the National Aeronaval Service of Panama ( Senan), told AFP.
According to De Gracia, the Senan seized 20.2 tons of drugs hidden in containers so far this year, a figure six times higher than the nearly 3 tons seized in 2020.
Panamanian authorities suspect that organized crime takes advantage of the versatility of merchant ships to move drugs, mainly from South American ports in the Pacific to Panama, where they seek to leave for the Caribbean bound for Europe.
"It seems that the most coveted route is to Europe," De Gracia said at a press conference.
Panama is the entry into Central America for drugs that, coming from South America, are trying to reach the United States, the world's leading cocaine consumer. And now, according to the Panamanian authorities, drug trafficking would be increasing, through Panama, to Europe.
So far in 2021, Panama has broken all its annual records in drug seizures, despite the pandemic as there are still two months to go until the end of the year.
According to official figures, the Panamanian police have seized more than 100 tons in 2021, mainly cocaine, an amount that exceeds the 90 tons of drugs seized in 2019 and the 84 tons in 2020.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama-achieves-record-europe-bound-drug-seizures
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OPINION: A $44.5 million absurdity
Posted 01/11/2021
If there is something absurd in this pandemic, it is the decision to garrison members of the National Police in hotels. This decision has cost the Treasury - that is, all of us - the sum of $44.5 million. To get an idea of what such spending means, consider that repairing and rebuilding the damage caused by hurricanes last year in 133 critical areas in the west of the country would have cost about $45 million. Or the new Almirante hospital –in Bocas del Toro– that will cost $41.5 million, that is, $3 million less, work of 20,000 square meters, whose price includes studies, designs, plans, biomedical equipment, furniture, preventive maintenance for three years-, a water ambulance and a dock for patients in the insular area. It seems that when making these decisions the last thing you think about is cost, practical utility, viable alternatives, or reasonable use of money. The rulers that we have do not administer public affairs. Those who govern us are a bunch of incompetent people who do not know what to do with public funds, except to squander them or steal them through bribery. A humble family man would act with much more prudence than this bunch of politicians.- LA PRENSA, Nov. 1
https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/opinion-a-445-million-absurdity
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Government links to organized crime
Posted 31/10/2021
The perception of insecurity that the citizen feels is not only that; It is a concrete fact, although the Government tries to convince us otherwise. An organization that investigates organized crime throughout the world –Global Initiative– places Panama among the countries with a high crime rate and with a State incapable of confronting it. Why can the State do little? Simple: we have criminals entrenched in the Government; still others making laws to benefit perpetrators and abusers, and gang members in political parties. These groups even provide protection because they have accomplices or, worse still, they confront the Public Ministry to defend them with all the political power at their disposal. We haven't hit bottom, but how are we doing? we will end up with a state under the control of organized white-collar criminals, associated with drug gangsters. The numbers reveal this reality: 178 officials from the three organs of the State - Executive, Legislative and Judicial, including the security forces - were prosecuted in 2021 for their links with organized crime. Those are the defendants. But how many more are left and how much power do they accumulate? – LA PRENSA, Nov. 31.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/government-links-to-organized-crime
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Gangs rampage as security lapses
Posted 30/10/2021
The country - particularly the capital - has been shaken by the number of murders that have occurred in the last hours, in the middle of a gang war whose scene is public and crowded places in the capital. This violence shows the serious deficiencies of the Government in the matter of prevention and re-socialization; they even reveal deficient handling of police intelligence. This administration has forced citizens to carefully monitor their decisions since there is not one that does not hide a double agenda, and now we have to worry about dying, the victim of a stray bullet. Meanwhile, in the National Assembly, the deputies refused to discuss a bill - that of the extinction of domain - that would reduce economic power to these criminal networks. There are deputies who increasingly resemble these criminal groups and even propose rules to favor "those who once made mistakes." The rulers and organized crime are driving the country into chaos for lack of a national security policy. When will they stop improvising and reacting, instead of planning and acting? LA PRENSA, Nov. 30.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/gangs-rampage-as-security-lapses
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ENVIRONMENT: The reality of climate change in Panama
Posted 30/10/2021
The effects of climate change is a reality in Panama and a report prepared by the Ministry of the Environment identifies the areas of greatest vulnerability are the province of Bocas del Toro, the Ngäbe Buglé region, the north of Veraguas, the southwest of Darién, and the Guna Yala region.
Also on the list are the south and east coast of the province of Los Santos, the eastern coast of Herrera, the Gulf of Montijo in Veraguas, the south coast of Coclé, the south coast of the province of Panama, and some townships of Chiriquí.
It is specified that Bocas del Toro, the Ngäbe Buglé region, Panama, Guna Yala, and Darién present “high exposure” conditions due to a higher frequency of floods.
Logging in reserves
The report also qualifies as a "sensitive area" the border between Bocas del Toro and Chiriquí, since it has one of the most important protected areas, such as La Amistad International Park, which has a certain degree of deforestation.The north of Coclé, Veraguas, and the west of the province of Colón, has a valuable percentage of the protected area, but deforestation is gaining momentum.
Likewise, reference is made to the loss of forest cover of other ecological reserves, such as the Chagres National Park, in the canal basin, Coiba in Veraguas, the wild area in Narganá de Guna Yala, Darién and the Emberá region.
For ecologists, in the case of Panama, it is vital to conserve forest cover since tropical forests are home to most of the planet's biodiversity and where adaptation strategies against global warming must give top priority, to ensure the land and water.
A setback
This week, organizations such as the Center for Environmental Advocacy and the Alliance for Conservation and Development described Executive Decree 141 of October 26, as a "setback", through which land use certifications in protected areas will be granted. —To those who prove they were there before being declared a reserve—, considering that it will accelerate the destruction of the country's ecological reserves."The modern international trend entails an expansion of the coverage and standards of environmental protection, however, here we are in the presence of a not very encouraging scenario in the face of these regressions with the new regulations," said Susana Serracín, of the Alliance for Conservation and the development.
One of the aspects raised by the study is that the regions with the greatest poverty have a “reduced” capacity to respond to the adverse effects of the climate.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/environment/environment-the-reality-of-climate-change-in-panama
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Two more gang executions under investigation
Posted 30/10/2021
The Homicide and Femicide Section of the Coclé Regional Prosecutor's Office began an investigation after the discovery of two bodies of two executed men in Río Chico, Natá. It is not ruled out that the bodies found are the disappeared who were reported as missing since last Sunday in Chiriquí. Unofficially, it was known that the bodies had several bullet wounds in the abdomen and head. The deceased are presumed to be between 25 and 40 years old. Authorities reported that the bodies were wrapped in black and white cloth. One of them was found a few meters from the Río Chico and the other very close to the river. The Public Ministry and the National Police are searching for a third person who could supposedly be in the same place.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/two-more-gang-executions-under-investigation
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ENVIRONMENT: When a minister can’t see the wood for the trees
Posted 29/10/2021
The Ministry of the Environment, which is supposed to safeguard our natural heritage, has invented a legal instrument to use areas that, precisely, have been chosen to be protected from exploitation, whatever it may be. Obtaining this authorization is easy: the applicant only has to demonstrate that it was established within a reserve before it was declared as such. With this demonstration, you will be awarded one or more "certificates of accreditation of land use in protected areas." From now on, where there used to be forests, now we will see agro-industrial farms or whatever can be exploited. If Miambiente does not have an inventory of the current occupation in the protected areas, how will it corroborate that all the information provided by the petitioner, be true? How difficult can it be to prove that a space has been occupied in an area that was later declared protected? If dozens of families were able to demonstrate to Anati that for years they occupied kilometers of coastline in Juan Hombrón, in order to sell them to the Papadimitriu family, how difficult can it be to meet the requirement that Miambiente will now demand, especially if it is a politician?? What part of "protected area" does the minister not understand? Can you be more obtuse? – LA PRENSA, Nov. 29.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/environment-when-a-minister-cant-see-the-wood-for-the-trees
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Halloween party shootout leaves 5 dead, 7 injured
Posted 29/10/2021A gangland shooting at a pre-Halloween party in the Espacio Panamá pseudo nightclub, on the border between San Felipe and Santa Ana, left five dead and seven injured
According to the National Police, the incident occurred between 2:00 am and 2:20 am on Friday, October 29. Two people have been arrested and a firearm was recovered.
Prosecutor Rafael Baloyes said that one of the people died inside the premises, was allegedly the one who shot a group first. Four others died at the Santo Tomás Hospital.
Baloyes said that it was a confrontation involving the Galactito gang.
The owners of Espacio Panamá indicated that they "deeply regret the unfortunate incident that occurred."
"We are providing all the necessary collaboration to the competent authorities based on the corresponding investigations," said in a statement released Friday morning.
Meanwhile the Vice Minister of Internal Trade and Industries, Omar Montilla, indicated Friday morning that Espacio Panamá did not have permission to sell liquor.
He said detailed in Telemetro Reporta and TVN Noticias that the place was not a nightclub either. and its operating license was for a fast-food restaurant.
“It does not have permission to sell liquor or to do disco activities, this is a restaurant that must close its activity no later than 12 midnight," Montilla said on TVN Noticias .
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/halloween-party-shootout-leaves-5-dead-7-injured
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Gang warfare on the streets of Betania injures 3 including child
Posted 29/10/2021
Three people were injured after at least 10 shots were fired at a vehicle on 61st Street, in the Betania district of Panama on Thursday, October 28.
The injured were Jean Carlos Navarro, an alleged member of the Calor Calor gang, his wife, and a child under 3 years of age. Also in the car was a two-month-old baby who was unharmed.
Agents of the National Police went to the scene to help the wounded and take them to the hospital.
They announced that it is presumed that the attack is linked to organized crime.
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/gang-warfare-on-the-streets-of-betania-injures-3-including-child
Fuel (Gasoline and Diesel) Prices and Consumption Levels [Ongoing]
in Automobiles / Vehicles (Dealers, Titles, Vehicle & Driver Licenses, Maintenance, Fuel, Roadway Carnage, etc.)
Posted
https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/95-octane-at-a-dollar-a-liter-from-friday