US keen to see CHINESE influence decreased in Canal Zone

Regarding the trade promotion agreement between Panama and the United States, Cabrera revealed that the review committee meetings will begin in October. The United States ambassador to Panama, Kevin Cabrera , reiterated that his country is excited that Panama Ports Company (PPC) , a subsidiary of CK Hutchison, will no longer be operating the ports of Balboa and…

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Canal revenue shows ROBUST first half gains for 2025

https://newsroompanama.com/2025/08/05/in-the-first-half-of-the-year-2025-panama-canal-toll-revenues-are-up-by-33/ Toll revenues on the Panama Canal increased 33.2% in the first half of the year.  This achievement is due to the increase in the transit of vessels, mainly deep-draft vessels, during this period.  Vessel traffic increased by 25.7%, with 6,855 vessels crossing the interoceanic waterway in the first half of the year, of which 5,967 were deep-draft vessels, an…

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REAL” developers doing some “REAL” developing down in BDT. Miracles do happen

“JB”– Those goddamn “pirates” at it again. Just bringing business and jobs to BDT that’s all. And I hear they do background checks to not employ MURDERERS.  Soggy Bottom Bar & Grill is a new establishment on Isla Bastimentos, Bocas del Toro, Panama, opened in July 2025. Located on Wizard Beach, it offers a Caribbean…

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Ex-Pat making a dent in the Cacao market. SECOND story I am aware of the same

https://newsroompanama.com/2025/08/03/part-1-from-silicon-valley-to-the-jungles-of-chiriqui/   In 2011, Lyn Bishop left behind the fast-paced tech world of Silicon Valley in search of something more grounded. What she found was an overgrown, abandoned pasture near La Concepción, Chiriquí. She jokes that the razor grass was so dense she had to “swim” through it. But beneath that tangle was fertile land—and…

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Who doesn’t love a good cup of “Joe” * NOT the lying PRICK, but COFFEE

“Luxury Coffee”….Go figure.  Well I guess if you pay $12 USD for a goddamn STARBUCKS back home, why not????       This just helps my buddy at CACAO 70.    Make that paper.  The eighth edition of La Cosecha toured the most prominent coffee farms in the production of coffee, a grain that drives sustainable…

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Bocas and PANAMA’s dependence on the magical “Banana” has caused quite the shitstorm

https://www.prensa.com/politica/fincas-vacias-y-sin-respuestas-en-bocas-del-toro-el-regreso-amargo-de-mil-trabajadores-bananeros/ About 1,000 banana workers attempted to return this week to five farms operated by Ilara Holdings , a concessionaire of the Chiquita banana company in Bocas del Toro , following a court ruling that declared their nearly two-month strike illegal. The government is negotiating with Chiquita to reactivate 20% of its operations in Bocas del Toro.‘We’re breaking…

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JFC I was a “fan”, but this figure is losing his appeal with me. STFU

https://newsroompanama.com/2025/07/16/we-cannot-and-should-not-lose-a-banana-plantation-job-in-bocas-del-toro-says-martinelli/ According to the president of Realizando Metas, a banana plantation job in Bocas del Toro cannot and should not be lost.  “It’s not just thousands of jobs, but the image projected after what happened with the copper mines, disputed ports, etc., combined with the gross manipulation of justice and the lack of due process,”…

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FOREIGN MINISTER already making the rounds on social circuit as PANAMA passes “velvet rope

Let the “dog and pony” show begin. PANAMA makes it to the VIP Room.  The foreign minister emphasized that removing the country from the list was one of the current Panamanian government’s priorities “from day one.” Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha celebrated Panama’s removal from the European Union (EU) money laundering list on Tuesday, July…

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Despite robust numbers, most PANAMANIANS not feeling benefit of economic growth

https://www.laestrella.com.pa/economia/hacer-economia-como-si-la-gente-importara-la-cara-de-la-inequidad-en-panama-AF14229889 Panama’s economic growth is not reflected in the quality of life of most of its citizens. While macroeconomic figures are used as a political argument, social indicators show growing inequality, unemployment, and social discontent. Some time ago, I was speaking with the former president of the Colon Free Trade Zone Users Association, Usha Mayani,…

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