Welcome to the Panama Weekly News Roundup! Here’s the latest.
Panama: Population Movement.
Panama is both a commonplace of transit as well as a popular destination for migrants in the Americas. In recent years, the country has become one of the primary receiving nations of Venezuelan migrants, with an estimated population of 94,600 Venezuelans as of February 2020.
In addition to the flow of migrants arriving from Venezuela, Panama experiences a unique migratory situation along its borders with Colombia and Costa Rica – where migrants from a variety of nationalities cross through the country as they travel north. The number of migrants crossing from Colombia into the Darien region in Panama in the last month reached unusually high levels, possibly indicating that migration flows in the region could significantly increase in 2020. According to Panama’s National Migration Service (SNM), 1,547 migrants entered the dangerous, heavily forested and mostly undeveloped border region in January 2020, compared to just 698 in the same month last year.
Source: ReliefWeb
Police in Panama found more than 5 tons of drugs in a homemade semi-submersible vessel.
More than 5 tons of drugs were seized off the coast of Panama after authorities spotted what appeared to be a semi-submersible vessel, the country’s ministry of public security said.
Officers with Panama’s National Aeronaval Service were patrolling the country’s territorial waters Wednesday and found the “homemade” vessel near the province of Bocas del Toro, officials said.
Authorities seized more than 5 tons of drugs inside the vessel and arrested four Colombian citizens, the ministry said.
No more information about the people arrested was immediately available.
The ministry did not specify what type of drugs were seized in the raid, but smugglers have previously been caught using similar vessels to transport cocaine into the United States and Europe.
Source: CNN
Cuba and Panama outline interests in anti-doping struggle.
In search of a cleaner and more honest sports, authorities from Cuba and Panama outlined in Havana interests in the anti-doping fight on the way to the 24th edition of the Central American and Caribbean Games.
During a visit to Cuba, Henry Pozo Medina, president of the Organizing Committee of the regional competition, scheduled for June 9 to 24, 2022, in Panama City, highlighted the benefits of the Anti-Doping Laboratory in Havana and the possibility of entrusting the samples of the athletes who will attend the next sports competition.
We are also going to analyze the Anti-Doping Laboratories in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Montreal, Canada; and Madrid, Spain, but we trust the quality of the Cuban laboratory, which has great worldwide recognition, Pozo told Prensa Latina.
Founded by Fidel Castro in February 2001, the Anti-Doping Laboratory in Havana closed 2019 with around 5,000 tests performed on competitors from Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, among other nations.
Source: Prensa Latina English
Foodies rejoice! Here are some amazing local Panama treats to try!
Panama is a country full of diversity at every angle, and that is certainly the case when it comes to food. Panamanians have a rich gastronomical tradition that spans centuries of influence from all over the world. They also have a burgeoning restaurant scene in the country that mixes old styles with new ones, and practically everything in between.
If you want real, delicious, home-cooked Panamanian food, there are literally hundreds of options to choose from, whether in the city, countryside, mountains, or beach area. So in the essence of efficiency, and narrowing it down for newcomers (and long-time Panama expats), we’ve pick five of our favorite “must-eat” foods to try in Panama. Buen provecho!
