The United States and Panama could further strengthen their “strategic alliance” by allowing U.S. warships free and unrestricted passage through the Panama Canal, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem stated on Tuesday during her visit to the Central American nation, where she met with President José Raúl Mulino.

In a message posted on X and shared by the U.S. Embassy in Panama, Noem said she discussed continued cooperation on irregular migration with President Mulino and members of his cabinet.

She described Panama as a “key regional ally,” highlighting the country’s contributions to the significant reduction in illegal migration through the Darién Gap, its participation in the Repatriation Assistance Program, and its role as a model within the Biometric Data Sharing Alliance.

“Now, to further strengthen our partnership, it is essential that U.S. warships and auxiliary vessels are allowed to transit the Panama Canal freely,” Noem emphasized in her post.

President Nayib Bukele continues to enjoy strong public support in his sixth year in office, according to the latest survey conducted by the University Institute of Public Opinion (Iudop-UCA) of the José Simeón Cañas Central American University. The results reaffirm findings from other polling organizations, such as CID Gallup and LPG Datos, which have also reported high levels of approval for the Salvadoran leader.

According to Iudop, 86.1% of respondents approve of Bukele’s performance, and on a scale of 1 to 10, he received an average rating of 8.15. “This rating aligns with the fact that 67.3% of people say they have a lot or some trust in the president,” the institute noted.

When asked: “How much trust do you have in the president during his sixth year in office: a lot, some, little, or none?”— 47.5% said they have a lot of trust, 19.8% responded with some trust, 23.4% reported little trust, and 9.3% said they have no trust.

In a section of the survey titled “Other Key Findings,” Iudop-UCA also highlighted that “President Nayib Bukele continues to inspire positive emotions among the Salvadoran population.”

Nicaragua reduced the maximum highway speed limit from 100 to 50 kilometers per hour this past Tuesday, in a move ordered by presidential couple Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo as part of efforts to curb traffic accidents.

“We need a plan that prevents speeding on highways,” Ortega, a former guerrilla commander, said earlier this month during an official event.

According to a statement from the Nicaraguan police published in pro-government media, the new limit applies to private vehicles as well as public or private cargo and passenger transport. For motorcycles, the speed limit is even lower — capped at 40 km/h — and riders are now banned from carrying children as passengers.

The new measure sparked a wave of criticism and humor on social media. “At this pace, we might as well switch to bicycles,” one user joked. Others commented, “We’ll be back to using horse carts,” and “You’ll have to leave two days early just to arrive on time.”

Vice President Murillo confirmed that President Ortega had been in direct contact with Police Commissioner General Francisco Díaz, personally giving feedback on how to implement the new road safety measures.

Advertisement

20250509_dengue_728x90

20250501_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250501_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

Murillo explained that the change will first be tested in practice before being formally written into Nicaragua’s traffic laws.

A Facebook user on the “Visión Policial Nicaragua” page called the measure “ridiculous,” adding, “The police will now have more excuses to fine people for exceeding that limit.”