International
More than 480 arrested during protests in Panama for Social Security reforms
More than 480 people were arrested this Wednesday in Panama during violent protests in rejection of a Social Security reform project, triggering clashes between the police and the demonstrators that left at least 16 injured.
The director of the National Police (PN) of Panama, Jaime Fernández, reported in a press conference that there are “more than 480 people detained”, after an “unprecedented escalation of violence” this morning, which left a balance of damage “to the national police and its resources” in the amount of “267,000 dollars”.
In addition to being injured, “16 units of the National Police”, two of which hit with blunt objects (blocks, screws and steel bars among others) thrown by the demonstrators from the top of a tower under construction of a public hospital for children, where they entrenched themselves.
The Single Union of Workers in the Construction and Similar Industry (Suntracs) blocked a section of the maritime avenue, one of the main arteries of Panama City, and other key points of the capital in rejection of the bill that reforms the Social Security Fund (CSS), under discussion in the Legislature.
Previously, the police director had pointed out, in statements to journalists, that “they have had to set up a special prison” because they are going to “judicialize” “all” the demonstrators, including the “union leaders”, within the framework of respect for due process, he said.
The president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, described it as “intolerable” that the work of the pediatric hospital is used as a “barricade of union terrorists to subvert public order” and asked for the action of the Prosecutor’s Office with “all the weight of the law.” After that, the Prosecutor’s Office initiated an “ex officio investigation” for these acts.
For his part, Saúl Méndez, the leader of Suntracs – the most powerful union in the country – said in a video broadcast by his official channels that his protest was “peaceful” and regretted that he was “repressed” in the area of the hospital under construction, which was “besieged”.
Student protests have also been reported in front of the University of Panama, which canceled classes for this Wednesday.
On Wednesday, Parliament discussed two bills (independent of each other) on the Social Security Fund of Panama, key to the economic future of that entity, submerged for years in an administrative and financial crisis, which could liquidate one of the two pension subsystems.
The deputies have already approved the first of them that authorizes the Executive the transfer of 91 million dollars as “extraordinary funds” to “partially reinforce the costs” of the retirements corresponding to this month of February, according to official information.
And they discuss in the second of the three mandatory debates, another bill, broader and of greater importance, that reforms Panamanian Social Security after months of discussion by blocks in the parliamentary health commission in the face of the difficulties requested by the Panamanian president and other social sectors.
This bill is a proposal of the Executive made in consensus by dialogue tables with economic, trade union and social sectors. The original document included a three-year increase in the retirement age – up to 65 for men and 60 for women – and 3% of the employer’s quota, among others.
However, the deputies of the commission overturned the article that raised the retirement age, one of the points most rejected by the parliamentarians, unions and the population, and increased the annual contribution of the Executive to 1.4 billion dollars compared to the 1.2 billion dollars proposed by the Government.
The hemicycle, composed of 71 seats, will hold two rounds of discussions in this second phase with half an hour of pleading for each deputy, so the debate could last approximately two weeks, according to an official source told EFE.
This proposal to change Social Security has raised controversy in Panama with some demonstrations in the streets in recent months, a wide public debate and requests for specific modifications by private companies.
International
Shootout in Sinaloa leaves 13 gunmen dead as authorities rescue kidnapping victims
A confrontation between Mexican security forces and an armed group in the troubled state of Sinaloa left 13 gunmen dead and four others arrested, Security Minister Omar García Harfuch reported on Monday.
Sinaloa, located on the Pacific coast, has been shaken for more than a year by a violent power struggle between factions of a powerful local cartel — a conflict that has resulted in at least 1,700 homicides, including 57 minors, and nearly 2,000 disappearances.
The shootout occurred around 12:45 p.m. local time (18:45 GMT) in the municipality of Guasave, where authorities were able to rescue nine kidnapped individuals following the clash. Officers also seized seven vehicles, long weapons, and tactical equipment, according to the minister’s post on X.
García Harfuch explained that security forces “were attacked by an armed group hiding under a bridge” while patrolling the La Brecha community of Guasave, prompting an “immediate response” from authorities.
The detainees and seized items have been turned over to Mexico’s federal prosecutor’s office, he added.
The internal war within the Sinaloa Cartel erupted after the capture of longtime leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, who was betrayed and extradited to the United States in July 2024 by the son of his former partner Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Guzmán has been serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison since 2019.
International
Trump alleges “massive fraud” in California redistricting vote without evidence
U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Tuesday — without providing evidence — that “fraud” is taking place in California’s referendum on the redrawing of electoral districts, one of the key votes held nationwide alongside mayoral elections in cities such as New York.
“The unconstitutional vote on redistricting in California is a MASSIVE FRAUD, because the entire process, particularly the voting itself, is RIGGED,” the president wrote on his social network, Truth Social.
Trump — who in 2020 also alleged widespread fraud in the presidential election he lost to Joe Biden — argued that Republicans have been “shut out” of mail-in voting and claimed the process is “under very strict legal and criminal investigation.”
Proposition 50, the measure being put to referendum in California, proposes a temporary redrawing of the state’s congressional districts in favor of the Democratic Party. Such a change could jeopardize the Republican majority in the House of Representatives ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The proposal was introduced by California authorities, where Democrats hold majority power, as a response to a similar Republican-backed initiative in Texas aimed at reshaping districts to boost Trump-aligned candidates in next year’s House elections.
International
Four suspected PCC members killed in Police shootout in Florianópolis
At least four armed men, allegedly linked to an organized crime group, were killed Sunday night during a shootout with police officers at Ponta das Canas beach on the island of Florianópolis, capital of the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, local media reported on Monday.
According to the Santa Catarina Military Police, one of the men killed was a native of the state of São Paulo (southeast) and identified as a leader of the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), a gang that controls drug trafficking in the Papaquara community in northern Florianópolis, one of Brazil’s most popular tourist areas.
Police said officers were conducting a patrol in the Ponta das Canas neighborhood when they noticed a man entering a house in a hurry, raising suspicion. Upon entering the residence, they encountered four heavily armed individuals.
During the police operation, one of the suspects reportedly attempted to seize an officer’s rifle, triggering the exchange of gunfire. “Faced with the imminent threat and the criminals’ high firepower, the officers responded to stop the aggression,” the Military Police said on social media.
Shootout in Sinaloa leaves 13 gunmen dead as authorities rescue kidnapping victims
Trump alleges “massive fraud” in California redistricting vote without evidence
Four suspected PCC members killed in Police shootout in Florianópolis
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International3 days agoFloods in Central Vietnam leave 28 dead, thousands displaced
-
International4 days agoHurricane Melissa kills over 30, leaves thousands displaced in the Caribbean
-
International4 days agoU.S. considering airstrikes on military sites in Venezuela, reports say
-
International2 days agoAt least 23 killed in Sonora supermarket blast, including minors
-
International4 days agoTrump sets historic low refugee cap at 7,500, prioritizes white South Africans
-
International4 days agoUNICEF: Over 700,000 children affected by Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean
-
International3 days agoFBI foils ISIS-Inspired attack in Michigan, arrests five teens
-
International18 hours agoU.S. uses $4.65 billion in emergency funds to sustain SNAP benefits amid shutdown
-
International4 days agoPope Leo XIV revives Global Compact on Education to confront cultural crisis
-
International4 days agoU.S. warns China over Taiwan during high-level defense talks in Kuala Lumpur
-
International2 days agoU.S. strike in Caribbean kills three suspected drug traffickers
-
International18 hours agoFour suspected PCC members killed in Police shootout in Florianópolis
-
International5 minutes agoTrump alleges “massive fraud” in California redistricting vote without evidence
-
International3 minutes agoShootout in Sinaloa leaves 13 gunmen dead as authorities rescue kidnapping victims