Container movement at Panama’s ports grew by 1.65% in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2024, reaching a total of 4,829,562 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) reported on Friday.

“This growth reaffirms the resilience of Panama’s maritime sector, despite global trade uncertainties and local operational challenges,” the AMP said in a statement.

Transshipment cargo, which accounts for roughly 89% of total port traffic, saw a 1.2% increase between January and July compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, local cargo volume rose by 5.7%, driven by an uptick in domestic commercial and logistics activity, explained Max Florez, Director General of Ports and Auxiliary Industries at the AMP.

The AMP oversees about twenty ports in total, most of them small and focused on cabotage, fishing, and local passenger transport. The country’s five main ports, located near the Interoceanic Canal, are operated by companies from the U.S., Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.

A court in Guatemala acquitted a former anti-corruption prosecutor on Friday who had been accused of dereliction of duty, in a case widely criticized by the international community. However, he will remain in detention due to other controversial charges.

Dozens of anti-corruption prosecutors and judges have been arrested or forced into exile since 2022, after a wave of accusations launched by Guatemala’s controversial Attorney General, Consuelo Porras, who has been sanctioned by both the United States and the European Union for being “corrupt” and “undemocratic.”

The prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence against former prosecutor Stuardo Campo, prompting Judge Magda Martínez to declare: “There is no choice but to acquit.” Campo responded to the verdict by saying, “The judge has delivered a fair ruling. We were acquitted of a charge that was unjustly brought against us,” as family and friends applauded in the courtroom.

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo welcomed the decision, stating on X: “There was no evidence—only political persecution.”

The European Union Delegation in Guatemala also praised the ruling, posting on X: “Today, justice takes a crucial step in favor of Stuardo Campo, who has suffered criminalization by anti-democratic actors.”

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Campo served as head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office from 2016 to 2021, before being reassigned by Porras to the human smuggling unit.

Honduran health authorities confirmed on Monday four deaths caused by the influenza virus, which has affected 587 people so far in 2025. During this period, two deaths due to COVID-19 have also been reported.

Lorenzo Pavón, head of the Surveillance Unit of the Ministry of Health, stated that the individuals who died from influenza were over 50 years old and passed away due to complications related to chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and kidney failure.

The deaths occurred in the departments of El Paraíso (east), Ocotepeque (west), and in the cities of Siguatepeque and Comayagua, located in the central region of the country, Pavón detailed without providing further case specifics.

Official data shows that so far this year, 571 infections of the influenza A H1N1 virus and 16 cases of influenza B have been confirmed.

Among the total influenza A infections, 302 were women and 268 men, with the population between 15 and 49 years being the most affected, with 167 cases recorded, Pavón detailed.

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Health authorities warned that vaccination remains the primary tool to prevent complications caused by the virus, against which antibiotics are ineffective.

They also recommended the population, especially vulnerable groups, to get the influenza vaccine, avoid self-medication, and seek medical attention if symptoms appear.

Meanwhile, Pavón indicated that the country has also reported two COVID-19 deaths and 261 confirmed cases, with 107 men and 154 women affected, women being the majority.

The age groups with the highest incidence of COVID-19 are adults between 20 and 29 years, with 54 cases, and children aged 0 to 9, with 47 infections.

In light of the rise in COVID-19 cases, health authorities recommended strengthening biosecurity measures such as frequent hand washing, wearing masks in enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces, and using hand sanitizer.

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