Panama

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes Panama, shaking buildings as far as the capital and prompting evacuations. The U.S. Geological Survey reports the quake hit Friday morning near Pitaloza Arriba, at a depth of 10 kilometers.

El Niño is here, and forecasters warn that it’s likely to be bigger and stronger in 2026-27 than any El Niño event recorded in at least 150 years. I am a biologist who has been monitoring the weather in Panama and surrounding regions for the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute for almost 40 years, and what I am seeing in 2026 in terms of heat and drought has already begun to exceed anything that we have measured here in over a century.

From Brazil's expansion of firefighting brigades and aircraft to contingency plans for water, energy and agriculture in countries including Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru and Colombia, authorities are preparing for potentially severe impacts.

Seizing Panama’s leader was relatively easy. But the similarities between Panama and Venezuela are dangerously misleading, some analysts warn.

While visiting Panama this week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not mention President Trump's pledge to take back the Panama Canal. Was it just a ploy to make Panama resolve to get tougher on China?

Deporting migrants to Central American countries removes many political and legal hurdles for the Trump administration. How far can the practice go before these nations reach a breaking point?

More than 2,000 people could be displaced by the construction of the Río Indio dam. The Panama Canal Authority says the dam solves a long-term water shortage problem.

The migrants refused to be repatriated to their countries. They will be held in a migration facility near the Darien Gap along the Colombian border until third countries can be found to take them.

The former Florida senator, traveling to the Central American country and touring the Panama Canal on his first foreign trip as top U.S. diplomat, held face-to-face talks with Mulino, who has resisted pressure from the new U.S. government over management of a waterway that is vital to global trade.

Former Florida senator Marco Rubio will make his first official trip abroad to Central America including Panama, which President Donald Trump has riled with talk of trying to reclaim the Panama Canal.

President-elect Trump's made several ambassador picks in Miami and South Florida. Is their lack of diplomatic experience a valid concern — especially when it comes to Panama, the canal and China?

The government provides HIV medicines free of charge. Yet in one Indigenous territory, cases and deaths are increasing at an alarming rate.