Security Concerns

President Donald Trump reiterated his vow to "take back" the Panama Canal, warning of "powerful" U.S. action over alleged Chinese influence. His remarks followed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s meeting with Panama’s President Raúl Mulino, who reaffirmed Panama’s sovereignty while acknowledging U.S. concerns. Mulino announced Panama would exit China’s Belt and Road Initiative and seek U.S. investments. Rubio hinted at U.S. intervention under a 1977 treaty if security threats arise. Meanwhile, Panama is auditing a Chinese-linked port operator. Mulino downplayed military action risks but stressed legal steps would follow the audit’s findings.

Security agencies seek monitoring social networking sites

Amid a raging controversy over BlackBerry posing security concerns, security agencies have now asked the Telecom Ministry to provide real-time monitoring of various social networking sites like Google, Skype and Twitter, among others.