Panama

Three families from Afghanistan prepare to board a boat in Necocli, Colombia, that will take them towards the border with Panama.

Afghan families traverse most of Latin America to seek asylum at the US border

The US government changed the rules governing how people can seek asylum at the US-Mexico border last week, as a pandemic-era policy called Title 42 expired. Although it may become more difficult, thousands of people are still making their way from South America to the US border, including migrants from all over the world. Some are making their way through the Darien Gap, a dangerous jungle that separates Colombia and Panama.

Afghan families traverse most of Latin America to seek asylum at the US border
After migrants arrive in Capurgana's harbor, they are loaded on tuk-tuks and taken to the shelter on the edge of town.

Migration across Darién Gap changes Colombian village’s economy

Migration across Darién Gap changes Colombian village’s economy
Migrants cross the Acandi River on their journey north, near Acandi, Colombia, on Sept. 15, 2021. 

'I survived a green hell': More Venezuelans are crossing the dangerous Darién Gap

'I survived a green hell': More Venezuelans are crossing the dangerous Darién Gap
A babbling pup produces distinct syllables, visualized in this composite image.

Bat pups babble and bat moms use baby talk, hinting at the evolution of human language

Bat pups babble and bat moms use baby talk, hinting at the evolution of human language
Aerial view of the green vegetation of the Darien jungle

46K migrants risked their lives crossing the Darién Gap in 2021. That's more than the last three years combined.

46K migrants risked their lives crossing the Darién Gap in 2021. That's more than the last three years combined.
A man is shown wearing a blue hat and standing in front of dozens of white crosses while painting numbers on the crosses.

Discussion: A deepening coronavirus crisis in Latin America

Latin America and the Caribbean now register a million new COVID-19 infections about every six days. With the vaccine rollout lagging and lives and livelihoods hanging in the balance, what is next for the region? As part of The World's series of conversations on the pandemic with Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, reporter Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with demographer Marcia Castro.

Discussion: A deepening coronavirus crisis in Latin America
A woman protects her baby from the rain as Hurricane Iota approaches Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, Nov. 16, 2020.

Hurricane Iota lashes Central America; Trump considered Iran strike options; SpaceX Dragon docks at ISS

Hurricane Iota made landfall Monday in Nicaragua as a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph. President Donald Trump reportedly asked his advisers last week for options to attack Iran’s main nuclear site but then decided not to take any action. And, the SpaceX Dragon capsule docked with the International Space Station (ISS) after a 27-hour completely automated journey.

Hurricane Iota lashes Central America; Trump considered Iran strike options; SpaceX Dragon docks at ISS
The Bridge of the Americas, located at the Pacific end of the Panama Canal.

China's new Silk Road runs through Latin America, prompting warnings from the US

Many Latin American countries have joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative, including Panama. As Mexico considers whether to join, some countries in the region face pressure from the Trump administration not to get too close to China.

China's new Silk Road runs through Latin America, prompting warnings from the US
Migrants are seen at temporary shelter in the village of La Penita, Panama, on August 23, 2019.

'We're dead here': Migrants stranded in Panama rainforest amid coronavirus

With borders closed and entire countries on lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic, some 2,000 migrants — many of them children under age 5 — have been detained for months in Panama, near the rainforest separating South and Central America.

'We're dead here': Migrants stranded in Panama rainforest amid coronavirus
Kirstjen Nielsen testifies to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on her nomination to be secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, Nov. 8, 2017.

A former Panama agent is guiding Trump's Homeland Security pick

The president previously decried the influence of foreign lobbyists.

A former Panama agent is guiding Trump's Homeland Security pick
A sign of the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower Panama is seen in Panama City, Panama October 11, 2017.

Trump's first international hotel wants to ditch his name

Owners of the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower in Panama City are trying to get rid of the Trump name on their property, according to a report by the Associated Press.

Trump's first international hotel wants to ditch his name
The entrance of Trump International Hotel

Commentary: Americans should demand reforms that ensure government serves the people

Sarah Chayes, a senior associate in the Democracy and Rule of Law Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, says politicians from both sides of the aisle are not taking seriously enough their duty to ensure they're not turning their government role into an opportunity to make a buck.

Commentary: Americans should demand reforms that ensure government serves the people
Manuel Noriega, Panama's former dictator, when he was 77

Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega dead at 83

Manuel Noriega was propped up and later toppled by the United States.

Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega dead at 83
The website of Mossack Fonseca

Mossack Fonseca defends its conduct in selling shell companies

Panama says it's setting up an independent commission to review regulations governing financial and legal services, in the wake of a massive leak exposing the murky world of offshore finance. The Panamanian company at the heart of the crisis, Mossack Fonseca, says it's done nothing wrong.

Mossack Fonseca defends its conduct in selling shell companies
People demonstrate against Iceland's Prime Minister Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson in Reykjavik, Iceland on April 4, 2016 after a leak of documents by so-called Panama Papers stoked anger over his wife owning a tax haven-based company with large claims on the cou

Can offshore tax havens really be stopped?

The issues surrounding offshore tax havens are political, not technical.

Can offshore tax havens really be stopped?