Panama news stories on Newser

Noriega Has Brain Tumor, Shouldn't Be Jailed: Lawyers

Rob Quinn — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:20:00 CDT

Manuel Noriega's lawyers are trying to get him out of prison just four months after the former Panamanian dictator was transferred back to his homeland to serve a 20-year sentence for the murders of two political opponents. They say Noriega—who spent the last 20 years in American and French...

Unlikely Tourist Hotspots for 2012

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:33:49 CST

If you like cool design, upscale safaris, or a forbidden communist island, the New York Times can recommend 45 locales to visit in 2012. Among them: Panama . See the world-famous canal before its expansion, then stay for Panama City's economic boom and Frank Gehry's first design in Latin America—a...

Noriega Returns to Panama, to Serve More Time

Mark Russell — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 06:00:05 CST

After more than 20 years in American and French prisons, serving sentences for drug trafficking and money laundering, Manuel Noriega, Panama's former military strongman, is on his way home today, reports the AP . But Noriega is hardly out of trouble—the 77-year-old will go straight to prison to serve two...

Noriega Going Back to Panama After 20 Years

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:49:50 CST

A French court ruled today that former dictator Manuel Noriega can be extradited to Panama to serve time for past crimes, more than 20 years after being ousted and arrested in a US invasion. Noriega, now in his 70s, could be in his home country tomorrow. Panama wants Noriega returned...

Congress Passes 3 Free-Trade Pacts

Rob Quinn — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 04:44:00 CDT

President Obama scored a victory with the passage of a trio of free-trade pacts yesterday, marking America's biggest trade expansion in nearly 20 years. The House and Senate both approved the pacts with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama. While the Latin American pacts may have little impact, the South Korean...

Not Just Drugs Anymore: DEA Now a Vast, Global Spy

Mark Russell — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 09:55:11 CST

It's not your daddy's Drug Enforcement Agency: The DEA reach is now so vast and global that it extends far beyond illegal drugs into global intelligence gathering, reports the New York Times . The DEA, with 87 offices in 63 countries, has developed strong ties with foreign governments, including those that...

Flooding Closes Panama Canal

Rob Quinn — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 02:42:39 CST

Flooding has forced authorities to close the Panama Canal for only the third time since it opened in 1914. Officials say they hope to have the waterway, a conduit for close to 5% of all world trade, back open sometime today, CNN reports. The canal was shut down during the...

Bodies Piling Up in White Supremacist's Place

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 01:44:57 CDT

Authorities have discovered the remains of a man, woman and child in a Panamanian hostel owned by white supremacist and suspected serial killer William "Wild Bill" Holbert. That makes five bodies found, though Holbert has confessed to killing seven people, including another young couple and their son, reports the Guardian...

Manuel Noriega Gets 7-Year Sentence

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 09:27:09 CDT

A Paris court today convicted former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega of laundering drug money in France in the 1980s and ordered him to spend seven years behind bars—a sentence that comes on top of his two decades already spent in a US prison. The three-judge panel also ordered the...