5.4 Earthquake - South of Panama

"A strong magnitude 5.4 earthquake occurred in the North Pacific Ocean 265 km (165 mi) from Panama in the early morning at 6.36 am local time (GMT -5). The depth of the quake could not be determined, but is assumed to be shallow. The quake was reported felt by some people near the epicenter." VD

Panama Seizes China-Linked Ports Amid Trump-Beijing Dispute

"Panama published a Supreme Court decision, issued in late January, that voided key port

operations held by Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison. The Balboa and Cristobal terminals have become entangled in a legal dispute involving Washington and Beijing. The timing is important, as it comes about a month before President Trump's planned late-March trip to China.
On Monday, the ruling authorized the Panama Maritime Authority to take over the Balboa and Cristobal terminals near the Panama Canal, ending concessions held by Panama Ports Company (PPC), a CK Hutchison subsidiary, for more than two decades.
The ruling stated that the Panama Maritime Authority will occupy both ports for "reasons of urgent social interest" and take control of all cranes, vehicles, computer systems, and software." ZeroHedge

5.6 Earthquake - North Pacific Ocean, Provincia de Bocas del Toro, 193 km south of David, Panama

"A strong magnitude 5.6 earthquake occurred in the North Pacific Ocean 101 km (63 mi) from
Panama in the late afternoon at 6.07 pm local time (GMT -5). The quake had a very shallow depth of 10.3 km (6 mi) and was felt by many near the epicenter. The shallow depth of the quake caused it to be felt more strongly near the epicenter than a deeper quake of similar magnitude would." VD

Countdown To War? US, Japan, Philippines Gear Up Against China; Missiles Ready?

"Tensions are skyrocketing in the Indo-Pacific! China issues a chilling warning as Taiwan and

the U.S. ramp up their joint military drills near the Taiwan Strait. Is this a countdown to war? Are aggressive maneuvers crossing the red line? As Beijing readies its forces and Taiwan flexes its defense muscle, the world watches with bated breath. Is the U.S. gearing up for war? American forces conduct massive military drills at the Panama Canal as tensions with China hit new highs. Trump weighs in on rising fears of a global conflict. As tensions flare in the South China Sea, the U.S., Japan, and the Philippines step up their united front against China’s growing assertiveness. Joint drills, new missile deployments, and open military support ." WION

U.S. Targets Chinese “Teapot” Refinery in Trump’s Iran Sanctions Blitz

 "The United States has escalated its economic war on Iran by sanctioning a Chinese “teapot” refinery and a network of oil traders.

This marks the fourth wave of penalties since President Donald

Trump relaunched his “maximum pressure” campaign in February. Shandong Shouguang Luqing Petrochemical Co., Ltd., located in China’s Shandong province, faces U.S. wrath for purchasing $500 million worth of Iranian crude.
This highlights Beijing’s role as Tehran’s top oil buyer. The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also hit the refinery’s CEO, Wang Xueqing, 19 shipping entities, and a Chinese oil terminal tied to Iran’s “shadow fleet,” including vessels like the Panama-flagged Aurora Riley.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called these deals “the primary lifeline” for Iran, accused of funding terrorism and nearing nuclear capability. The sanctions link the oil to Iran’s military and Yemen’s Houthi rebels, recently labeled terrorists by Washington."

RioTimes

Panama Caves, Moves Away From China After Pressure From Trump

"Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino announced Sunday that the strategically vital nation will not would not renew its agreement with China’s Belt and Road Initiative after a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. President Donald Trump has long accused Panama of violating the terms of former President Carter’s treaty due to unfair canal fees and the nation’s growing relationship with China.

After meeting with Rubio in Panama City, Mulino told reporters that the agreement is due for renewal in a year or two. The Panamanian president added that he will study “whether it can be finished earlier or not.”
The announcement provides a massive blow to China’s influence in the Western Hemisphere, as Panama will be the first Latin American nation to lead the Belt and Road Initiative. The ambitious Chinese project has long been aimed at reestablishing the Silk Road, a network of trading routes between the East and the West. Beijing builds infrastructure in nations that sign on, oftentimes giving the Chinese government control over the economies and national security interests of developing nations. Chinese businesses operate ports near the Panama Canal, while Panama was the first Latin American nation to join the Belt and Road Initiative." TP

Rubio lays down ultimatum to Panama over canal

"US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday threatened action against Panama without immediate changes to reduce Chinese influence on the canal, but the country's leader insisted he was not afraid of a US invasion and offered talks.

On his first trip overseas as the top US diplomat, Rubio took a guided tour of the canal accompanied by its Panamanian administrator as a South Korean-affiliated oil tanker and Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship passed through the vital link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
But Rubio was said to have had a firmer message in private, telling Panama that President Donald Trump had determined that the country had violated terms of the treaty that handed over the canal at the end of 1999.
He pointed to the "influence and control" of China over the canal, through which some 40 percent of US container traffic passes.
Meeting President Jose Raul Mulino, Rubio "made clear that this status quo is unacceptable and that absent immediate changes, it would require the United States to take measures necessary to protect its rights under the treaty," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said." MS

Panama Canal Purchase Could Decrease Chinese Influence

"The U.S. purchase of the Panama Canal could decrease Chinese influence globally, Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD), who introduced the Panama Canal Repurchase Act, said during an appearance on Breitbart News Saturday.
“Unfortunately, the Chinese Communist Party is just filthy all over there. They control the ports at both ends of the Panama Canal — both the Atlantic and Pacific ends,” Johnson said, describing the current scope of Chinese influence." Breitbart

Trump Threatens To Take Back Panama Canal Amid Chinese Takeover Fears

"President-elect Donald Trump seems poised to revive the Monroe Doctrine, signaling a renewed focus that the US will continue Western Hemisphere domination for decades and will no longer tolerate any other competition in controlling strategic maritime chokepoints or natural resources in the region.
Trump vented on Truth Social how "President Jimmy Carter foolishly gave away" the Panama Canal for one dollar. He explained, "It was solely for Panama to manage, not China or anyone else."

The core issue is that China now controls two of the five ports adjacent to the canal: Balboa on the Pacific and Cristobal on the Caribbean. While the US spent three decades engaged in nation-building activities across the Middle East, China transformed Panama into a geographic and commercial hub, strategically positioning itself for political, economic, and military advancement.
He also touched on the high fees for US ships to transit the canal that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans: "The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the U.S. This complete "rip-off" of our Country will immediately stop…."
The big picture is that the Monroe Doctrine may be revived during Trump's second term to counter China's efforts to dominate the Western Hemisphere without firing a shot. This likely implies that the Trump administration will aim to reclaim control of geostrategic chokepoints—critical ports—and ensure the flow of natural resources remains under US control for decades to come." ZH

Chinese-Owned Tanker Hit By Houthi Missile Despite Safe Passage Deal

"China and Russia made a deal with Iran-backed Houthis for safe passage of their commercial vessels through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Fast forward to late Saturday night, US Central Command announced on social media platform X that a ballistic missile fired by Houthi rebels hit a Panamanian-flagged, Chinese-owned chemical tanker called "M/V Huang Pu." ZeroHedge

Cargo ship 'explodes after hitting Russian mine in Black Sea'

"A ship hit a Russian mine in the Black Sea, triggering an explosion on board, Ukrainian

officials claimed.
The Panama-flagged bulk carrier was headed to a Danube River port in the Odesa region.
This is the latest incident of a vessel hitting an explosive in the sea in what Ukraine describes as stepped-up attacks on shipping and port infrastructure.
Chaos ensued on the upper deck as flames broke out, leaving the captain and one of the sailors injured." MS

Latin America Is Running Out of Water

"Traffic through the Panama Canal is nearly half-capacity these days. Normally, 40 ships take the world’s greatest shortcut through its locks each day. Last week, the Canal Authority reduced daily passages to 25, while predicting further cuts to 18 by February. The immediate cause is Panama’s driest October since recordkeeping began in 1950. Panama

is not the only Latin American country currently facing water scarcity. To the contrary, the entire region is in the grips of a dry spell. A historic drought is ravaging Brazil's Amazon, with a record 3,858 fires ripping through the state of Amazonas this month. With their “river highway” drained, riverine communities face emergency-level shortages in food, medicine and drinking water, while endangered river dolphins and other species are dying en masse. Meanwhile, farmers from the Dominican Republic to Argentina are reporting millions of dollars in crop losses. The Dominican Republic sealed its border with Haiti over a water dispute. Mexico City is rationing water due to reservoirs at historic lows at the end of what is supposed to be its rainy season. Water supplies stored in the glaciers of the Andes are receding, reducing their ability to replenish drainage basins and aquifers with meltwater during warmer, drier months, leading western Bolivia to ration water. Central Chile is buckling under 14 years of consecutive drought, which analysts have taken to calling a “mega drought.” Warmer surface waters block upwelling of nutrient-rich, cold waters from the ocean’s depths. Fewer nitrates and phosphates reach the surface, reducing the phytoplankton population. That in turn ripples up the food chain. Fish stocks plummet as species die or migrate, wreaking havoc on communities that depend on them for their livelihoods." MS

Iran's Navy To Sail Fleet To Panama Canal In Challenge To US

"Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani announced that plans are in progress to dispatch the Iranian naval forces to the Panama Canal."The Iranian Navy units are getting closer to the coasts of the Americas," he stated." ZH

To Stop Inflation Protests, Panama Fixes Prices Of Groceries, Medicine

"After enduring weeks of increasingly intense protests, strikes, and highway blockades that led
to fuel and other product shortages, the Panamanian government last week announced it will exert control over the prices of 72 food items, and this week agreed to impose price caps on 150 medicines. The commitment was the culmination of the latest round of Catholic Church-mediated negotiations between the Panamanian government and representatives of a coalition of protesters that included labor unions, civic organizations and indigenous people. The broad protest movement was initially sparked by teachers striking over the higher cost of their commutes, due to higher gas prices." ZeroHedge

Russian Navy Launches Amphibious Assault on Ukraine

"The amphibious assault is underway into Ukraine, through the Sea of Azov, coming into west of Mariupol, the senior defense official told reporters.

The amphibious assault comes from one of two amphibious task forces Moscow assembled for its attack on the neighboring country. Another task force is in Crimea and could land troops in Odesa.

Two commercial vessels, off of the port in Odesa, were hit by Russian fire, according to Naval News. The Namura Queen, flying under the flag of Panama, took a missile to her stern.

Bunker Millenium Spirit, flying under the flag of Moldova, was also hit causing a fire, according to Naval News. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence attributes the missile to Russia, while the Moldovan government said the source is unknown." USNI