Central America

Mexico's economy is sluggish due to weak investment, uncertainty about the USMCA review and a lack of confidence in the World Cup. Mexico hosted 13 of the 104 matches in this tournament. It is expected to end on Sunday, after more than a months worth of matches played across Canada, United States and Mexico. It fell short of the ambitious tourism targets set by officials to boost gross domestic product (GDP), a figure that contracted in the first three months. Humberto Calzada is the chief economist at Rankia. Calzada said the tournament is only a temporary stimulus to an economy...

Vinci Airports is a subsidiary of France’s VINCI Group. It expects the growth of air traffic to slow down through the end of the year, as high jet fuel prices, and geopolitical tensions, weigh on the aviation sector. However, it does not see major airline capacity reductions and is still open for expansion in Mexico and other places. Vinci Airports CEO Remi Mamon de Longevialle said during a trip to Mexico that there was "new volatility" in the markets, citing tensions between the Middle East and Asia. "Traffic may grow a bit slower than last year." Maumon de Longevialle, the...

According to documents and officials, Europe has taken more aggressive action against tankers that falsely use the Cameroon flag registry for transporting?Russian oil. This includes boarding vessels on sea. The EU has expanded its'mandate for Operation IRINI in the Mediterranean on June 8, allowing it to stop, board, detain and inspect suspected Russian "shadow fleet" ships. Moscow condemned the move. Russia has used these tankers to avoid sanctions, by sailing them under different flags to conceal their true ownership, cargo, and movements. Two European military sources claim that three tankers, the Nelsa and the Oneiroi, which were boarded by IRINI...

The Transportation Security Administration has issued friendly advice for those who wish to bring home ranch dressing after visiting the United States to watch the World Cup. The 'TSA' decided to issue a helpful warning after receiving numerous posts on social media from fans who love Ranch dressing. They wrote on Instagram: "If you are visiting a large sporting event, and you discover RANCH during your stay... pack it into your CHECKED BAGGAGE on the way home." If you are travelling within the U.S.A., keep all carry-on sauces to 3.4 ounces (100ml or less) and put any larger containers into...

Mexico's Grupo Mexico Transportes (GMXT), has signed a contract with the United States. Wabtec, a rail technology company, will bid jointly for Argentine's state-run cargo operator Belgrano Cargas y Logistica BCYL (BCYL), a GMXT employee said on Thursday. Source requested anonymity as they were not authorized by GMXT to discuss the deal. The privatization of BCYL, which is proposed by President Javier Milei, is part of his drive to transfer state owned companies into private ownership. Argentina will soon publish the documents for the privatization of BCYL. BCYL operates three of the largest freight trains in Argentina. The company didn't...

The Ukrainian Ports Authority reported on Wednesday that two vessels flying the Panamanian and Barbadian flags had been damaged by an attack while they were moving along Ukraine's Black Sea navigation corridor. According to the authority's Telegram post, one vessel is headed towards the port of Odesa - a vital port for Ukrainian exports - with a cargo?of metal while the other was carrying grain and had already left the port. Both vessels were operating in the navigation corridor set up by Ukrainian authorities to allow ships travel from the 'Black Sea' to Romanian ports along the 'Danube River. Oleh...

According to Mexican sources who have direct knowledge of this matter, and four Mexican government documents, Ikon Midstream is being investigated in Mexico for fuel smuggling. Documents and sources indicate that the probe is part and parcel of ongoing investigations on maritime shipments from the U.S. to Canada of petroleum products in an alleged scheme of evading a large tax due for these imports. Ikon Midstream was allegedly one of the "central pieces," in a alleged scheme that involved one of Mexico's largest crime groups, Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG. According to a document, Mexico's Attorney General's Office?opened an...

During a meeting between the Panamanian Foreign Ministry Javier Martinez-Acha and China's foreign minister Wang Yi, Xinhua's official news service reported that Beijing was prepared to 'deepen practical collaboration with Panama'. It also urged Central American countries?to protect Chinese firms' 'rights'. Wang, who met Acha at a United Nations Security Council Meeting in New York said 'China-Panama ties shouldn't be subjected to third-party intervention, Xinhua reports. This is a reference to U.S. pressuring over Chinese-linked facilities near the Panama Canal which handles 5% global maritime trade. The meeting follows months of tension about the future of the two major container...

Ilya Espino De Marotta has been?selected to be the new administrator of the 'Panama Canal. Panama's president Jose Raul Mulino made the announcement in a Thursday post on X. Espino is a?engineer with more than 40 years of experience in the canal. She has been serving as the Canal's deputy administrator since 2020. She will succeed Ricaurte Vaquez as the first female leader of the entity. After Mulino posted on social media that Espino had been appointed, Jose Ramon Icaza confirmed the appointment. He said it was the result of "months?of?deliberation." Espino, in a speech delivered at the headquarters of...

Panama President Jose Raul Mulino stated that his country has a 'positive relationship' with China despite the fact that it is caught in a dispute between China and the U.S. He also defended Panama's 'takeover' of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison's port contracts. He spoke at a regular news conference after receiving a message he described as "high level" from the Chinese government, which acknowledged that the dispute over port contracts would be heard by an international arbitration court and was not a matter between the Panamanian or Chinese governments. The message received by China's ambassador to Panama marked a "friendlier...

In the Maya jungle of Mexico, a series of brilliant white lights are blazing in the darkness. It is a depot for a multi-billion dollar train line. Just beyond the perimeter fence, a village off-grid is in complete darkness. Mexico's Mayan train, a rail project of approximately 1,500 km (1,000 miles) in length, was designed to improve infrastructure and increase tourism to the impoverished southern part of the country. Two years after its launch, the project is still struggling. Tickets sales only cover a small fraction of the operating costs, and most hotels along the route are empty. Local communities...

Russian drones attacked Ukraine’s Izmail port in southern Odesa overnight, damaging a civilian Panama flagged?vessel. Ukrainian?officials? said? on Tuesday. Oleksiy Kulba, Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister, said that several strikes had been recorded in the port area. He added that different infrastructure elements and equipment have also been damaged. Kuleba, a Telegram user, said that the enemy was "once again" deliberately targeting critical infrastructure and logistical facilities in the Odesa region. He said that one of the strikes caused a fire which was quickly put out. Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority stated that the port continues to operate. Oleh 'Kiper, Regional Governor...

On Wednesday, two more Guatemalans pleaded guilty to human smuggling in Texas. The charges stemmed from the December 20, 2021 crash of a truck that killed 55 out of the 160+ migrants who were crammed inside. Jorge Agapito Ventura (34),?who?was arrested in Texas on December 20, 2024 and Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino (26), one of five co defendants extradited to America the following year, face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. According to a press release from the U.S. Justice Department, Sentencing has been set for October 6. In their guilty pleas in Texas federal court, both admitted that they...

At a Tuesday event, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), the new administrator, Ilya Espino, said that the ACP could reduce the maximum vessel draft for its largest locks from 44 feet to 44 feet in the summer of 2027 depending on rainfall levels. She added that the canal does not plan to reduce the number of vessels allowed to transit each day. As part of its water conservation measures, the authority said that it would reduce the maximum draft for ships transiting through its larger "Neopanamax" locks. The authority informed shippers that the maximum draft would be reduced by 49.5...

These are the 'top stories' from selected Canadian newspapers. The accuracy of these stories has not been verified by us. THE GLOBE AND MAIL **Bank of Montreal has struck a cash deal worth A$142m ($97.87m) to buy Euroz Hartleys Group, a Perth-based financial services firm that focuses on metals and mining. **Canadian Prime minister Mark Carney said he does not expect to sign a new trade agreement with the United States or Mexico during the six-year review scheduled for Wednesday. This is because the U.S. has indicated that it would like to renegotiate the deal. **Canada's prime minister?Carney?said that there...

For some North American rail and bus operators, the 2026 World Cup will be their biggest audition. Some ground transportation companies are warming up for a new audience. With gasoline and airfare prices on the rise, long airport security lines, 104 World Cup games in 16 cities across four time zones, in the United States and Canada, they say that they want to win the hearts of this new audience. Conan Cheung is the chief operations officer of LA Metro, which operates the public transport system in the Los Angeles area. This event will show visitors from abroad that California...

According to four sources with knowledge of the situation, the future of Pemex CEO Victor Rodriguez is becoming increasingly uncertain. The longtime ally to President Claudia Sheinbaum is struggling to turn around Mexico’s troubled state oil company. The first 18-months of Victor Rodriguez's tenure at Pemex were marked by worsening divisions within the company, a major oil spill and a fatal refinery accident. The company's production is only 1.6 million barrels per day, short of its 1.8 million barrels per day?target. Sheinbaum has meanwhile pushed Rodriguez to the sidelines, and has become increasingly involved in the operations that are aimed...

The Labor Day holiday weekend in Mexico turned tragic on Friday when at least 11 people were killed and 31 injured after a 'tourist bus'?crashed? in the western state of Nayarit. The Nayarit government said that the bus was traveling from Jalisco and veered off of the highway near Amatlan de Canas. Officials said that the passengers were on their?way to a recreation center in Nayarit. Nayarit,?Jalisco and other emergency crews responded to the call. They closed the road and conducted rescue operations as well as investigated the cause of the accident. The Nayarit government shared photos of the bus...

Two U.S. officials and a Mexican official said that U.S. authorities raided Ikon Midstream's offices in Houston, Texas, to investigate fuel smuggling. Two U.S.-based sources confirmed that the operation?in which law enforcers executed a federal warrant? took place this week at?Ikon Midstream’s Houston headquarters. One source said that the operation targeted documents and computers. The exact reason or materials seized could not be confirmed. The raid was not previously reported. Joseph Slovacek confirmed to the company that "U.S. Customs and Border Protection executed a search warrant at Ikon. He stated that law enforcement cited previous reports about Ikon as the...

Rafael Pirro said that the 'Panama Canal Authority' expects to award contracts by June 2027 for two new gas pipelines and ports. The two port terminals - one in the Atlantic and the other in the Pacific - are expected to be operational around 2030. They represent an investment of $2.6 billion. Gas pipeline with an investment between $4 and $8 billion is expected to be in operation around 2031. It will have a capacity to transfer up to 397,500 cubic metres of gas per day. Pirro stated that the Canal Authority intends to start a 'dialogue with interested party?...

According to a report by the Panama Canal Authority, which was seen on Friday, there has been a 2.8% rise in vessel 'transits' in the first four months of the fiscal year. According to the report, most of the traffic increase was registered by tankers transporting energy products such as liquefied gas (LNG), dry bulk carriers and car carriers. This growth represents?114 more transits than the same period a previous year, to?a maximum of 4,156 vessels during the four-month span. The report states that the demand remained?solid?despite increased global trade volatility and new tariffs. The report said that "Tanker (transits),"...

Residents of Veracruz, a Mexican state, are concerned by the recent appearances of oil on local beaches. This has disrupted the livelihoods of the residents, who fear that it could contaminate the lagoon?where the communities raise fish and shrimp. Residents of Jicacal on the Gulf of Mexico have organized to remove as much of this hardened tar from the beaches as possible, as the viscous spill moves along the coast. Authorities have not revealed what caused the spill. Veracruz has a high oil activity in Mexico. This is true on both land and sea. The state oil company Pemex has...

Mexico has expanded its investigation into fuel smuggling in seaports, which was highlighted?in an investigation 2025 into cartel-linked crimes. According to the February document, the anti-corruption minister is in charge of internal investigations at the ports of Guaymas and Tampico as well as Ensenada. It also oversees the Navy and Customs Agency. The government had previously acknowledged investigations into suspected fuel smuggling in the Port of Tampico, and 14 people were arrested last year for allegedly being involved. These included customs agents and Navy officers. The government's comments on fuel smuggling were in response to questions posed by the National...

Mexican authorities raided this week a tunnel that was used to steal fuel from a state-owned pipe, giving a rare glimpse into the long-running fight against a black market trade often dominated?by organized crime. The 22-meter (72-foot) long tunnel was discovered outside a house in rural Hidalgo state near the town of Tepetitlan. In a Tuesday statement, the Hidalgo State Attorney said that it led to two taps of an underground pipeline. Security forces also confiscated drugs at this location. The Hidalgo State attorney declined to provide any further details on the announcement. Unidentified person who was familiar with the...