By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - One of the most read articles ever published on Panama-Guide was "155 High-Rises of 15 Stories or More Being Constructed". Published on 4 January 2006, to date 13,747 people have read that article. At the start of 2006, people simply could not believe that there were going to be more than 150 new high-rise built in Panama City. Really - no one thought this article was for real. Then on 9 July 2007 I published "Boom, Burst, or Bingo - The Panamanian Real Estate Miracle", in which ACOBIR President Lic. Iván Carlucci told me that there were more than 400 projects being built in Panama at that time. And now, a year later, and the number has jumped from 150 to 400 and now 1,087. Prices continue to rise, demand remains solid, and foreign investors continue to buy property in Panama. The question remains - how long can this last? (more)

By Mirna Ospino for the Panama America - So far in 2008, the Direction of Work and Construction of the Municipality of Panama City has issued 1,087 construction permits and 1,366 approvals representing a total investment of more than $900 million dollars in projects and constructions that will be built in the capital city. Statistical information from this office indicates that the months in which the greatest number of construction permits have been issued were January with 176, April with 165, and March with 155. The Direction of Works also issued a total of 1,583 occupancy permits - of which the greatest amount were 307 issued in the month of April - and from these the Capital community has received $225,719 in taxes from these occupancy permits. During 2007 the office collected more than $6.8 million dollars in fees and taxes for construction permits and fines, with the month of September being the busiest month with more than $500,000 being collected. (Comments Follow)

By James Attwood Aug. 28 (Bloomberg) -- An integrated Central American stock exchange, intended to increase trading volume and lure foreign investors and companies, may start in the first half of next year, the chairman of Panama's stock exchange said. Regulatory and technical obstacles probably will be resolved in the coming months, clearing the way for a single trading platform for Panama, Costa Rica and El Salvador, Ricardo Arango said in an interview during a conference in Panama City today. The three Central American markets have been taking advice from Scandinavia's integrated exchange, in a project funded by the Inter-American Development Bank. Chile, Mexico and Brazil are also discussing removing barriers to cross-border trading, while Colombia and Peru may create a single trading platform next year. (more)

By José Otero for La Prensa Panama's Attorney General Ana Matilde Gomez asked the Penal room of the Supreme Court of Justice to grant a provisional acquittal for the Director of the Office of Social Security (CSS) René Luciani, for the mass deaths caused by poisoning with Diethylene Glycol (DEG). Although the Public Ministry ordered Luciani's detention on 31 May 2007, they finally concluded that the evidence did unite with what was tied to the case. The prosecutor's opinion, that is in the office of Supreme Court Justice Esmeralda de Troitiño, also calls for the ex-Director of Pharmacy and Drugs of the Office of Social Security, Pablo Solís, to be called to trial, and in the opinion it is argued that they were able to verify that Solis failed to fulfill his duties and functions of monitoring and control of the manufacture of medicines, which allowed the entrance of the toxic into the country. With respect to charges against the former Directors of the CSS Juan Jované, Rolando Villalaz and the other 13 people who are implicated, Gomez asked the Penal Room of the Supreme Court not to call them to trial. According to the conclusions drawn by Gomez, it only falls to the Penal Room of the Supreme Court to attend to the involvement of Luciani and Solis, for being the public servants who were in charge and with jurisdiction throughout the country when the investigations started in January 2007. Whereas for the rest of the imputed ones, according to the opinion of the prosecutor, when the investigation was opened some were not longer functionaries with nationwide responsibilities, and others were working in the private sector. (Editor's Comment Follows)

Statement by the Press Secretary - Visit by President Martin Torrijos of the Republic of Panama - Last update: 2:00 p.m. EDT Aug. 28, 2008 WASHINGTON, Aug 28, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- President Bush will welcome President Martin Torrijos of the Republic of Panama to the White House on September 17, 2008. Panama is an important friend and ally of the United States. The President looks forward to discussing a range of issues with President Torrijos, including our common commitment to the United States-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement, expanding free trade and strengthening democracy throughout the region, enhancing security cooperation, and strengthening cooperation in international fora. This visit, following President Torrijos' visit last May, underscores the on-going deep friendship and cooperation between the United States and Panama. SOURCE: White House Press Office (Editor's Comment Follows)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - One of the nicest things about living in Panama is only having to worry about rainstorms. I mean, it can rain really really hard down here. But, we never talk about "storm surge" and "landfall" and "sustained winds." Hurricanes simply don't hit Panama, and I feel sorry for all those people living in Florida and along the Gulf coast who are now staring at their television screens, wondering exactly where Gustav is going to make landfall, how strong it's going to be when it does, and how much damage it's going to do. I was talking to my folks on the phone last night and they were talking about how it now feels like summer is basically over in upstate New York. I know that before too long they will be up to their waist in snow and freezing their butts off. Here's a new slogan for IPAT - "Panama - no hurricanes and warm all year. Wanna buy a condo?"

Copyright 2008 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - I regularly receive all of the campaign stop announcements from the Ricardo Martinelli camp. Today they had a luncheon at Rino's with a group called the Independent Women Voters led by former Panama City Mayor Mayin Correa. Man, being a political candidate is hard work. At the meeting Martinelli described himself as a "workaholic" as he outlined his plans to reform the public school system, the prison system, the transportation system, and (of course) how his administration would support women. (more)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Just got this from Bill, the guy who is considering renouncing his US citizenship - "There are many reasons for surrendering one's citizenship, including no longer appreciating the socialistic direction of the government of what was once the greatest nation in the world. I am very disappointed that we HAD the world's greatest written document, but now choose to ignore our constitution and too many people prefer to make it a "living document", instead of a constitution. We once gathered together and threw tea in a harbor for reasons a lot smaller than the confiscation of personal property without sufficient representation that we endure today. If one does not choose to LIVE in the country, why be subjected to its unconstitutional whims and fancies. Freedoms and liberties are constantly being taken away from us, but most of the complaining sheep do not take any positive action to correct what they perceive as personal injustices." (more)

By DON WINNER for http://www.panama-guide.com - Jerin Tate sent me this copy of the new immigration law with permission to publish it in full on Panama-Guide. In his email to me he wrote "some points of interest include Articles 263 and 264 which say (I believe) that the only people who need multiple entry/exit visas now are business investors." Others have confirmed this throughout the day - there apparently no longer is a requirement for residents to have a valid entry/exit visa in your passport. In any case Jerin has done a tremendous job in translating this document, and for that our thanks.

It’s been over 40 years since Mr. Alberto Tamburrelli, a humble Italian immigrant, arrived to Panama planning to offer this country the finest of Italian Pastry. With lots of dedication and effort, the Tamburrelli family and all their collaborators, “ Dulcería Capri” (Spanish for Capri Pastry Shop) became what is known today as Tamburrelli Pizzeria & Pastry. The oldest son, Rino, has decided to put all his culinary influence and his particular style to the restaurant that bears his name.

By Fermín Estribí for the Panama America - Presidential candidate from the Cambio Democratico political party Ricardo Martinelli has proposed the application of a series of public opinion surveys to measure the levels of acceptance of the aspirations of the various opposition candidates to the Presidency of the Republic. The politician said during an interview on RPC Radio that they should hold five polls to be conducted by international polling companies and directed by members of the opposition parties and independents, with the objective of learning which of the opposition candidates have the greatest level of acceptance among the electorate. Such a polling effort could be a determining factor in obtaining an alliance among the opposition parties, said Martinelli. What's more, Martinelli referred to the Executive Decrees modifying the plan of national security, saying that these limit individual rights and fundamental guarantees of the population. For that reason, he qualified President Martin Torrijos as a "civil dictator" for having pushed the reforms through.

PANAMA CITY, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Torrential rains in Panama have left about 800 homeless over the last 24 hours, director of the National System of Civil Protection (Sinaproc) Luis Francisco Sucre said Tuesday. Sucre said that 170 houses were damaged in the towns of San Miguelito, Las Cumbres, Chilibre and Juan Diaz, in the east part of Panama City. "There were two houses that were completely taken away by water; up to now we have not registered any loss of human lives," Sucre said. But some people who lost their houses, furniture and other properties have already requested aid from the government and humanitarian organizations. There were reports of landslides, breaches of traffic regulations and flooding of hundreds of houses in a wide zone of Panama City -- all owing to the rising water level in rivers caused by the heavy rains, Sucre added. Part of the Inter-American Highway was affected by landslides, which led to traffic jams, authorities said. In Panama's San Antonio, a tree was uprooted by the river water, crashing into a bridge, breaking the main piping system and leaving many areas of the east part of Panama City short of water supply. Sucre also said that there is a risk of high waves in the Panamanian Pacific as the tide may rise to as high as 13.6 feet (some 4 meters). Sinaproc advised citizens to take precautions to avoid tragedies and more material losses since the heavy downpour was likely to continue.

By Dylan Butler / MLSnet.com - The answer to the trivia question is Edwin Aguilar. Not only is the Panamanian international the first player to score a goal in the CONCACAF Champions League, he's also the reason why Tauro FC heads to The Home Depot Center with a comfortable two-goal edge in their preliminary round series against Chivas USA. The 23-year-old struck for a brace, lifting the Panamanian side to a 2-0 win against Chivas USA on Tuesday night at Estadio Rod Carew just outside of Panama City. The return leg at the Home Depot Center is Sept. 2. The winner advances to a group that includes Santos Laguna of Mexico, CSD Municipal of Guatemala and the winner of the preliminary round matchup between LD Alajuelense of Costa Rica and the Puerto Rico Islanders of the United Soccer Leagues First Division. (more)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Recently a person (Bill) came up on one of the Yahoo! email groups and asked "Does anybody know of an attorney who has actually accompanied a U.S. citizen to the embassy for purposes of renouncing citizenship? We expect to get a lot of intimidation and questions and would prefer to have a lawyer with us, so we know what we do NOT have to answer. Looking especially for someone who actually has the experience, not just the bravado to talk about it." This is an interesting topic, and it's not often that it's taken up. Renouncing your US citizenship for any reason is a big step, so I decided to talk about it here. (more)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - From Steve Rich - "The once a month popular Expat Party will be held this Friday (August 29) at The Londoner Pub between 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. This is an opportunity to do business networking and socializing with foreigners living in Panama in a fun atmosphere. The Londoner Pub is located on Calle Uruguay next to the Ozone Cafe and across the street from the Starlight Karaoke Bar in Panama City. Here are the Drink Specials only between 7 p.m. until 11 p.m...."

Copyright 2008 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

By Marianela Palacios Ramsbott for La Prensa - The Panamanian economy Panama, measured through the Monthly Index of Economic Activity (IMAE) published yesterday by the Nation's Comptroller, grew at a rate of 8.2% in the first semester of 2008. This level of growth represents a deceleration of more than 2% when compared to the same time period of 2007, but the growth rate continues to be "very strong" and one of the highest in Latin America. In this the President of the School of Economists, Raul Moreira, and financial analyst Domingo Latorraca of Deloitte agree. Economic activity in Panama grew 10.58% last year. “The deceleration we have had is not alarming. On the contrary, if we continued growing at that rate we could face an overheating of the economy that will manifest itself in increased inflation," said economist Adolfo Quintero. The School of Economists estimates that the inflation rate in Panama in 2008 will be 8.7%.

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Today I opened up the Panama America and found a paid advertisement with detailed political analysis and a poll of more than 3,500 PRD members who intend to vote in the 7 September 2008 PRD primary election. Interestingly enough, I spent some time this morning looking at the August 2008 version of the Dichter & Neira public opinion poll, and I found those results to be a complete waste of time. I mean, the next election that matters is the PRD primary - at this point no one is thinking about Martinelli or Varela. We have to get the PRD primary out of the way first in order to define the actual field of participants for the May 2009 general election. So, while the the Dichter & Neira poll was practically useless, this paid spot only covered the PRD race and was right on the money. (more)

National Post.com - One of the uglier mining disputes in recent memory is apparently over as junior company Petaquilla Copper Ltd. agreed to get taken over by Inmet Mining Corp. for a little over $350-million. The shares jumped more than 15% Tuesday morning. The two companies, along with Teck Cominco Ltd., are joint venture partners on the Petaquilla copper project in Panama. But both Inmet and Teck were furious with Petaquilla. The junior company was doing its own work on the project outside their agreement, and it launched a legal action to try and reclaim Teck's interest for itself. Inmet finally decided enough was enough, and made a hostile $2.00-a-share cash offer for Petaquilla in early July. Petaquilla tried to dismiss the offer almost right away. But six weeks later, it quietly approved a bid that is only 10% higher, at $2.20 a share. The company sold units in a private placement at $3.50 a share last year before going public in December.

By Elmer Enrique Quintero for El Siglo - An American citizen who resides in the community of Volcán in the district of Bugaba was the victim of a theft, and the criminals managed to steal from him more than $66,000 in jewelry and electronics. The theft occurred in the residence of the American. They stole a laptop computer Boor Pro Silver, a Canon digital camera, a Sony digital camera, and medical electronic equipment among other articles of value. Major Ismael Herrera, the Chief of Police in the District of Bugaba, said that the total value of the articles stolen was $66,560 dollars, and that thanks to the complaint filed by the victim and after an intense investigation carried out by police units, they were able to obtain the capture of one of the persons involved in the theft.

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - This book, "The Strength to Move a Mountain" by W. Storrs Lee, was published in 1958 and it gives a better than usual look into life in Panama during the construction of the Panama Canal. The book starts just before the US-backed revolution that created Panama as a country, formerly a Department of the Government of Colombia, and it ends with the opening of the Panama Canal. The book was written at a time when there were still a ready supply of first hand witnesses and those who had actually participated in the revolution of Panama and the construction of the canal. From this book I take a couple of interesting snippets which help to illustrate little things that shaped Panama as it is today. (more)

The Moscow Times - After the singer in the glittery black cape finished his aria and swept off stage, a member of Gianni Versace's family stepped into the haze of a smoke machine and cut a red ribbon. The stage was in Moscow, but the ribbon cutting was for the opening of an elite condominium with Versace-designed interiors in Panama. As more Russians move into the top tier of the world's rich, they are beginning to dive from one sea to another. Leaving their traditional stomping grounds of the Mediterranean, rich Russians are slowly making their way to the islands of the Caribbean. "Russians are looking for the Caribbean dream that they've seen in the movies and on music videos," said Steven Ankrom, vice president of sales for Group Metro real estate, speaking by telephone from his office in the Dominican Republic. "Even the Russians dream about a white beach and a pina colada." (more)

By José Edwin Sánchez M. for La Critica - Panama's Education Minister Salvador Rodriguez classified those teachers who would support the general 24 hour strike called for by FRENADESO as "irresponsible" and did not rule out taking disciplinary actions against those educators. Rodriguez said he was sorry that in spite of how very irregular the 2008 school year has been due to various situations, these teachers have decided to support a strike that is both obviously unnecessary and unjust. "Not can not yet speak of the types of sanctions we could implement," said Rodriguez, who made it clear that it is not possible to allow students to miss class without a just cause. Rodriguez said that nearly 70% of the teachers who work in public schools have rejected the strike.

LONDON, August 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Cascal N.V. a leading provider of water and wastewater services in seven countries, today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Aquas de Panama, SA, ("APSA") has filed for an "amparo" with the Supreme Court in Panama. An "amparo" is a constitutional action that seeks to protect the right to private property and due process. The purpose of the "amparo" is to request the nullification of a Cabinet Resolution that refers to the early termination of APSA's concession contract and the establishment of a team of public sector officials to negotiate the compensation payable to APSA. APSA believes that the Cabinet Resolution is in contravention of the contract and of Panamanian law. If the "amparo" is initially admitted, the Cabinet Resolution ceases to have effect until the final resolution on the merits of the "amparo" by the Supreme Court. (more)

By William Sala for La Prensa - There will be no delay in the implementation and application of the new law covering immigration in Panama - contained in decree law no. 3 of 22 February 2008 - which enters into effect as of today, Tuesday, 26 August 2008. According to the Director of the newly created National Immigration Service, Clovis Sinisterra, the new law, which replaced the Decree Law No. 16 of 30 June 1960 - the organization guarantees that the proceedings to legalize foreigners will be ready in less than 60 days. If they do not process the request in less than 60 days, then the transaction will be automatically approved. (more)