LatinNews Daily - 1 November 2023

* Panama’s national police has announced the arrest of 816 people – 708 adults and 108 minors – in Panama City amid nationwide anti-mining protests. According to a police report, those arrested have been charged with vandalism and property damage as protesters continue to demand the repeal of a controversial mining contract between the government led by President Laurentino Cortizo and Minera Panamá S.A. (MPSA), the subsidiary of Canadian mining company First Quantum Minerals (FQM), regarding the copper mine Cobre Panamá. Protests have been ongoing since the national assembly approved modifications to the contract, which critics warn is environmentally damaging and disproportionately benefits a foreign mining group, on 20 October. According to the police, most disturbances are taking place in the provinces of Panamá, Panamá Oeste, Veraguas, and Chiriquí. On 31 October, clashes between demonstrators and anti-riot police took place outside the national assembly building in Panama City. This occurred soon after the national assembly approved a bill designed to enable a binding referendum on whether to revoke the contract, which President Cortizo announced on 29 October in a bid to calm the protests. The bill must be discussed in two further assembly sessions. If approved, the referendum will take place on 17 December.