It's been known as the Panama hat, the Monticristi and the Sombrero de paja toquilla — the fashionable, sophisticated, yet laid-back headwear has been a signature piece for many people around the globe and in Hollywood — from Latina A-listers, Jessica Alba and Cameron Diaz to actor and director Brad Pitt.
Venezuela continues to be engulfed in protests. To commemorate the International Women's Day, a new protest was planned for Saturday March 8 in which protestors marched to object the failures of the Maduro administration and the dire situation in Venezuela. The past week has seen diplomatic developments that complicate the situation for both the opposition and the government of President Maduro.
The Panama Canal, the 100-year-old waterway that changed commerce in the Western hemisphere, has been undergoing an expansion to allow bigger, modern shipping boats through the Central American country. But that expansion is reportedly now on the "brink of failure" after cost overruns have caused infighting between the contractors and Panama's government.
Stories are swirling that Justin Beiber's rumored new girlfriend is looking to sell her DUI arrest story for $20,000, a claim that the aspiring model has denied.
Panama is the southernmost country of Central America, bordered by Costa Rica and Colombia. Its inhabitants' ethnic makeup is Mestizo (mixed white and Native American) 66 percent, Blacks/African descent 16 percent, white 8 percent, and Amerindian 10 percent; the Amerindian population including seven indigenous peoples. Panama's second largest population, Panamanians of African descent, are targeted for discrimination at multiple levels, according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
The U.S. and Colombia continue to join forces in the fight against narco-terrorism, but sadly, there are incidences that derail the relentless efforts and claim lives.
