PANAMA PROTESTS – Anger over inflation, corruption spurs Panama’s biggest protests in decades

Panamanians angered over high prices of basic items and entrenched corruption have taken to the streets in a wave of anti-government protests that began two weeks ago and are being described as the largest in decades.

Amid food and fuel shortages triggered by the road-blocking demonstrations, trade unions finally settled on a list of demands that includes a lowering of the price of gasoline, food, medicine and electricity, more funding for education and greater efforts to combat corruption.