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Panama and US lock in new security pact for Canal as China tensions simmer

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Panama and US lock in new security pact for Canal as China tensions simmer

The United States and Panama have officially signed a new defense and security pact aimed at reinforcing control over the Panama Canal, a move that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claims is critical to pushing back against China’s growing grip in the region.

In a press release posted Wednesday night on X, the Panama Canal Authority confirmed that Panama’s Minister for Canal Affairs and Hegseth signed a joint declaration that reaffirms Panamanian sovereignty and outlines new military cooperation.

The deal “reaffirms respect for, and the recognition of, Panamanian sovereignty over the interoceanic waterway,” the Canal Authority stated. 

It also upholds both nations’ commitment to the Neutrality Treaty and the legal framework that governs canal operations, including Panama’s Constitution, the treaty itself, and the Canal’s Organic Law.

​​HEGSETH SAYS PANAMA AGREED TO ALLOW US WARSHIPS TO TRAVEL ‘FIRST AND FREE’ THROUGH CANAL

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But the declaration goes beyond words. It lays out plans for a cost-sharing model to cover services provided to U.S. warships and auxiliary vessels, with the goal of keeping it “cost-neutral.”
 

“Efforts will be made [to] develop a mechanism which will allow compensation for services provided to warships and auxiliary vessels, seeking a cost-neutral basis,” the statement reads. “This mechanism will be evaluated jointly with the Ministry of Security of Panama.”

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks in Panama City on April 9, 2025. (FRANCO BRANA/AFP via Getty Images)

According to Hegseth, a broader framework is also in the works, one that would guarantee U.S. warships “first and free” passage through the Panama Canal.

Hegseth announced Wednesday that U.S. and Panamanian officials had already signed a memorandum of understanding, and that a final document is on the way to formally secure toll-free priority for American naval vessels.

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The Canal Authority, meanwhile, emphasized that this agreement is just the start. “The declaration constitutes a first step in establishing this model, which will be developed in later stages.”

US, PANAMA ‘TAKING BACK’ CANAL FROM ‘CHINA’S INFLUENCE,’ SAYS HEGSETH

While the U.S. builds up its military coordination, the Panama Canal Authority confirmed that collaboration already includes “engineering, security, and cybersecurity,” key focus areas for both governments as they push back against foreign interference.

The move comes just as the U.S. prepares to deploy the USNS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship, to the region in a show of presence and partnership.

Earlier this week, Hegseth visited U.S. troops, met with Panamanian officials, and toured the canal. He warned sharply that China’s reach in the Western Hemisphere is already too big, and still growing.

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Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino shakes hands with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during the signing of a bilateral agreement in Panama City on April 9, 2025. (FRANCO BRANA/AFP via Getty Images)

“Make no mistake, Beijing is investing and operating in this region for military advantage and unfair economic gain,” Hegseth said. “They operate military facilities and ground stations that extend their reach into space. They exploit natural resources and land to fuel China’s global military ambitions. China’s factory fishing fleets are stealing food from our nations and from our people.”

Hegseth stressed that war is not the objective. “Together, we must prevent war by robustly and vigorously deterring China’s threats in this hemisphere,” he said.

He also made clear that the U.S. is taking steps to counter Chinese-controlled infrastructure in Panama.

“China-based companies continue to control critical infrastructure in the canal area,” Hegseth said. “That gives China the potential to conduct surveillance activities across Panama. This makes Panama and the United States less secure, less prosperous and less sovereign. And as President Donald Trump has pointed out, that situation is not acceptable.”

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Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino (C) looks on as Panama’s Security Minister Frank Abrego (L) and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth get ready to sign a bilateral agreement, in Panama City on April 9, 2025. (FRANCO BRANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Hegseth was blunt: “The United States will not allow China to threaten the canal’s operation.” He added, “To this end, the United States and Panama have done more in recent weeks to strengthen our defense and security cooperation than we have in decades.”

Despite the growing military and political coordination, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino has publicly denied that China controls the canal.

“I completely reject that statement,” Mulino said, pushing back on earlier claims from the U.S. State Department that a deal had already been reached guaranteeing toll-free passage for U.S. warships. The Canal Authority added that it has “not made any adjustments” to its fee structure.

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Hegseth did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News’ Morgan Philips contributed to this report.

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Google puts AI agents at heart of its enterprise money-making push

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Google puts AI agents at heart of its enterprise money-making push
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai is deepening a push into enterprise software, signaling to investors at Google’s annual ​cloud conference that AI agents — human-like digital assistants — are a lynchpin of its strategy to monetize artificial intelligence.
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Landlords allegedly posting ‘Muslim-only’ apartment ads in violation of country’s equality act: report

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Landlords allegedly posting ‘Muslim-only’ apartment ads in violation of country’s equality act: report

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Some landlords in England are apparently advertising “Muslim-only” apartments online, according to a local media report.

An investigation by The Telegraph found that alleged listings posted in London on Facebook, Gumtree and Telegram feature phrases such as “only for Muslims,” “for 2 Muslim boys or 2 Muslim girls,” and “Muslims preferred.”

Other ads appeal to Punjabi and Gujarati speakers, while some job vacancies on the platforms are advertised for men only.

Some listings specify “Hindu only,” in addition to posts that likely use religious subtext by stating: “The house should be alcohol and smoke-free.”

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IS MAMDANI’S SOCIALIST PUSH FOR RENT CONTROLS ABOUT TO WRECK THE NEW YORK CITY HOUSING MARKET?

On Facebook, a company called Roshan Properties posted dozens of listings stating “prefer Muslim boy,” “one double room is available for Muslims,” and “suitable for Punjabi boy.” A Meta spokesman told Fox News Digital that Facebook then removed the company’s page “for violating the platform’s policies on discriminatory practices.”

Apartment buildings in Westminster, London, U.K. (John Keeble/Getty Images)

The ads run afoul of Britain’s Equality Act 2010, which prohibits discrimination based on religion or belief, race and other protected characteristics.

“These adverts are disgusting and anti-British. It goes without saying that there would be a national outrage if the tables were turned,” Robert Jenrick, Reform UK’s economic spokesman, told The Telegraph. “All forms of racism are unacceptable, and no religious group should get a special exemption to discriminate in this way.”

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Houses and properties line Cheyne Walk in Chelsea, London, U.K. Some landlords in the city are illegally advertising for “Muslim only” tenants across the city, an investigation by The Telegraph has found. (Richard Baker/In Pictures via Getty Images)

One landlord told The Telegraph to “go away” when asked about an ad for a “Muslims only” room for $1,150, and whether it was available to renters of other faiths.

A spokesperson for Gumtree told the newspaper that the company has clear policies in place that prohibit unlawful discrimination.

On Facebook, a company called Roshan Properties posted dozens of listings stating “prefer Muslim boy,” (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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“We take reports of inappropriate listings very seriously,” the spokesperson said. “The ads referenced appear to relate to private rooms within shared homes, where existing occupants may express preferences about who they live with. This is different from renting out an entire property, which is subject to stricter rules under the Equality Act.”

Telegram did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

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Is Europe too late to the metal recycling game?

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Is Europe too late to the metal recycling game?

Europe’s critical raw materials crisis has a partial answer sitting in the waste stream — but the continent has been too slow to see it.

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Dorota Włoch, CEO of Eneris Surowce, was direct: recycling is no longer optional.

Unlike plastics, metals can be recovered and reused indefinitely, making urban mining — the recovery of raw materials from existing products and waste — increasingly valuable, particularly for batteries.

“From recycling, we recover metallic aluminium and so-called black mass, which is a concentrate of metals, mainly cobalt-nickel. These are some of the most valuable battery metals. And batteries are crucial today, not only in the automotive sector, but also in storing energy from renewable sources such as wind and solar,” she said.

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‘Europe is 25 years late’

Włoch put the scale of the problem plainly. “Deposits are critical — any machine can be bought, but natural resources are not. They are non-transferable and non-renewable. If we use them, they simply disappear,” she said.

Europe’s belated recognition of that reality has cost it dearly.

“The regulation of critical raw materials came 25 years after other regions of the world had invested heavily in deposits. Europe was too passive. Today we are catching up, but the regulations are often so demanding that countries like Poland have difficulty implementing them.”

Who benefits most from extraction?

Poland holds significant reserves of raw materials critical to the modern economy, such as copper, coking coal, nickel, platinum group metals, helium, rhenium, lead and silver.

But the minerals needed most for the energy transition, such as lithium, cobalt and graphite, exist only in limited quantities, forcing imports.

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Arkadiusz Kustra, dean of the faculty of civil engineering and resource management at AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków, told a panel at the European Economic Congress that awareness of the full supply chain, and who profits from it, was now essential.

He pointed to Serbia as a case study.

“Serbia has lithium deposits and is already in talks with Mercedes or Stellantis,” he said. Belgrade is using that leverage to attract investment in battery factories and car plants, keeping more of the value chain at home.

The goal, Kustra argued, should be regional supply chains that retain added value locally.

“You can earn the least at the beginning and the most from the end customer,” he said.

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The bigger obstacle is Chinese dominance.

“Margins in critical raw materials largely go to the Chinese, who control more than 90% of processing and trading, even though they do not own most of the deposits,” he said.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo — among the world’s most resource-rich countries — Chinese entities control around 90% of deposits.

The panel also pointed to growing interest in new supply partnerships, with Poland eyeing assets in the Congo region and the Americas.

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