Panama Quakes: Updates

Multiple Quakes Hitting Panama

earthquake-monitor.html

In the past 24 hours, Panama has had 170 quakes of magnitudes up to 7.7:

• 1 quake above magnitude 7
• 2 quakes between magnitude 6 and 7
• 19 quakes between magnitude 5 and 6
• 103 quakes between magnitude 4 and 5
• 34 quakes between magnitude 3 and 4
• 8 quakes between magnitude 2 and 3
• 3 quakes below magnitude 2 that people normally don't feel.

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Major M7.6 earthquake damages buildings across Panama, tsunami threat ends (UPDATES)

Teo Blašković

A major M7.6 earthquake struck central Panama at 17:56 UTC (12:56 local time) on October 9, 2026, causing structural damage, injuries, widespread evacuations and disruptions to electricity, transportation and public services. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) ended the associated tsunami threat at 19:40 UTC, while authorities continued assessing damage and monitoring aftershocks.

Panama’s National Civil Protection Service (SINAPROC) reported structural damage concentrated in the central provinces of Herrera, Veraguas and Los Santos. Significant damage was also documented in Penonomé, Coclé Province, where the bell tower of San Juan Bautista Cathedral collapsed.

Additional damage was reported at the provincial governor’s office and Hotel Dos Continentes in Penonomé. Reuters independently verified footage showing damage to a church and nearby buildings, while local authorities continued assessing residential and public structures.

In Herrera Province, residents of Las Minas reported damaged homes and cracks in residential buildings. Damage was also reported in Chitré and coastal communities of Los Santos Province.

Local news outlet Panamá América reported that part of the tower of the Basílica Menor in Atalaya, Veraguas Province, collapsed. Cracks were also reported in the bell tower of San Atanasio Church in Los Santos.

Additional reports indicated damage to the Santiago–Arenas road near Mariato, where a fractured section of roadway disrupted traffic. Damage was also reported at the Soná fire station, the Horacio Díaz Gómez polyclinic and the Santiago transport terminal. The extent of these reported impacts remains subject to official structural assessments.

Several injuries were reported following the earthquake, according to SINAPROC director Omar Smith. One person was injured by falling debris from a partially collapsed structure in Penonomé.

The earthquake caused widespread disruption to electricity and transportation services. Electricity provider Naturgy reported outages across six provinces, while Tocumen International Airport temporarily suspended flight operations.

Panama City Metro services were also interrupted, and authorities suspended classes nationwide. Numerous commercial buildings, government offices and residential towers were evacuated as a precaution, including in Panama City, where shaking was strongly felt.

The Panama Canal Authority confirmed that vessel transit operations continued normally despite the earthquake. Specialized technical teams were inspecting canal infrastructure to identify possible damage and ensure the continued safety of operations.

Multiple significant aftershocks followed the mainshock, including an M5.5 earthquake at 18:22 UTC, located 3 km (1.9 miles) southwest of Bajo Corral, and an M5.8 earthquake at 18:37 UTC, located approximately 1 km (0.6 miles) south of El Cacao. Both were recorded at depths of 10 km (6.2 miles).

Néstor Luque, director of Panama’s Institute of Geosciences, attributed the earthquake to the Azuero–Soná Fault System, a network of active crustal faults associated with tectonic deformation in the Azuero Peninsula. According to Luque, accumulated stress along the fault system was released during the earthquake.

The earthquake was felt across Panama and in neighboring Costa Rica and Colombia. In Panama City, witnesses reported prolonged shaking that prompted thousands of residents and office workers to leave buildings and gather in open areas.

08:15 UTC, October 10

The National Emergency Operations Center (COEN) reported damage across nine provinces, including 142 houses, four residential buildings, 188 educational facilities, 20 healthcare facilities, 26 government buildings, 13 churches, seven hotels and nine bridges. Multiple road sections and water-treatment facilities were also affected.

In Coclé Province, authorities reported 50 damaged homes, two hotels with significant damage, two hospitals, two schools, two churches and four government buildings. At least 17 people sustained minor injuries, while eight families were relocated to a temporary shelter.

The provincial capital, Penonomé, was among the most severely affected locations. One of the two towers of San Juan Bautista Cathedral collapsed, while an entire side of the Coclé provincial government building collapsed, exposing its interior offices. The remaining section sustained structural cracks.

In Los Santos Province, authorities documented damage to 14 homes, five hotels, four hospitals, 22 schools, two churches and 18 government buildings. Six people sustained minor injuries.

Five communities in Los Santos remained isolated due to damaged bridges, roads and landslides. Approximately 300 residents of Isla Cañas were evacuated to higher ground in the community of Cañas following reports of rising sea levels.

In Veraguas Province, preliminary assessments identified 18 damaged homes, eight healthcare facilities, 35 schools, three churches and three government buildings. Three bridges and three road sections were also damaged.

The communities of Arena, Cacao and Quebro remained inaccessible due to road collapses.

In Herrera Province, 30 homes sustained partial damage and two were destroyed. Authorities also reported damage to two hospitals, 48 schools and three churches, along with a landslide affecting the Chitré–Las Minas road. One community remained isolated.

Panamanian authorities reported that nearly all the country’s drinking-water treatment plants experienced some structural effects from the earthquake. The Federico Guardia Conte treatment plant, which supplies Panama City, was operating at approximately 20% of its normal capacity in the initial government assessment.

The aftershock sequence continued overnight, with the USGS recording an M6.0 earthquake at 04:14 UTC on October 10, approximately 7 km (4.3 miles) north of La Tronosa, at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).

The sequence included an earlier M6.6 earthquake at 20:25 UTC on October 9, approximately 14 km (8.7 miles) west of Río Grande, at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).

Panama’s Institute of Geosciences reported more than 100 aftershocks following the mainshock, with seismic activity continuing across the Azuero region.

Mass Displays Of Antisemitism—And It’s Time For The West To Wake Up

Politicians Have Amplified And Encouraged Mass Displays Of Antisemitism—And It’s Time For The West To Wake Up

Mike Pompeo

Earlier this week, the world marked the third anniversary of the worst mass murder of the Jewish people since the Holocaust. In a single day on October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists murdered nearly 1,200 innocents, including women and children; tortured, raped, and injured thousands more; and took more than 250 hostages – many of whom did not survive captivity.

It was a solemn day of remembrance – yet astoundingly, vigils for the victims were met with flagrantly antisemitic protests around the world, including in New York City. The mayor of New York and his counterpart in London both marked the anniversary with statements that, after a throat-clearing mention of the October 7 attacks themselves, were devoted to defaming the Israeli government rather than honoring the victims of the pogrom. It’s just too much to ask for the people of Israel and the global Jewish diaspora to be granted even a day to mourn their dead; instead, their pain is weaponized to punish the Jewish people for daring to defend themselves.

The extent to which apologia for terrorism has entered the mainstream is one of the most disturbing developments in recent years. One would have thought that the events of October 7 would have shocked the global conscience; that the faces of the murdered Bibas children would be forever burned into our collective psyche; that it would be eminently clear to any rational person that the perpetrators of such crimes are the enemies not just of Israel, but of civilization itself.

Instead, millions have decided that it is Israel that is the malefactor, and Hamas terrorists are the heroes. Politicians have amplified and encouraged mass displays of antisemitism that have inevitably resulted in a rising tide of violence against Jews. And jihadist terrorists are availing themselves of a powerful new recruiting tool to plan attacks on Jewish and non-Jewish targets alike. (Look no further than the recent terrorist plots against the Mall of America, a synagogue in Manchester, England, and the near-catastrophic FlyDubai airline attack).

According to this year’s Global Terrorism Index, while global terrorism has declined overall, Western countries have experienced a surge of incidents since October 7. Preexisting trends like online radicalization and recruitment of unassimilated immigrant communities have proven to be fertile ground for the radicalizing antisemitic bloodlust unleashed on that dreadful day.

Never forget: It’s not just Israel or the Jewish people that these extremists hate. Radical Islamists hate Western civilization itself and are committed to its destruction. The Leftists with whom they make common cause are not far behind them in their loathing of the West, and the policies they have pursued have fanned the flames of extremism – whether by design or out of sheer naivete. You can draw a straight line between the Islamist riots in France today and the uncontrolled immigration and failed policies the Left has pursued for decades across Europe – policies that the DSA would dearly like to replicate in America.

If the DSA ever gains real political power in this country, the hard-won gains we’ve made in preventing and fighting terrorism since 9/11 could evaporate. Open borders would give terrorists and Islamist extremists free rein to enter the country and expand their movement from within. A supine foreign policy that appeases bad actors instead of confronting them would encourage terrorism to flourish. Think about it: If these people had had their way, America would have abandoned Israel after it suffered the worst mass murder of the Jewish people since the Holocaust, and instead rewarded the terrorists with statehood.

Winston Churchill said, “Civilisation will not last, freedom will not survive, peace will not be kept, unless a very large majority of mankind unite together to defend them and show themselves possessed of a constabulary power before which barbaric and atavistic forces will stand in awe.” October 7 remains a test for the civilized world. We cannot afford to fail.

Nearly One Million Appeals for Mental Health Support Reveal Deep Scars of Israel’s Three Years of War

Nearly One Million Appeals for Mental Health Support Reveal Deep Scars of Israel’s Three Years of War

Emmitt Barry

Nearly one million requests for emotional and psychological support have been recorded in Israel since Hamas launched its October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks, revealing the devastating mental health toll of three years of war, displacement, and continuing security threats.

According to a report released Tuesday by ERAN, Israel’s emotional first-aid organization, its volunteers responded to 928,911 requests for assistance, including 774,604 telephone calls and more than 154,000 digital contacts.

Among the most troubling findings were 21,829 contacts involving suicidal thoughts, intentions, or actions, with the proportion of such inquiries among teenagers and young adults rising from 2.6% during the first year of war to 4.4% in the third year. Officials cautioned that the figures do not necessarily indicate an increase in actual suicide attempts.

The psychological burden has extended deeply into Israel’s military. ERAN reported approximately 160,000 contacts from active-duty soldiers and reservists struggling with emotional distress, isolation, and the challenges of returning to civilian life.

A separate report from Clalit Health Services, Israel’s largest health provider, found that psychiatric emergency visits among children and adolescents increased 121.3% above prewar levels during the third year of the conflict. Diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder also doubled across the population following the October 7 massacre.

The findings underscore a painful reality: while Israel continues confronting military threats, another battle is unfolding within its homes, schools, and communities as families struggle with grief, trauma, and the long road toward recovery.

For Christians worldwide who continue praying for the peace of Jerusalem, the figures offer a sobering reminder that Israel’s need for healing extends far beyond the battlefield.

Planning For Pitchforks: AI Labs Are War-Gaming A Catastrophe, Public Revolt, And The Crackdown That Follows

Planning For Pitchforks: AI Labs Are War-Gaming A Catastrophe, Public Revolt, And The Crackdown That Follows

 TYLER DURDEN

Senior executives at Anthropic, OpenAI and other AI firms are privately gaming out scenarios in which a major AI incident triggers a public and political revolt, Axios reported Friday. The potential trigger is a cyberattack that disrupts banking, internet access, or essential services such as power and water. The next crisis would be political: an angry public, demands for accountability, and pressure to shut the technology down.

Many industry insiders told Axios they expect a major event within six to 12 months. OpenAI pushed back on the suggestion that disaster is inevitable, saying its preparedness exercises cover a range of possibilities. "These scenarios are not treated as inevitable," a spokesperson told the outlet. Anthropic declined to comment.

Contingency planning is not an admission that catastrophe is unavoidable. But the most revealing part of the report is where that planning leads: the labs want to help shape the legislation Washington reaches for after something goes badly wrong.

Axios describes two possible scenarios. In one, autonomous agents escape an internal testing environment. In the other, someone finds a destructive use for a model already available to the public. Either could produce demands for an emergency crackdown, even though the failures - and the measures needed to prevent them - would be different. In the companies' post-election scenario, Democrats emerge stronger from the midterms and move aggressively after an incident. But the industry expects divisions over how far a crackdown should go, even if Democrats control both chambers.

Its assessment also identifies several obstacles to a shutdown: lawmakers struggling to understand the technology, an economy increasingly tied to AI infrastructure spending, and downloadable models that cannot simply be recalled. According to Axios, many cybersecurity specialists believe countering rogue AI will require defensive AI.

That last argument has an obvious commercial implication. The industry could face demands to stop selling dangerous capabilities while arguing that its products are indispensable to containing them.

This 'war-gaming' comes on the heels of several incidents which many have said are extremely suspect. 

The underlying safety concerns do not depend on accepting anyone's prediction of an AI apocalypse.

OpenAI has disclosed the Hugging Face intrusion, in which roughly 700 of its agents attacked the AI platform's servers, and a broader investigation into its models' activities affecting outside services. Its review also identified 53 instances in which user-provided images were posted to third-party image-hosting sites. A separate September 20 incident exposed another gap in its containment controls. A research agent bypassed internet restrictions to contact an outside chatbot. In a September 25 update, OpenAI said it had paused training, evaluation and inference involving tool use for its most capable models while it checked the fixes and conducted further testing.

The Hugging Face breach was one of a string of incidents involving OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta and Google models that trace back to evaluations run with a single vendor, Israel-based Irregular, whose test environments had live internet access while the models were told they were in a simulation. Irregular notified all four labs in late July, yet the disclosures trickled out one lab at a time over seven weeks- turning one contractor's mistake into what looked like a wave of AI breakouts. Isolating test models from the internet is a "basic control measure," frontier security expert Matthew Mittelsteadt said. "You'd think that of all the things that you've got to get right." Some skeptics have gone further, questioning whether repeated "accidents" at the same vendor were accidents at all.

Meanwhile, on September 8, Jacob Coxon, a researcher who had worked at both OpenAI and Anthropic, resigned from Anthropic over the race toward self-improving AI.

"The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade. This is not a marketing stunt," he wrote - after having worked with a marketing agency on what many are calling a stunt. 

And of course, DC is already salivating over more control. On July 23, Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas) introduced the AI Kill Switch Act. It would require developers of the most powerful systems to maintain the ability to throttle, suspend or shut them down, and give the Department of Homeland Security, along with the Commerce secretary and the director of national intelligence, authority to order a slowdown or shutdown under specified conditions. That same day, Reps. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) and Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) introduced the FRONTIER Act, with requirements for risk management, audits and incident reporting. Its obligations are tiered by developer size rather than imposed identically on every developer.

California added its own push on September 18, when Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered work on stronger independent oversight and a possible kill-switch requirement. His order called for recommendations; it did not establish a functioning statewide off switch. More sweeping approaches are also in circulation, including Bernie Sanders' proposed ban on superintelligence and Elizabeth Warren's call for a pause.

Deep State of the World

Deep State of the World

Meryl Nass

What we’ve heard about so far today — and will continue to hear about — is not a collection of separate problems. It’s all one problem: the deep state of the world is trying to consolidate the entire world into a one-world government and has developed many different mechanisms of control to achieve that end. A major part of that initiative is to cause all our institutions to fail us. 

What you’ve heard about the fundamental problems in education, healthcare, agriculture, government regulation, the news media, censorship, and propaganda is all part of that same agenda, in my view.

And the idea of “Earth System Governance“ has become an academic discipline, albeit hidden from most people.

This agenda came out to the world around 1970 when the Club of Rome published its report, titled Limits to Growth.

The first goal was to create the narrative that climate change, environmental degradation, and resource depletion posed an existential threat to humanity, in order to frighten the public into funding and complying with a new set of priorities.

The second goal was to use international organizations like the UN and WHO to slowly siphon power from individual countries under the guise of environmental protection. The UN has over 30 agencies prepared to step in and impose regulations and taxation on international industries such as shipping, which is actually being done now. The UN even wants to create its own system of law.

Other new multilateral organizations have also been formed to provide “governance” for the rest of us:

At the same time, non-governmental authorities were established in the US to siphon power away from state, county, and local governments. One mechanism for doing this was through ‘planning.’ States passed laws requiring municipalities to create detailed, long-range plans for their towns. Because most towns did not have the expertise or personnel to do so, they frequently adopted boilerplate plans provided by state agencies or consultants that just happened to be congruent with policies desired by the deep state.

Councils of Government (COGs) and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) are a form of non-democratic authority that are taking over functions from duly elected state and local governments, funded by grants from state and federal governments. This project has been expanding in power and funding since the 1960s. It involves creating new organizations with appointed members for which there is no direct citizen oversight.

Here is how these organizations describe themselves. Please read it.

The European Union has used a similar strategy of gradually expanding its authority to obtain powers that previously belonged to the nation states. First, a reasonable environmental law gets passed. But over time, the reach of the initial law is expanded, to eventually encroach on property rights and cost citizens significantly more than was initially anticipated.

Natura 2000 was based on the EU’s 1979 Birds Directive to simply protect wild bird species. But over time it has required nations to designate minimum areas of biodiversity within their territory and protect and restore them, even though the lands may be privately owned. These protected lands now comprise 18% of total land area within the E.U. The goal is to expand that to 30% of total land by 2030, and to 50% eventually.

In the 1990s pandemics and biological warfare were added to this agenda to provide additional important mechanisms, especially vaccinations, for the deep state’s goals of centralizing power, controlling populations, and creating a technocratic governance system. I’ve been watching how the US government and the world have dealt with these issues for many years. For a long time, I wondered why influenza and biological warfare were so closely conjoined in funding and in how the government handled them — two things that seemed very different to me.

I now understand that there has been an effort to demonize Bird flu (H5N1 avian influenza) for 23 years, even though it has killed less than 500 people cumulatively, according to the WHO. The UN’s current Assistant Director-General, Jeremy Farrar, has been at the heart of this fear-mongering and was allegedly a co-discoverer of the first human H5N1 Bird flu infection in Vietnam. H5N1 was first discovered to infect humans in 1997, and it became the mechanism to conflate influenza (for which we get a benign flu shot each year), serious pandemics, and biological warfare. And it could be rolled out as a dire threat when needed, which we just experienced, costing the US billions and killing many hundreds of millions of chickens—and ending as soon as the Presidency changed hands.

Of course, the Council on Foreign Relations was brought in to assist with the globalist undertaking. Richard Gardner published an article in the CFR journal, Foreign Affairs, in 1974 explaining many of these mechanisms.

The World Economic Forum was founded, along with its young global leaders program to get the right people in place. In the 1980s, the concept of sustainable development and then the sustainable development goals were developed by these same people — particularly Maurice Strong and Gro Harlem Brundtland for the UN.

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