Panama govt to pull proposed contract for miner First Quantum from Congress

Panama's government authorized on Tuesday the withdrawal of a proposed contract to regulate operations of Canadian miner First Quantum's local unit, Minera Panama, from the National Assembly to make changes requested by lawmakers. "We hope to work together with the company Minera Panama to agree on the phrasing needed to resolve the points indicated by the assembly's trade committee," the presidency said in a post on social media X. Hundreds of demonstrators have gathered near Panama's governmental offices in recent weeks to protest the contract, demanding more environmental protections and fewer expansion permits.