Leader of powerful Panamanian union scales embassy wall, requests asylum from Bolivia
Hours later, Panamanian prosecutors announced that arrest orders had been issued in relation to a three-year investigation into the national construction workers union that he led. Prosecutors did not name the targets of the investigation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Police issue update as protest groups gathered outside Essex hotel
Peaceful protests took place outside an Essex hotel this afternoon, police confirmed. Specific measures were put in place by Essex Police as further protests took place outside The Bell Hotel in Epping. A ban on face coverings and designated areas for protestors and counter-protestors were introduced to allow calm procedures. A group of protesters against The Bell Hotel formed at around 1pm and officers facilitated a march by a group of counter-protests from the tube station to their designated area at 4pm before escorting them back a short time later. Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow said: 'I want to thank those who attended for the peaceful nature of both protests. 'Our role is to ensure that you can express your democratic right to protest safely and lawfully and we had a proportionate and robust plan in place to ensure that could happen. 'I am pleased that today has passed off without incident and I am grateful to our colleagues from other forces for their support.' A police spokesman confirmed three arrests were made on Sunday. A 52-year-old man from Loughton on suspicion of a public order offence, a 53-year-old Loughton woman, from the anti-hotel protest group, on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence connected with a previous protest, and a 27-year-old woman, from the counter-protest group, on suspicion of criminal damage and a public order offence. They are all currently in custody.
New York Post
11 hours ago
- New York Post
Trump's Aug. 1 tariff deadline is set in stone, Lutnik says: ‘No extensions, no more grace periods'
President Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs — set to kick in Friday — are set in stone this time and will not be delayed again, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday. 'No extensions, no more grace periods. Aug. 1, the tariffs are set; they'll go into place. Customs will start collecting the money, and off we go,' Lutnick said on 'Fox News Sunday.' 'Obviously, after Aug. 1, people can still talk to President Trump. I mean, he's always willing to listen, and between now and then, I think the president is going to talk to a lot of people. Whether they can make him happy is another question.' Trump announced a 10% baseline tariff rate on all imports to the US and announced a set of customs rates against virtually every country on the planet during his April 2 'Liberation Day' push. The customized tariff rates were slated to take effect on April 9, but then got delayed 90 days and then postponed again until Aug. 1. 3 Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said there won't be a grace period for the Aug. 1 tariff deadline. Fox News 3 President Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs are set to kick in on Aug. 1 for countries that didn't cut a deal with him. Getty Images In the time since, Trump has announced preliminary trade deals with the United Kingdom, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines. Additionally, the Trump administration reached a tariff truce with China and set an Aug. 12 deadline to cut a broader deal. Lutnick stressed that Trump is prioritizing the 'big economies' right now. That includes the European Union. Trump met with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday during his four-day trip to the United Kingdom. 'We set the table. The team sets the table. But Donald Trump does his negotiations by himself,' he emphasized. The EU is a bloc of 27 countries that, taken together, is one of America's largest sources of trade. Negotiations with the EU have proven to be lengthy and tricky for Trump. Trump has a variety of tariffs in place now, such as a 25% rate on automobiles, aluminum, and steel, as well as 25% on imports from Canada and Mexico that don't comply with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. He's also recently mused about jacking up tariffs on Canada and Mexico. Lutnick touted the revenue gains from those tariffs. 3 President Trump has endeavored to overhaul US trade relations during his second term. AP 'What's going to happen is very few products are actually going to move in price,' he predicted. 'And basically $700 billion, $800 billion, maybe it's possible we get near a trillion dollars of revenue, will come into the United States of America, reducing our deficit.' 'What do you think is paying for no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security, right?' he added. 'I think if you take a look at the whole thing, it's going to be fantastic.' Trump has also flexed tariffs in the geopolitical realm. On Saturday, he spoke with the leaders and Cambodia and Thailand, informing them that US trade negotiations will stop unless they cease fighting over a long-contested section of the border. On July 15, the president also threatened Russia with 100% secondary tariffs on Russian oil if it fails to make a deal with neighboring Ukraine. That threat could complicate US trade relations with China and India in particular, which have been taking advantage of cheap Russian oil due to the sanctions on Moscow.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
Social Security Isn't Broke — but These 4 Fixes Could Change Your Benefits
It's no secret that Social Security is running low on funds. According to the Congressional Budget Office, if actions aren't taken to fix the program, recipients won't receive their full benefits starting in 2034. Hence, it's a major issue that worries most Americans. Learn More: Find Out: A recent LendingTree survey showed 62% of respondents fear they won't be able to retire without Social Security, while 59% worry the program won't exist by the time they leave the workforce. President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill is also causing concern. He campaigned on eliminating Social Security taxes, but instead, some Americans over 65 who are eligible will get a temporary tax break, which will expire in 2028. While it's clear Trump broke his promise, it's not time to panic just yet, according to experts. There is time to repair Social Security so retirees receive 100% of their benefits. Here are four changes that could get the program back on track. Increase FICA Rates The Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) is the federal payroll tax, and is deducted from employee's paychecks. It's the main way Social Security is funded and increasing the current FICA rate — which is 12.4% between employees and employers combined — could make an impact, according to Nicole E. Asher, CFP®, CPWA®, ChFC® Senior Vice President, Senior Wealth Management Advisor at Greenleaf Trust. 'When FICA originated in 1937, it was 2%. It has slowly increased over the years,' she explained. 'In 1950, we saw the first increase to 3%. By 1960, we were at 6%. By 1970, it was 8.4%. And by 1980, at 10.10%. In 1990, it was raised to 12.4%, and has not been raised since.' Read More: Raise the Wage Cap As of 2025, the wage cap for Social Security is $176,100, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA). This means wages above said amount are not taxed for Social Security. 'By gradually increasing or eliminating the cap, higher-income earners would contribute more, extending the life of the trust fund,' Michael Liner, head disability lawyer and founder of leading Social Security Disability firm Liner Legal, said. But boosting the wage cap isn't that straightforward. 'It sounds simple, but it breaks the long-standing principle that benefits are tied to what you pay in–because benefits are capped, but taxes wouldn't be,' explained Chris Barnes, president at Escalent. Diversify the Trust Fund's Investment Strategy The Social Security Trust Fund is where surplus payroll taxes are held to pay future benefits. Right now, it's mainly invested in U.S. Treasury securities, which are safe, but offer low returns, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). However, 'allowing a small portion to be invested in higher-yield assets, like index funds, could increase returns,' Liner explained. 'Over time, stronger investment returns would reduce the need for drastic cuts or tax hikes.' This change wouldn't immediately affect current beneficiaries, but could secure the system for future generations. Adjust the Full Retirement Age Raising the retirement age from 67 to 68 or 69 for younger workersis another option. 'For people retiring early, benefits would be reduced slightly more, while those who wait would receive a higher monthly check,' Liner said. 'However, any increase should be paired with protections for workers in physically demanding jobs, or those with chronic health issues — a key concern we see at Liner Legal.' Increasing the retirement age hits people who work physical labor the hardest and 'may not have the luxury of working longer,' Barnes said. What This Means for Current Retirees Current recipients of Social Security are not likely to see changes, but a reduction could happen if changes are not implemented. 'If you are like me and still working, it is likely that when we file, we will still receive benefits from Social Security. But they may be less than what we were expecting,' Asher said. 'It could also mean that depending on what course of action is chosen to remedy the problem, we could face higher taxes, reduced after tax income, or a delay on when we can file for benefits.' The situation is still uncertain, but Asher suggested speaking with a financial advisor to run an analysis and model your retirement with a reduction in Social Security benefits and or reduced after-tax income to prepare. 'What you might find is that, while it is not ideal to face reduced benefits, you are still able to live comfortably. If not, start planning now to address that shortfall,' she said. Multiple changes need to happen to fix the problem, and Barnes believes we will see a 'blend of the most talked-about options: a significant hike in the income cap, modest payroll tax increases (though this has the least political support), a gradual increase in the retirement age and a revised COLA formula.' While these changes will make a notable impact, it won't solve every problem; it will simply buy the program more time. More From GOBankingRates Mark Cuban Warns of 'Red Rural Recession' -- 4 States That Could Get Hit Hard 3 Reasons Retired Boomers Shouldn't Give Their Kids a Living Inheritance (And 2 Reasons They Should) 5 Cities You Need To Consider If You're Retiring in 2025 This article originally appeared on Social Security Isn't Broke — but These 4 Fixes Could Change Your Benefits Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
