La posibilidad de que comerciantes dedicados al comercio al por menor suspendan la venta de cilindros de gas de 25 libras ha generado inquietud entre los consumidores.

La causa principal es el endurecimiento de las inspecciones y la aplicación de multas por parte de la Autoridad de Protección al Consumidor y Defensa de la Competencia (Acodeco), tras detectar presuntas irregularidades en el peso de los cilindros durante recientes operativos.

En Panamá el conocido “tanquecito de gas” es utilizado en más de 734 mil hogares y tiene un precio unitario de $4.37, gracias a un subsidio estatal que data de 1993 que anualmente representa una erogación estatal de al menos $90 millones.

Diversos propietarios de minisúper y abarroterías, especialmente dentro de la comunidad china, han manifestado en redes sociales que la falta de tiempo para revisar el contenido de los cilindros y el temor a conflictos por el peso declarado los ha llevado a considerar la suspensión temporal de este servicio.

Los comerciantes alegan que la tarea de verificar cada cilindro y enfrentar sanciones representa una carga adicional difícil de asumir.

El debate se ha intensificado en plataformas digitales, donde usuarios y pequeños empresarios discuten las causas y consecuencias de la situación.

Según testimonios recogidos en videos virales, parte del problema también se atribuye a las empresas proveedoras de gas, ya que la variabilidad en el peso de los envases estaría relacionada con diferencias entre fabricantes y modelos, lo que aumenta la confusión tanto para vendedores como para compradores.

Las recientes sanciones impuestas por la Acodeco han puesto en alerta a numerosos comercios minoristas.

Estos sostienen que la normativa vigente no toma en cuenta las diferencias técnicas entre los cilindros de distintos fabricantes, lo que dificulta su cumplimiento y eleva el riesgo de ser multados.

Algunos consumidores han expresado su desconcierto sobre los estándares aplicados al peso de los cilindros. Como reacción, han solicitado a las empresas distribuidoras mayor transparencia y explicaciones claras sobre los controles realizados. El objetivo es evitar malentendidos y dotar de seguridad a quienes adquieren el producto.

Hasta el momento, ninguna autoridad ni empresa distribuidora ha confirmado oficialmente que exista un retiro masivo del servicio por parte de los comercios.

La información sobre eventuales suspensiones de venta proviene únicamente de testimonios de ciertos comerciantes y de versiones difundidas en redes sociales. Por ahora, la preocupación se mantiene en el terreno de la especulación, aunque la inquietud crece entre quienes dependen de estos establecimientos para abastecerse de gas.

Lo que sucede es que las inspecciones y sanciones recientes han llevado a algunos comerciantes chinos a considerar la suspensión de la venta de gas, principalmente por la dificultad de cumplir con las exigencias regulatorias y evitar futuras sanciones. Esta situación ha derivado en una mayor incertidumbre y en pedidos de aclaración a las empresas proveedoras.

Para hacer frente a la controversia, la Acodeco y la Cámara China Panameña de Comercio e Industrias han acordado establecer una mesa de trabajo permanente.

El propósito es fortalecer la comunicación y crear espacios de diálogo que permitan atender inquietudes específicas del sector, promoviendo la capacitación continua sobre las normas de protección al consumidor y defensa de la competencia.

Durante una reunión liderada por el administrador de la Acodeco, Ramón Abadi Balid, junto con representantes de la Cámara China Panameña, se delinearon tres prioridades: brindar orientación a los comerciantes sobre las reglas vigentes, fomentar prácticas comerciales ordenadas y mantener canales abiertos para resolver dudas y conflictos.

Los voceros de la Cámara China manifestaron su disposición a colaborar en acciones de capacitación y divulgación, con la finalidad de mejorar el conocimiento de la legislación y promover el respeto de los derechos de los consumidores entre sus agremiados.

La Acodeco reiteró su compromiso de mantener el diálogo con los distintos gremios empresariales, convencida de que la cooperación entre sectores es clave para construir mercados más transparentes y competitivos, en beneficio de toda la cadena de valor, desde los comerciantes hasta los consumidores.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy renewed his appeal for U.S.-made Patriot missile interceptors after an overnight Russian missile and drone barrage on Kyiv killed at least 10 people and injured dozens more, Ukrainian officials said Aug. 1.

«The world has Patriot missiles. What matters now is for our partners to make the political decision to provide the necessary packages. The United States knows what we need. Europe knows what we need,» Zelenskyy said in a video message shared on X.

«Anti-ballistic missiles must protect people – not sit in stockpiles,» he added.

Zelenskyy’s appeal came as a former Ukrainian government official told Fox News Digital that Ukraine’s civilian protection crisis extends far beyond air defenses, describing «scandalous situations» amid a widening bomb shelter probe that has allegedly exposed deficiencies despite billions spent on construction and repairs.

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Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, is also auditing its shelter spending, according to local reports.

«It’s not possible to keep begging for missiles all the time. This is not how one protects the population,» ex-Ukrainian government spokesperson Luliia Mendel said. «Zelenskyy is shifting responsibility onto the United States and Western partners for the lack of protection inside Ukraine.»

Mendel went on to describe how Ukrainians have been saying they are drawing their «anti-drone curtains» and closing their «anti-missile windows» simply to illustrate that their survival depends more on luck than on systematic protection from the state.

«Scandalous situations keep arising,» she said, «where people have no chance to take cover.»

«Many still lack shelters close enough to reach quickly every time danger strikes,» Mendel added.

Ukraine and Finland launched the Civil Protection Shelter Coalition in May 2025 to help implement Ukraine’s civil defense strategy through 2034.

At the coalition’s inaugural meeting on Nov. 27, members pledged more than 22 million euros (about $25 million at the time) to support bomb shelter construction and modernization.

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People lie on mattresses in the underground parking lot of a hotel that has been turned into a bomb shelter during an air raid alert in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022.  (Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo)

Ukraine’s Human Rights Commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, said in June that his office inspected 1,066 bomb shelters nationwide and found deficiencies in 93% of them, according to The Ukrainian Week.

Some were locked, flooded or otherwise unusable, while others were inaccessible to people with disabilities, the outlet reported.

Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi ordered a nationwide inspection of civil defense shelters on July 30 after a major Russian missile attack, following reports that some civilians were unable to access shelters during the assault. 

According to Reuters, Kyiv has spent billions of hryvnias on bomb shelters since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. 

Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the city allocated more than 1.1 billion hryvnias (about $26 million) for shelter repairs in 2026, after spending roughly 7 billion hryvnias from 2022 through 2025.

On July 10, he ordered an audit of how district administrations used those funds.

Some people have been sheltering in bathrooms or corridors, offering little to no protection from a direct hit. Others relocate to basements, risking being buried under rubble, Reuters reported.

One woman said she was denied entry to a shelter because of her dog, while another said she has to rent a hotel room to access its shelter. Many others resort to sleeping in underground parking garages, the outlet reported.

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People take shelter inside an overcrowded metro station during a Russian missile and drone strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 30, 2026. (Alina Smutko/REUTERS)

«Thousands of shelters fail to meet basic standards, and mandatory evacuations from dozens of villages and towns in the front-line regions are being announced on a regular basis as Russia expands its fire control,» Mendel explained.

«Ukraine’s civilian population is largely unprotected, not solely because of shortages of missiles, but because of the absence of any comprehensive system that would give people reliable places to shelter and the means to survive.»

Zelenskyy told Axios on July 29 that he had asked Trump for an emergency shipment of about 300 Patriot interceptors ahead of winter, saying Ukraine «needed the Patriots yesterday» and warning that producing them domestically could take one to five years.

«I’m not sure that 300 Patriot missiles would be helpful,» Mendel said. «Russia has also intensified its use of guided aerial bombs across the front-line regions, from northern Sumy to southern Kherson, expanding its fire control. No missile system can stop that.»

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Smoke rises over Kyiv following a Russian missile and drone attack that struck multiple districts of the Ukrainian capital on July 8, 2026. (East2West news)

Mendel warned that without a comprehensive overhaul of Ukraine’s civilian defense system, the country faces an increasingly dire humanitarian situation.

«Zelenskyy and his government are already warning that the winter will be even harsher than the last one, preparing the public for a humanitarian catastrophe,» Mendel said. «But Ukraine has not designed a system that would be able to protect its population. Zelenskyy will continue demanding more support and missiles while shifting responsibility.»

During a recent appearance on Fox News’ «Hannity,» Zelenskyy said Trump had «accepted that he will give us licenses» to produce the interceptors in Ukraine.

Trump later said no agreement had been reached and that the administration was still discussing the proposal.

«I don’t think this would ever happen, but, you know, there’s people that, you give that technology, they can someday turn on you,» Trump told reporters at Camp David on July 31.

«So we have to be very careful,» he warned.

A bitter family feud has spilled into Congress after Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, called on his former son-in-law, Rep. Max Miller, to resign, accusing the fellow Ohio Republican of abusive behavior and saying he poses a danger to Moreno’s daughter and granddaughter.

Moreno’s extraordinary statement on X Sunday marked the latest escalation in a years-long family clash that has spilled from a contentious divorce into national Republican politics. Miller, a Republican congressman endorsed by President Donald Trump, was married to Moreno’s daughter, Emily.

Their divorce and ongoing custody battle have increasingly played out in public, culminating Sunday with Moreno’s call for Miller to leave Congress just days before Ohio’s Aug. 5 deadline to replace congressional candidates on the ballot.

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On Sunday, hours after Miller publicly denied allegations stemming from the divorce, Moreno broke his public silence in a lengthy statement posted to X, saying his family had endured «pure hell» over the past two years and accusing Miller of increasingly «erratic and dangerous behavior.»

«Out of concern for the safety of my family, I hoped to keep this matter private but Max Miller’s increasingly erratic and dangerous behavior has made that impossible,» Moreno wrote.

Moreno went on to call Miller unfit for office, writing: «If there are any basic standards of character required to hold elected office, Max Miller fails them. He should not serve in the House of Representatives.»

The Ohio senator also alleged that Miller «needs serious psychological help» and wrote that he fears for the safety of his granddaughter while she is in Miller’s custody. Miller has denied the allegations and has not been charged with any crime related to the dispute.

Sunday’s post marked a dramatic shift for Moreno, who had previously avoided publicly commenting on Miller or the family’s legal dispute. The statement came just days before Ohio’s Aug. 5 deadline to replace a congressional candidate on the ballot.

Still, Moreno has been criticized online for not speaking up about the situation sooner. When asked by Notus last week, Moreno said he didn’t «know» if Miller should stay in office. 

A source close to the Moreno family told Fox News Digital that the senator had wanted to break his silence for months, and has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses as the legal battle between his daughter and Miller continues on. 

But his daughter, the source said, didn’t want the lawmaker’s granddaughter to «eventually read about her grandfather attacking her dad.» 

That changed after Miller’s livestream, which the source characterized as an «unhinged meltdown.»

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Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, vowed to stay in the race Sunday, but the Republican Party might still pressure him to resign before Wednesday’s deadline so they can replace him before the November general election ballot deadline. (CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Earlier Sunday, Miller posted a livestream denying allegations of domestic and child abuse related to the divorce.

During the livestream, Miller also alleged that his ex-wife has struggled with mental health issues and shared a Dropbox link containing court filings and other documents that he said support his version of events.

«Just want to be clear: no court, no agency has ever substantiated any allegation of abuse against me. No criminal charge has ever been filed against me,» Miller said. «Every single one of these allegations were already investigated, and I cooperated fully every single time because I had nothing to hide and I have nothing to hide now.»

GOP REP. MAX MILLER PUSHES BACK AGAINST ABUSE ALLEGATIONS: ‘I HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE’

Moreno’s call for Miller to step down brought a years-long family dispute into the national political spotlight on Capitol Hill. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Days before Sunday’s public clash, Emily Moreno’s attorneys sought restraining orders against Miller that would prohibit him from contacting or harassing members of her legal team.

Emily Moreno’s spokesman, Stefan Mychajliw, accused Miller of trying to «save his political career» and rejected the congressman’s characterization of the dispute.

«It is shameful that Max Miller decided to go on a bizarre and lie-filled rant about his ex-wife to desperately try to save his political career,» Mychajliw said in a statement.

«There is a documented trove of evidence that Miller has a history of violent and dangerous behavior and no amount of victim shaming will change that,» Mychajliw continued. «Miller can lie and spin on X, but he cannot do so under oath in a court of law. We are confident that justice will prevail in court.»

Asked about the senator’s public comments, Emily Moreno’s attorney, Subodh Chandra, declined to engage with the allegations. «When adverse parties in litigation are setting themselves on fire, I do not provide them with a fire extinguisher,» he told Fox News Digital.

With neither side backing down, the bitter family feud appears far from over, setting the stage for more courtroom battles and political fallout in the weeks ahead.

Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Miller and Moreno for additional comment.