INTERNACIONAL
El Cementerio Francés que la gloria del Canal de Panamá dejó en el olvido
Una única corona de flores acompañó este 2 de noviembre a las cerca de 900 cruces del Cementerio Francés, en Paraíso, una comunidad próxima al Canal de Panamá. El camposanto conserva los restos de centenares de trabajadores que murieron durante el fallido proyecto francés de construcción de la vía interoceánica, entre 1881 y 1889, una etapa que dejó miles de víctimas por enfermedades y condiciones adversas de trabajo.
Las pequeñas cruces blancas, muchas de ellas deterioradas por la humedad, el óxido y el paso de las décadas, solo llevan números. Detrás de esas identificaciones hay una parte poco visible de la historia del canal: obreros procedentes de las Antillas francesas y británicas, del Caribe y de otros países, además de algunos ciudadanos franceses, que participaron en una obra que no llegaron a ver terminada.
El lugar se encuentra en una zona contigua al trazado de la vía interoceánica, dentro del área metropolitana de la capital panameña. Pese a su relación directa con uno de los proyectos de ingeniería que marcó la historia del país, el cementerio todavía no forma parte del patrimonio histórico nacional.
Cerca de 900 cruces recuerdan a una fuerza laboral formada por miles de migrantes
El cementerio es uno de los rastros materiales de la empresa que Francia impulsó en Panamá durante la década de 1880. El proyecto estuvo encabezado por Ferdinand de Lesseps, el ingeniero y diplomático francés que había dirigido la construcción del Canal de Suez y que buscó aplicar un modelo similar en el istmo centroamericano.
La realidad del terreno, el clima tropical, las dificultades técnicas y la falta de conocimientos suficientes sobre la transmisión de enfermedades alteraron esos planes. La iniciativa francesa colapsó en 1889, después de inversiones millonarias y una elevada pérdida de vidas entre trabajadores, ingenieros y otros empleados vinculados a la obra.
Según los registros históricos citados por EFE, agencia de noticias, la fuerza laboral superó las 19.000 personas en 1884. La mayoría procedía de territorios caribeños, en especial de las Antillas francesas y británicas, aunque también hubo trabajadores de otras nacionalidades que llegaron a Panamá atraídos por la demanda de mano de obra.
Las enfermedades fueron una de las principales causas de muerte. La fiebre amarilla, la malaria y la tuberculosis afectaron a miles de personas en una época en la que todavía no se había confirmado el papel de los mosquitos en la propagación de algunas de esas infecciones. A esa situación se sumaron las condiciones de trabajo, la precariedad de la infraestructura sanitaria y las dificultades para atender a una población laboral en constante movimiento.
En el Cementerio Francés, las cruces numeradas se atribuyen en su mayoría a trabajadores antillanos y de otras procedencias. Un grupo menor de lápidas correspondería a ciudadanos franceses. La ausencia de nombres en buena parte de las sepulturas impide reconstruir de forma completa la identidad de quienes fueron enterrados allí.
El fracaso francés dejó una huella humana detrás de la actual vía interoceánica
Para el arqueólogo y director de Cooperación Internacional del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Panamá, Carlos Fitzgerald, el estado del cementerio permite dimensionar el costo humano de la primera etapa de las obras.
“Queda claro que ese cementerio, ese lugar de la memoria, nos habla de lo difícil que fue la construcción del Canal, las pérdidas humanas espantosas que obtuvieron los franceses, miles de ingenieros, de trabajadores, de obreros de diferentes nacionalidades”, afirmó Fitzgerald en declaraciones a EFE.
El especialista señaló que quienes murieron durante aquel intento francés participaron en una empresa que no llegó a concluirse bajo ese control, pero que tuvo consecuencias decisivas para el futuro del país. Estados Unidos retomó la construcción del canal en 1904, tras la separación de Panamá de Colombia, y la obra abrió en 1914.
“Toda esa gente eventualmente dio su vida por una obra que no vieron concluida”, sostuvo Fitzgerald. A su juicio, el lugar recuerda una dimensión de la construcción del canal que suele quedar relegada frente a las imágenes de las esclusas, las excavaciones y la posterior operación de la ruta marítima.
El Canal de Panamá es uno de los principales símbolos de la identidad nacional y una infraestructura central para el comercio marítimo mundial. Sin embargo, la historia de su construcción incluye el desplazamiento de miles de trabajadores de distintos territorios, las epidemias que afectaron a los campamentos y una estructura laboral marcada por diferencias según el origen y la nacionalidad de los empleados.
Fitzgerald consideró que el mes de noviembre, conocido en Panamá como el mes de la patria por la concentración de fechas vinculadas a la historia nacional, ofrece una oportunidad para recordar a quienes murieron durante la construcción. “El Cementerio Francés no solamente es parte del imaginario patrimonial panameño”, indicó.
El camposanto aún espera su declaración como patrimonio histórico nacional
El Ministerio de Cultura de Panamá informó a EFE que hubo gestiones para incorporar el Cementerio Francés al patrimonio histórico nacional, aunque el proceso no llegó a concretarse. La declaración permitiría establecer mayores mecanismos de protección, conservación y difusión para el sitio.
Fitzgerald explicó que el Gobierno de Francia expresó en distintas oportunidades su disposición a respaldar los esfuerzos de Panamá para proteger el camposanto. No obstante, señaló que el avance depende también de la aprobación de las autoridades culturales panameñas.
La falta de una declaratoria patrimonial ha mantenido al lugar fuera de una protección institucional específica, pese a que forma parte de la memoria material de la construcción del canal. El deterioro de las cruces, la escasa señalización y la limitada presencia de visitantes reflejan esa situación.
En septiembre de 2025, el Ministerio de Gobierno de Panamá informó sobre una jornada de limpieza en el cementerio a través del Plan Libertad. En esas tareas participaron internos del Centro Penitenciario El Renacer, ubicado en la antigua penitenciaría de Gamboa.
INTERNACIONAL
JD Vance says Haley Stevens’ endorsement of GOP’s Mike Rogers will ‘certainly’ help Michigan Senate race
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Vice President JD Vance addressed Rep. Haley Stevens’, D-Mich., endorsement of GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers over his Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, saying that he believes the endorsement will «certainly» help Rogers in the midterm.
Vance spoke to reporters at Joint Base Andrews following two rallies for GOP candidates in New York and Ohio, responding to a question from Digital about the impact that Stevens’ endorsement will have on the race.
«I certainly think it helps,» Vance said. «I mean, the message is whether you’re a reasonable Democrat, a Republican, a conservative, an independent or just a liberal who loves the United States of America. El-Sayed is a crazy person and Mike Rogers is a patriot.»
MICHIGAN DEM CLAIMS STEVENS SHOT DOWN ROGERS ENDORSEMENT RUMOR HOURS BEFORE TURNING ON EL-SAYED
«I do think it drives home the message, maybe gives certain voters who, you know, wouldn’t normally vote for a Republican permission, knowing that the Democratic Congresswoman of Michigan is going to support Mike Rogers.»
The vice president then emphasized that Rogers is a «good guy» and said he believes Michiganders are seeing El-Sayed as a «crazy guy» that would not be good for the state.
EL SAYED’S LEFT-WING ALLIES ATTACK ‘EVIL’ STEVENS AFTER BOMBSHELL ROGERS ENDORSEMENT
Stevens endorsed Rogers on Sunday, while taking a swipe at El-Sayed in the process.
«Hey Michigan, as you may have seen, our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul, said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away,» Stevens said. «And he’s right, and that’s why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today. I don’t belong in Abdul’s campaign.»
MAMDANI, HASAN PIKER AMONG RADICAL LEFT-WING VOICES ERUPTING OVER HALEY STEVENS’ ENDORSEMENT SWITCH
Both El-Sayed and Rogers penned opinion pieces for Digital on Monday ahead of Election Day, with the two candidates laying out their reasoning for entering the race.
«I’m running for Senate because no Michigander deserves to be left behind,» El-Sayed wrote. «That’s why we’ve held over 700 events in over 120 cities. I’ve sat down with Michiganders from all walks of life, all of whom are hurting from the Rogers-Trump agenda and are hungry for change.»
EL-SAYED, ROGERS CLASH OVER MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD, TRUMP AND GUNS: 5 FIERY DEBATE MOMENTS
Rogers didn’t spare El-Sayed from criticism in his piece, noting his Democrat opponent’s connection to far-left communist streamer and activist Hasan Piker.
«As a former Army officer and FBI street agent, I would never have imagined that I would be running against someone who associates with terrorist sympathizers. El-Sayed has invited someone to our state who openly proclaims, ‘America deserved 9/11.’ He took donations from individuals linked to terrorist organizations.»
ABDUL EL-SAYED REPORTEDLY CALLED HASAN PIKER WARNING HIS RHETORIC WAS ‘COSTING’ VOTES
Stevens also criticized El-Sayed’s connection to Piker following her endorsement of Rogers, and has previously said Piker «should be condemned» for his extremist views.
During a livestream in May, Piker directed investigators to Neville Roy Singham as a target of subpoenas issued by the Treasury Department, saying Singham’s «operation» in the U.S. includes the openly Marxist ANSWER Coalition and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, known as PSL.
«I think that ultimately the target is probably Singham and his operation from PSL to ANSWER Coalition to CodePink — like anything that he has ever financed,» Piker said. «Not sure how much money he has now, but he’s been a funding vehicle for a lot of political movements in the country, like a lot of activism, and they hate that s—, so they’re trying to jam them up.»
HASAN PIKER BRUSHES OFF DEMS WHO SEE HIM AS A LIABILITY, NAMES HIS ’28 CHOICE
A Digital investigation found that Singham has pumped $285 million into six organizations including $22.44 million to the People’s Forum, a hub for communist organizing in New York City; $1.33 million to CodePink; $68.7 million to Justice and Education Fund Inc., a nonprofit that funnels money to anonymous projects overseas; $1.098 million to BreakThrough BT Media, a propaganda arm; and $16.76 million to Tricontinental Ltd., a pro-communist think tank. The Party for Socialism and Liberation and ANSWER Coalition share office space at the People’s Forum and share leadership with the People’s Forum.
After Vance returned to Joint Base Andrews in Washington, D.C., on Monday afternoon, El-Sayed and Rogers both held rallies in Michigan in a final message to voters.
HALEY STEVENS’ ENDORSEMENT STUNT BACKFIRES WITH EL-SAYED SETTING SINGLE-DAY FUNDRAISING RECORD
On Vance’s final rally blitz, he spoke to voters in Ohio and New York, advocating for Jon Husted, Vivek Ramaswamy, Andrew Constantino, among others. He was joined by Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Donald Trump Jr. during his remarks.
Crowds of a couple of hundred supporters gathered at the two airport hangars where Vance spoke in the two states as he delivered his message encouraging Republicans to get out to the polls for Tuesday’s midterm elections.
politics, jd vance, abdul el sayed, michigan, midterm elections, elections
INTERNACIONAL
Russia plotting ‘massive strike’ during midterms, Zelenskyy warns, urges US to stop Putin
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Monday that Russia is preparing a «massive attack» on Ukraine centered on Tuesday’s midterm elections in the United States, accusing Moscow of seeking to exploit the historical vote to unleash strikes while the world’s attention is elsewhere.
The Ukrainian leader’s warning came as voters prepared to decide which party controls Congress, a result that could also influence Washington’s future response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s almost five-year war in Ukraine.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy went on to urge the Trump administration to increase pressure on Moscow, warning that Russia could exploit the elections to target Ukraine’s battered energy infrastructure and supply routes.
DRONE STRIKE SINKS SHIP IN NATO WATERS AS ZELENSKYY WARNS OF LOOMING ‘MASSIVE STRIKE’
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo/Efrem Lukatsky/AP)
«We have intel that Russia is preparing a new massive attack on our country – primarily targeting energy and logistics,» Zelenskyy said in his nightly address.
«The assumption is basically that tomorrow the world will be watching the American midterms, and what is happening here in Ukraine, along with our difficulties with air defense and Patriot missiles, will be overlooked.»
Zelenskyy’s warning came hours after Russian forces struck a school being used to distribute humanitarian aid in Komyshuvakha, a settlement in southeastern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region.
At least 26 people, including police officers and first responders, were killed, five others were injured and others remained missing, according to the Ukrainian news outlet Ukrainska Pravda.
ZELENSKYY PRESSURES US AND EUROPE FOR MORE ‘AIR DEFENSE’ ASSISTANCE AMID ONGOING WAR WITH RUSSIA
Ukraine’s largest private energy company reports 90% of generation capacity damaged by Russian attacks, leaving over 1 million without power during freezing temperatures. (Reuters)
In his X post, Zelenskyy urged the U.S. and its allies to warn Putin that continued attacks on Ukraine would bring serious economic consequences.
«We need signals from the world to Russia that will make them feel that terror is no good, that it will bring no gains, and that as long as this war continues, their oil will burn, and they will not be able to make money doing business with the world,» Zelenskyy warned.
«We must not play games with Russia’s oil or gas revenues,» he added.
«We must put pressure on Russia in such a way that it has no alternative but to end this war. America can do this.»
TRUMP ANNOUNCES IMMEDIATE ENERGY CEASEFIRE BETWEEN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left talks with President Donald Trump and members of his Cabinet during a lunch meeting at the White House on Oct. 17, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has sought to negotiate an end to the war with the help of special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, both of whom have been involved in diplomatic efforts with Moscow.
Zelenskyy told Fox News in a Sunday interview that Ukraine would suspend strikes on Russian oil refineries for a month if Washington provided Patriot missile interceptors during the same period, potentially opening the door to diplomacy.
The State Department approved the potential sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 interceptor missiles to Ukraine for an estimated $2.1 billion, according to Reuters.
The proposed sale could provide a significant boost to Ukraine’s air defenses if finalized, although the delivery timeline is uncertain.
TRUMP SAYS US WILL LET UKRAINE MAKE PATRIOT MISSILES IN MAJOR POLICY SHIFT
First Lady Melania Trump, left, and civilians being evacuated from Oleshky, Ukraine, in October 2022 during the early days of the Russia-Ukraine war. (Umit Bektas/Reuters; Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)
On Monday, Ukraine also accused Moscow of exploiting a U.S.-backed humanitarian ceasefire in Oleshky, in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, to strengthen Russian military positions.
Nearly 800 people were evacuated during the six-day humanitarian pause, according to first lady Melania Trump, with the White House clarifying that she helped broker the arrangement.
Ukraine’s General Staff accused Russian forces of using the humanitarian pause to rotate troops, reinforce their defenses and improve battlefield logistics.
«Under the ceasefire introduced for the humanitarian operation in Oleshky, units of the Defence Forces of Ukraine ensured that the ceasefire was observed and acted exclusively within the framework of the agreements reached,» the General Staff said in a statement on X.
«The enemy, by contrast, used the humanitarian pause to improve its positions.»
world, volodymyr zelenskyy, russia, ukraine, donald trump, politics, foreign policy
In the World Cup, they play overtime, then rely on penalty kicks to settle ties.
The National Hockey League plays a short overtime, followed by a shootout. NHL games used to end in ties. In the playoffs, the teams keep going – until there’s a winner. In the 2020 playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning finally topped the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 after a staggering five overtimes. In other words. They played nearly THREE total games. That’s the equivalent of 26 innings in baseball.
Speaking of Major League Baseball, teams play extra innings. And keep playing until one team is ahead and the home team has completed an at-bat in the bottom of the inning. MLB modified its rules a few years ago, introducing a «ghost runner» on second base to start the 10th inning. That’s an effort to end the tie and finish the game sooner.
If only there were a method to settle a tie in the U.S. Senate.
THE NINE KEY RACES THAT WILL DECIDE WHO CONTROLS THE SENATE, AND WHERE THEY STAND
Yes. In the case of a tie roll call vote, the vice president — who doubles as president of the Senate – can vote to break a tie vote. In fact, the VP doesn’t even have to cast a ballot if it’s a tie and the roll call vote is going the way he or she wants. By rule, tie votes go down to defeat in the Senate.
But what if we wake up Wednesday morning (if not Friday or Saturday morning or sometime in early December, depending on how hotly contested things are) to discover that the Senate is tied at 50-50?
There is nothing in the Senate’s 44 standing rules which serves as a tiebreaker. The Founders didn’t provide a system to bust up a tie and determine which side is in the majority or minority. And no, it’s not written down anywhere that the party of the President is automatically thrust into the majority.
Maybe soccer is on to something with penalty kicks. At least there’s a system. There’s nothing concrete to sort out which party controls the Senate if things are deadlocked at 50-50.
There was a tie was a Senate tie in 1881 after resignations and political maneuvering. The Senate was also tied for a period in 1954. Nearly ten percent of all senators died during the two-year Congress which stretched from early 1953 to early 1955.
However, the Senate featured two ties in recent Senate history. Both instances reflect what the Senate did to sort out which party captured the majority. One tie came after the 2000 election. The other in 2020. Both elections took a while to sort things out.
In 2026, Alaska, we’re looking at you.
It took until early December, 2000 to determine that Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., defeated then-Sen. Slade Gorton, R-Wash., establishing a 50-50 Senate.
In fact, the tie for the Senate from the 2020 election wasn’t even established until two days into the new Congress on January 6, 2021. Yes. That was the day of the Capitol riot. Sens. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., and Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., both won runoffs to set the 50-50 split.
In early December, 2000, the Supreme Court finally settled the Florida election dispute between President George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore. Republicans had held the Senate. But then Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., and Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., engineered a power-sharing agreement between the parties. This aligned with the election of Vice President Dick Cheney.
Lott would serve as the Majority Leader and the GOP technically had the «majority.» But the bipartisan pact granted Daschle some special floor powers. Republicans chaired each committee. However, there was equal representation by both parties on each panel.
The full Senate had to ratify this agreement. And it did just that.
Such a process is subject to two filibusters requiring 60 yeas. One to bring up the proposal for debate. Another to terminate the debate. Then a simple majority to pass it. But none of that was a problem. The Senate greenlighted it with all 100 senators signing on.
Why such smooth sailing?
Republicans feared Democrats would stall the agenda of President George W. Bush. So they got on board. Democrats agreed because they knew they were kinda, sorta in the majority. Otherwise, they were relegated to an outright minority.
Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was well aware of those same dynamics in 2001. He insisted that Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., propound – word-for-word – the same accord in 2021 which Lott and Daschle hammered out.
Which brings us to a potential tie in 2027. Is there the political will in the Senate – let alone the votes – to agree to such a compact? President Trump is still president. And Vice President JD Vance is still President of the Senate. What would they say about that? Unclear.
The Senate isn’t compelled to present a dedicated «majority» or «minority.» The concept of a «Majority Leader» is relatively new – only dating back to the early 20th Century. The Senate is a body of «equals.» Thus, the Founders didn’t expect one senator to wield operational control of the Senate. You won’t find the words «Majority Leader» anywhere in the Constitution. Just Speaker of the House and President of the Senate.
If there’s a 50-50 Senate and an impasse, could Vance suddenly have more power? Maybe. As President of the Senate, he can’t debate. He can only preside over the body and break ties. Moreover, would Vance even want to assert more authority? It’s unclear what that could be. And what would all of this do to his plans to run for president in 2028?
EVERYTHING TO KNOW ABOUT HOUSE AND SENATE CONTROL, BALLOT MEASURES AND 2026 ELECTION DAY POLL CLOSING
In fact, a deadlocked Senate with no power sharing agreement could potentially hamstring Vance. It wasn’t that long ago that the Vice President spent much of his time presiding over daily Senate debates. But not anymore. If there’s no set majority, those responsibilities either fall to Vance, current Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, or the possible Democratic Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. The latter two are the most senior senators from their respective parties. The President Pro Tempore is third in line to the presidency, following the Vice President and House Speaker. A power sharing agreement is what helps determine who presides over the Senate. Otherwise, Vance may be moored in the Senate.
So there is precedent for settling a «tie» in the Senate. But it hinges on the political will of senators. And if there are disputes about seating Members – say the Alaska Senate race or another contest becomes a conflagration – one can anticipate a toxic climate on Capitol Hill. Few may be willing to sign on to anything.
The Senate relies a lot on history and precedent to do things. But absent political will, senators may just resort to rock, paper, scissors.
Or maybe, penalty kicks.
senate, midterm elections, donald trump, jd vance, democratic party, republicans, chuck schumer, politics
Lulismo vs. trumpismo: la guerra entre los ejércitos de Milei y los de Massa
AEK Athenas vs Real Madrid: formaciones, hora y dónde ver por tv
JD Vance says Haley Stevens’ endorsement of GOP’s Mike Rogers will ‘certainly’ help Michigan Senate race
Russia plotting ‘massive strike’ during midterms, Zelenskyy warns, urges US to stop Putin
Se confirmó el cronograma de la última fecha del Clausura: Boca, Rosario Central y Argentinos definirán el título de Liga en simultáneo
Tras anunciar su posible candidatura, Cristina Kirchner se reunió con los estrategas de la campaña de Lula – Nexofin
Qué pasó con el Refugio de Eli y por qué hizo enfurecer a Santi Maratea: «Fue un desastre, él nunca más le contestó y le prohibió…»
El “efecto Lula” sigue pegando en Argentina: los bonos sintieron el impacto, pero el tipo de cambio aguantó
Darío Barassi reveló el nombre que había elegido en caso de tener un hijo varón: «Tiene personalidad»
El secretario de Culto dijo que Milei recibirá al Papa en el aeropuerto y habló de una cadena nacional
CHIMENTOS19 horas agoQué pasó con el Refugio de Eli y por qué hizo enfurecer a Santi Maratea: «Fue un desastre, él nunca más le contestó y le prohibió…»
- ECONOMIA2 días ago
El “efecto Lula” sigue pegando en Argentina: los bonos sintieron el impacto, pero el tipo de cambio aguantó
- POLITICA3 días ago
Milei visita Neuquén para inaugurar una iglesia evangélica: tensiones internas y señales de cara a las elecciones 2027
