For the second time in its history, the Panama Canal will limit the passage of ships due to El Niño.

The Panama Canal will limit the passage of ships starting this Friday due to drought conditions caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon. This marks the second time in the canal's history that such restrictions have been implemented, putting renewed pressure on one of the most heavily utilized maritime trade routes in the world.

In a separate development, Panamanian authorities arrested six port officials during an investigation into international drug trafficking. The arrests followed the seizure of 1,180 packages of suspected illicit substances found inside a container that was scheduled for delivery to Israel.