Panama cuts its forecast for this year's economic growth ...

The government of Panama has announced that the nation's economy is forecast to grow by 4.5 percent this year. some 1.1 percentage points less than its earlier forecast.

The forecast was revised following the month-long strike in April by workers in the key construction industry.

The earlier forecast of 5.6 percent was based on the estimates of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Construction amounts of 15 percent of Panama's economy.