PANAMA-REFERENDUM-POVERTY

Two babies sleep in a poor neighbourhood in Panama City 21 October, 2006 in the eve of the referendum for the extension of the Panama Canal. Polls predict a victory of more than 70 percent in favor of the expansion in Sunday's referendum. Proponents say the canal will reach capacity in 2012 and that its expansion -a 5.25-billion-dollar plan- is critical in the face of competition from other maritime routes. Detractors say the government has underestimated the cost of the project by some three billion dollars, they cite damage to the environment from the expansion, and argue that the government should focus instead on fighting poverty, which touches 40 percent of Panama's three million people. AFP PHOTO/Orlando SIERRA (Photo by ORLANDO SIERRA / AFP) (Photo by ORLANDO SIERRA/AFP via Getty Images)