Panama marks 25 years of canal handover

PANAMA CITY — Panama on Tuesday marked the 25th anniversary of the United States' handover of its interoceanic canal, a milestone overshadowed by President-elect Donald Trump's threat to demand control be returned to Washington.

The anniversary came two days after the death of former US president Jimmy Carter, who in 1977 signed the treaties that led to the vital waterway's eventual transfer decades later.

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino said at the anniversary ceremony held at the Panama Canal Authority's headquarters that "a sadness… fills us with the death of Jimmy Carter".