The administrator of the Panama Canal has responded to criticisms from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, denying that there is any interference from China in the canal’s operations and saying giving special privileges to any nation would only cause problems.

A satirical post about the dispute over fees for crossing the Panama Canal is being presented online as an actual development in global affairs.

If commercial fees are typically low and America’s navy already has cheap and preferential access, why is Mr Trump threatening to take the canal? The simplest answer may be that the president-elect is expressing geopolitical machismo,