Russian ship enters Panama Canal

A Russian warship has entered the Panama Canal for the first time since World War II.


The Admiral Chabanenko had earlier completed manoeuvres with Venezuela's navy, coinciding with a Latin American tour by the Russian president.

The 50-mile (80km) canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans was shut to the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Correspondents say the Russian ship will send a symbolic message in what the US sees as its sphere of influence.

Ties between the two superpowers have become strained because of Washington's plan for a missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic - something Moscow is firmly opposed to.

Panama said the passage of the ship had no political significance, as the canal is "open to all the world's ships".