The Chinese government on Friday opposed the U.S. alleged sabotage of Belt and Road cooperation through the means of force.

It also expressed regret over Panama’s decision not to renew the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Lin Jian, disclosed this at the regular virtual news conference by the ministry in Beijing, China.

He spoke against the backdrop of recent announcement by Panama’s President José Mulino, reportedly saying he instructed a 90-day notice for withdrawal from Belt and Road cooperation agreement with China to be submitted to Beijing.

Lin said, “China firmly opposes the U.S. smear and sabotage of Belt and Road cooperation through the means of pressuring and coercion, and deeply regrets Panama’s decision to not renew the MoU on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

“The BRI is an economic cooperation initiative with the participation of more than 150 countries, including over 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries, and its outcomes have benefited people of many countries, including Panama.

“In recent years, China and Panama’s cooperation under the BRI has produced fruitful outcomes and continued to deliver tangibly for the two peoples.

“We hope that Panama will bear in mind the overall bilateral relations and the long-term interests of the two peoples, steer clear of external interference and make the right decision.”

He explained the Panama President’s decision to exit the Belt and Road agreement with Beijing before the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit, saying China had made a response.

According to him, since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Panama, the two countries have seen comprehensive and rapid growth of bilateral relations.

He also said that both parties have achieved fruitful outcomes in the cooperation under the framework of the BRI, which delivered tangibly for the two peoples.

Fielding questions on China’s commitment to achieve global regulation of Artificial Intelligence (AI), he disclosed that Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing would attend the AI Action Summit global governance scheduled to hold in France.

Zhang, a Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, would travel to France at the invitation of the host country from Feb. 9 to 12 to attend the summit.

“China is an active advocate and practitioner of AI global governance. In October 2023, President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Initiative for AI governance, which proposed China’s solution and contributed China’s wisdom on this profound topic of our times.

“During Xi’s visit to France in May last year, China and France released a joint declaration on AI and global governance, which stated that China is willing to participate in the AI Action Summit to be held by France in 2025.

“Zhang attending the Summit as Xi’s special representative is a step to implement the common understandings between the two presidents and demonstrate China’s responsible attitude as a major country in the field of AI and its commitment to advancing development and security of AI.

“Through this Summit, China looks forward to enhancing communication and exchanges with all sides, pooling consensus for cooperation and actively advancing the implementation of the U.N. Global Digital Compact.

“We also welcome countries around the world to participate in the 2025 World AI Conference in China, shape an AI global governance framework based on broad consensus and promote AI for good and for all,” he stated.

A stream outside Buenos Aires has turned crimson red raising fears among residents. Local officials suspect the presence of a toxic substance called aniline.

Blood-red waters that filled a winding waterway near the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, raised a stink as images circulated on social media on Friday.

The area is home to tanneries and other industries that process animal hides into leather using chemicals, but along part of its banks are numerous homes and an ecological reserve.

Photos and footage raised fears that industrial chemicals had been dumped into the Sarandi Stream, which flows into the Plate River on the city’s southern outskirts.

Officials in the Avellaneda municipality, some 15 kilometers (9 miles) south of the Argentine capital, said they suspected the presence of aniline, a toxic substance used in medicines and dyes.

‘The smell woke us up’

The river looks like “a river of blood,” resident Maraa Ducomls told the AFP news agency. “The smell woke us up. In the daytime, when we looked at this side of the river, it was completely red, all stained.”

The Environment Ministry for Buenos Aires province said it had taken samples from the river to determine which substance caused the water to turn red. The ministry said the coloration could have been caused by “organic” substances.

However, local resident Ducomls said that the river had already appeared “bluish, greenish, pink, purplish, with grease on top that looks like oil” in the past.

“It’s terrible, you don’t have to be an inspector to see how much pollution the poor Sarandi River suffers from,” he said.

A US judge has temporarily halted President Donald Trump’s plan offering incentives to federal workers to voluntarily resign before a Thursday midnight deadline.

Federal Judge George O’Toole Jr said the plan would be paused until a hearing on Monday when he could determine the merits of a lawsuit filed by federal employee unions, reported CBS, the BBC’s US partner.

The offer is part of an ongoing effort by the Trump administration to slash the size of the federal government.

The White House says more than 40,000 employees have accepted the offer to resign in exchange for pay until 30 September. Some workers have voiced confusion about the terms of the deal.

The order came hours before Thursday’s 23:59 EST (04:59 GMT Friday) deadline for federal workers to accept the offer.

A lawyer for the justice department said federal employees would be notified that the deadline had been paused, CBS reported.

The White House appeared to see the temporary halt as a way to increase the number of resignations.

“We are grateful to the Judge for extending the deadline so more federal workers who refuse to show up to the office can take the Administration up on this very generous, once-in-a-lifetime offer,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

An Office of Personnel Management (OPM) statement said the agency would continue processing resignations until an extended deadline of 23:59 local time on Monday.

“The program is NOT being blocked or canceled,” it said. “The government will honor the deferred resignation offer.”

The Trump administration, which previously said it hoped for as many as 200,000 employees to accept its offer, told US media they expected a spike in participation just ahead of the deadline.

“It’s going to save the American people tens of millions of dollars,” Leavitt told reporters outside the White House’s West Wing before the judge paused the programme.

The American Federation of Government Employees, a union, filed the lawsuit against the OPM, arguing it had violated the law, that it could not fund the deal, and that it had given conflicting guidance about its terms.

The union said in an email to members that the offer was part of an “effort to dismantle the civil service and replace the skilled, professional workforce with unqualified political appointees and for-profit contractors”.

The union noted that Congress has not passed a budget for funding beyond mid-March, arguing that it was unclear whether agencies could pay workers until September.

On Thursday, the union said it was “pleased” by the judge’s actions.

Some federal employees have described their shock at the buy-out proposal, which was delivered in the form of a late-night email with the subject line “Fork in the Road”. Some thought the email was spam.

“The tone of the initial email was like ‘you may be cut anyway,’” Monet Hepp, a medical support specialist at the US Department of Veterans Affairs, previously told BBC. “People were blindsided by it.”

Democrats have questioned the legality of the resignation package and warned it would lead to a “brain drain” that would be “felt by every American”.

“Without the expertise and institutional knowledge that so many federal employees bring to their work, our government will be incapable of responding effectively to national emergencies, serving the American public, or even carrying out routine operations,” Democrats on the House Oversight Committee wrote in a letter to President Trump.

On Tuesday, the Central Intelligence Agency became the first national security department to extend the offer to its staff. Former US intelligence officials and several lawmakers have raised concerns that this offer could undermine US national security.

There are also reports of impending cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the weather-forecasting agency, and the Department of Health and Human Services.