A Labour Party lawmaker on Saturday said he regretted “badly misjudged” comments after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer fired him as a minister.

It is the latest bump in the road Starmer’s government has hit in its first seven months in power despite a landslide election victory in July 2024.

The premier dismissed Andrew Gwynne as a junior health minister as soon as he became aware of the comments, the domestic PA news agency said.

He has also been suspended from the Labour Party, with a report alleging that Gwynne made anti-Semitic, racist and sexist remarks.

“I deeply regret my badly misjudged comments and apologise for any offence I’ve caused,” Gwynne said on X.

“I entirely understand the decisions the PM and the party have taken,” he added.

Gwynne posted messages in a WhatsApp group which he shares with more than a dozen Labour councillors, party officials and at least one other MP, the Mail on Sunday reported.

He also joked about a constituent being “mown down” by a truck, the newspaper said.

In another comment, he said he hoped a 72-year-old woman who asked a colleague about rubbish bin collection would soon be dead.

“The Prime Minister is determined to uphold high standards of conduct in public office and lead a government in the service of working people,” a government spokesperson said.

“He will not hesitate to take action against any minister who fails to meet these standards, as he has in this case,” the spokesperson added.

In November, Louise Haigh resigned as transport secretary after revelations that she pleaded guilty to a criminal offence before becoming a member of parliament.

Her resignation was the first by a member of Starmer’s cabinet since his Labour party won power at the July 4 general election, ending the Conservative party’s 14 years in power.

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.