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China Opposes US Moves To Sabotage Belt, Road Cooperation

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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).

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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.

READ ALSO: Trump’s New Tariffs Target Canada, Mexico, China

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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.

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“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.”

READ ALSO: CBN Lists Conditions For Sale Of FX To BDC Operators

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.

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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.

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READ ALSO: China Restricts Key Chipmaking Material Exports To US

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.

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“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.

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“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.

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Family Of Five Killed In Iranian Missile Strike After Fleeing Ukraine For Safety In Israel

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A Ukrainian family of five who fled Russia’s war in search of safety were killed in Israel by an Iranian missile — the very conflict they thought they had escaped.

Mariia Pieshkurova had brought her 7-year-old daughter, Anastasiia, to Bat Yam, a suburb of Tel Aviv, hoping to get lifesaving cancer treatment and refuge from the violence at home.

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Along with Anastasiia’s grandmother, Olena Sokolova, and two young cousins, Illia and Kostiantyn, they had started over — believing they were finally safe.

But on June 15, an Iranian missile tore through their apartment building during a retaliatory strike on Israel, killing them all.

“I really thought they’d be safe,” said Artem Buryk, Anastasiia’s father and Mariia’s former partner. “I never thought they’d go to Israel to escape war — and find it there.”

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READ ALSO:US Struck Iran With B-2 Bombers, Submarine-launched Missiles – Top US General

The missile attack, part of Iran’s response to Israeli airstrikes on its territory, collapsed much of the building in Bat Yam.

It took four days to recover Mariia’s body from the rubble.

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Their deaths marked a heartbreaking intersection of two wars — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Iran’s conflict with Israel — both of which had already tested the family’s will to survive.

Mariia had moved to Israel in late 2022 after Anastasiia was diagnosed with leukemia.

Ukraine’s hospitals were overwhelmed, and its largest children’s hospital was later destroyed in a missile strike.

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In Israel, treatment began immediately. It was effective but costly. Mariia turned to Instagram, sharing photos of her daughter in treatment and videos of Artem pleading for help while serving on Ukraine’s front lines.

READ ALSO:Israel-Iran War: Stranded Nigerians Cry For Help From Underground Shelters

“Masha did everything for her little girl,” said Anastasiia’s godmother, Khrytsyna Chanysheva. “She dedicated her life to her, moved to Israel to get her full treatment.”

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Despite the pain, Anastasiia always smiled at visitors.

“She was in pain, and she would close her eyes for a second,” said charity worker Lada Fichkovsi. “But every time I walked into her room, she would smile.”

Her cousins joined the family in May 2024 as the situation in Odesa deteriorated.

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“The shelling made my children cry,” said Hanna Pieshkurova, Mariia’s sister. “I decided to let them go.”

Though Israel was at war with Hamas, Mariia had assured her sister that Bat Yam was calm. Air raid sirens were rare, and the Iron Dome defense system offered hope.

READ ALSO:Iran Nabs 22 Suspected Israeli Spies Amidst Escalating Conflict

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“Ukrainians often say, ‘This is not Ukraine, it’s not as scary,’” said Inna Bakhareva of Chance4Life, a charity helping sick children in Israel. “They felt secure due to the Iron Dome.”

That sense of security evaporated after Israel struck Iranian targets on June 12. Iran retaliated with missile attacks across Israeli cities.

“Dad, at night I saw how the missiles were falling,” Anastasiia told her father in a voice message the night before she died.

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She and her mother had been scheduled to visit the hospital the next morning. The missile struck before dawn.

Mr. Buryk, who had just returned from the front lines near Sumy, received the news that same day.

“I still don’t understand what’s happening,” he said. “I still can’t believe it.”

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He used to promise Anastasiia they’d go fishing together when peace returned.

“Every time I talked to her, I’d say, ‘Sweetheart, we’ll go fishing. Just us,’” he said. “And now I just don’t understand. I still don’t even grasp that she’s gone.”

“Last night,” he added quietly, “I sent her voice messages.”

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(New York Times)

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Militia Attack On DRC IDP Camp, Kills 10, Mostly Women, Children

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An armed group at the centre of a long-running ethnic conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s northeast attacked a camp for displaced people on Friday, killing 10, local sources told AFP.

Bordering Uganda, Ituri province has for years been the scene of pitched battles between the Lendu, a group mainly made up of settled farmers, and the Hema people, typically nomadic herders.

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The fighting has led to the deaths of thousands of civilians and the mass displacement of many more.

Friday’s assault on the Djangi displaced persons camp was carried out by the self-proclaimed Cooperative for the Development of Congo (Codeco), a Lendu-aligned militia responsible for previous civilian massacres, the camp’s head told AFP.

READ ALSO:Trump Bans Citizens Of Chad, Congo, 10 Others From Entering US

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They were many and armed with firearms and machetes. They surprised us, they killed 10 displaced people, most of them women and children,” said Richard Likana.

An employee of the Red Cross, who asked to remain anonymous, confirmed the attack, which took place around 60 kilometres (37 miles) from Bunia.

They were cut up with machetes while others were shot,” the humanitarian worker added.

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Congolese army Colonel Ruffin Mapela, the local administrator for Djugu territory where the camp is located, gave the same toll of 10 dead and put the number of injured at 15.

READ ALSO:Heineken Withdraws Staff As Armed Rebels Seize Facilities In Eastern DR Congo

According to local and humanitarian sources, Codeco was responsible for an attack on February 10 which killed 51 people in Ituri province. Most of the victims were also displaced persons.

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That raid was said to be a response to a strike by the rival Hema-led Zaire militia in the same area.

Violence between the Hema and Lendu killed thousands in gold-rich Ituri from 1999-2003, which only ended after European forces intervened.

The conflict erupted again in 2017, killing thousands more.

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The violence has led to more than 1.5 million people leaving their homes, according to the UN.

AFP

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Israel Wants Global Action Against Iran’s Nuclear Plans

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Israel’s foreign minister said on Friday that the world was obliged to stop Iran from developing an atomic bomb, days after Israel claimed it had “thwarted Iran’s nuclear project” in a 12-day war.

Israel acted at the last possible moment against an imminent threat to itself, the region, and the international community,” Gideon Saar wrote on X.

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The international community must now prevent, by any effective means, the world’s most extreme regime from obtaining the most dangerous weapon.”

READ ALSO:Netanyahu Vows To Thwart ‘Any Attempt’ By Iran To Rebuild Nuclear Programme

Israel and Iran each claimed victory in the war that ended with a ceasefire on June 24.

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The conflict erupted on June 13 when Israel launched a bombing campaign, stating it aimed to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon—an ambition Iran has consistently denied.

Following waves of Israeli attacks on nuclear and military sites, the United States bombed three key facilities, with President Donald Trump insisting it had set Iran’s nuclear programme back by “decades”.

READ ALSO:We Would Have Killed Iran’s Supreme Leader If Given Opportunity – Israel

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an address to the nation after the ceasefire, announced that “we have thwarted Iran’s nuclear project”.

However, there is no consensus as to how effective the strikes were.
On Friday, Iran rejected a request by UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi to visit the bombed facilities, saying it suggested “malign intent”.

The comments from Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi came after parliament approved a bill suspending cooperation with the UN watchdog.

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In a post on X following the move, Saar said Iran “continues to mislead the international community and actively works to prevent effective oversight of its nuclear programme”.

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