Kampala, July 31 (IANS) Transitional President of Gabon Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema is scheduled to start his three-day official visit to Uganda Thursday, Ugandan officials announced Wednesday.

Nguema will meet his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni to deepen the ties between the two countries, Henry Okello Oryem, Uganda’s minister of state for international affairs, told Xinhua by telephone.

“This is the first time he is on an official visit. It’s about strengthening the relations between the two countries and exploring ways in which we can enhance our diplomatic engagements,” said Oryem.

According to a statement issued by the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wednesday, Nguema will visit Uganda from August 1-3, Xinhua news agency reported.

Philip Ochen Odida, acting permanent secretary in the ministry, said that Nguema is interested in learning more about Uganda’s development path and exploring economic opportunities.

“We are going to take this opportunity to improve interactions between Uganda and Gabon where there has been less of that kind of engagement,” he said.

–IANS

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Tehran, July 31 (IANS) Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Wednesday vowed to avenge Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh’s death in the Iranian territory.

He made the remarks in a message published on his website to extend condolences to the Palestinian people and resistance front over the “martyrdom” of Haniyeh and one of his companions in an alleged Israeli attack earlier in the day in Tehran.

He stressed that Israel prepared the ground for a “harsh punishment” for itself.

In two statements on Wednesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) accused Israel of assassinating Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards at their residence in Tehran in a “terrorist attack.”

It extended condolences over the “martyrdom” of Haniyeh and his bodyguard, adding Haniyeh was among the dignitaries invited to Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday and had, over the past years, paid numerous visits to Iran.

The IRGC condemned the “criminal act” as in defiance of international regulations and laws, saying Israel “will receive a harsh and painful response” from Iran, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Iranian president also, in a post on social media platform X, expressed condolences over Haniyeh’s “martyrdom,” saying Iran would defend its territorial integrity, dignity, honor, and pride and make the Israelis, which he described as “terrorist occupiers,” regret their “cowardly move.”

The Iranian government has declared a three-day national mourning for the Hamas leader, according to the official news agency IRNA.

Haniyeh’s funeral procession will be held in Tehran on Thursday morning, the IRNA said.

–IANS

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Beijing, July 31 (IANS) Su Zengtian, formerly a vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the Fujian Provincial People’s Congress, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) over serious violations of Party discipline and laws, according to an official statement issued Wednesday.

The decision was made following an investigation by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the National Commission of Supervision (NCS) upon the approval of the CPC Central Committee, according to the statement by the CCDI and NCS.

Su was also a former deputy secretary of the leading Party members group of the Standing Committee of the Fujian Provincial People’s Congress.

According to the statement, Su has lost his ideals and convictions and has refused to cooperate with the investigation against him.

Failing to abide by the central Party leadership’s eight-point decision on improving conduct, he attended banquets, accepted travel arrangements, and sought benefits for others in the selection and appointment of officials, as well as in the election of deputies to the people’s congress, according to the findings of the investigation.

He was found to have accepted money, gifts and consumer cards in violation of regulations, involved in money-for-sex and power-for-money trades, and abused his position to benefit others in land transfers, enterprise operations and job promotions, receiving substantial amounts of property in return.

Su had committed duty-related violations and is suspected of the crime of accepting bribes and abuse of power, according to the statement, Xinhua news agency reported.

Su’s illicit gains will be confiscated, and the case will be transferred to procuratorial authorities for examination and prosecution in accordance with the law, the statement noted.

–IANS

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Baghdad, July 31 (IANS) Iraq held the US-led coalition forces responsible for repercussions of the attack on Iraqi paramilitary Hashd Shaabi Forces in Babil province south of Baghdad, Iraqi military spokesman Yahya Rasoul said on Wednesday.

“The coalition forces have committed a heinous crime and blatant aggression” when they targeted military bases belonging to the Iraqi security forces in northern Babil province Tuesday night, killing and wounding several members of the Hashd Shaabi forces, said Rasoul in a statement.

Such attacks can significantly undermine all efforts, mechanisms, and frameworks of joint security work to combat the Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq and Syria, Rasoul warned, adding that the attack also risks dragging Iraq and the entire region into dangerous conflicts and wars.

Iraq would take appropriate legal and diplomatic measures to protect its rights and ensure its security and sovereignty, the spokesman stressed, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Tuesday night, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua that unknown drones bombed a military base of the Hashd Shaabi forces, also known as Popular Mobilization Forces, in the Jurf al-Nasr area in the northern part of Babil province.

On Wednesday, a statement issued by the al-Jazira Operations Command of the Hashd Shaabi forces accused the United States of conducting three drone attacks on the paramilitary 47th Brigade in the Jurf al-Nasr area, leaving four fighters killed, including a commander named Ahmed Najam Abdul-Zahra.

Meanwhile, an Iraqi militia known as Kataib Hezbollah said in a separate statement that the US drones were launched from neighboring Kuwait while calling on the Iraqi government to take decisive action to end the presence of US-led coalition forces and urging the parliament lawmakers to adopt a clear stance towards expelling American troops from Iraq.

–IANS

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Canberra, July 31 (IANS) Storms and air currents can influence the climate outcomes of La Nina and El Nino events, research from Australia’s national science agency has found.

In a study published on Wednesday, a team from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) explored why Australia was wet and cool in November 2021 but dry and warm in November 2020 despite both occurring during La Nina events.

La Nina and El Nino are two opposing climate patterns in the Pacific Ocean that affect weather worldwide. La Nina occurs when equatorial trade winds become stronger, drawing cooler deep waters up to the surface and is typically associated with increased rainfall and cooler daytime temperatures in Australia.

Carly Tozer, lead author of the report from the CSIRO, said that the new research showed that while La Nina and El Nino can be predictors of climate outcomes, other factors such as storms and air currents can also influence conditions.

The study found that jet streams, narrow bands of strong wind in the upper levels of the atmosphere, influenced the climate outcomes in Australia during November 2020 and 2021, Xinhua news agency reported.

“We found the presence or absence of these air currents over Australia contributed to the very wet November 2021 and very dry November 2020, respectively,” Tozer said in a media release.

“Jet streams in the upper atmosphere can steer weather systems, including low pressure systems, and influence rainfall in the regions they pass over.”

According to the research, there was a strong jet stream over Australia in November 2021 that contributed to wet conditions. By comparison, in 2020 the jet stream was largely absent, steering rainfall systems south of Australia.

Researchers said the findings would increase the understanding of the influence of unpredictable conditions for future forecasting.

–IANS

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