Colombo, July 31 (IANS) After deciding not to back President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lanka’s largest political party in parliament split into two with 92 lawmakers pledging support for his re-election.

A large number of MPs of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s party, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) promised their unconditional support for the victory of Wickremesinghe in the upcoming presidential election set for September 21.

Among those who supported Wickremesinghe were Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry and a number of Cabinet Ministers and State Ministers who joined him to recover the economy since former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country in 2022 amidst severe financial crisis and street protests. Away from the country Gotabaya, who promised the support of his party SLPP, had invited Wickremesinghe to take over the country.

“Under President Ranil Wickramasinghe’s leadership, Sri Lanka has made significant strides in overcoming the most severe crises in the history. To prevent a return to such challenging times, it is essential to continue supporting President Wickramasinghe’s vision and initiatives. We need to protect the country before our political views,” State Minister of Finance Sehan Semasinghe, who joined Wickremesinghe, posted on social media platform X.

“There are more to join President Wickremesinghe,” State Minister of Defence Pramitha Bandara Tennakone who joined Wickremesinghe told reporters.

Despite an invitation by President Wickremesinghe to join his Presidential race, Rajapaksa’s party has decided to field a rival candidate. Rajapaksa’s son Namal Rajapaksa has accused Wickremesinghe of splitting the party created by his uncles Basil and Gotabaya.

Last week, President Wickremesinghe announced his candidacy as an independent candidate while opposition leader Sajith Premadasa from Samagi Janabalawegaya (United People’s Power) and Anura Kumara Dissanayake from the Marxist party National People’s Power announced their plans to contest for the election.

At the decisive election since the worst-ever economic crisis the South Asian island nation faced, around 17 million out of 22 million population is eligible to cast their votes.

–IANS

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Brussels, July 31 (IANS) Seasonally adjusted GDP increased by 0.3 per cent in both the eurozone and the European Union (EU) area in the second quarter of 2024, compared with the previous quarter, according to preliminary data released by Eurostat.

In the first quarter of 2024, GDP had also grown by 0.3 per cent in both regions, the statistical office of the EU reported on Tuesday.

Germany’s output contracted by 0.1 per cent in the second quarter, according to Eurostat data. France and Spain experienced growth of 0.3 per cent and 0.8 per cent, respectively. The highest growth rate was recorded in Ireland, with a 1.2 per cent increase in the second quarter, Xinhua news agency reported.

Conversely, Latvia experienced a notable decline of -1.1 per cent, with Sweden and Hungary also reporting negative growth.

Bert Colijn, a senior economist at ING, remarked that although the Eurozone economy grew faster than expected in the second quarter, the recovery remains cautious, supported by low unemployment and reduced inflation. Colijn also said that there are no signs of further acceleration in the Eurozone’s economic growth.

“The differences within the eurozone remain striking,” Colijn said, noting that Spain continues to be the eurozone’s growth engine, while France also looked healthier than expected in the second quarter, although this was mainly due to one-off export effects.

“Germany remains the weak link in this post-pandemic economy, and the overall performance is lacklustre without Spain’s contribution,” he added.

–IANS

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Tehran, July 30 (IANS) Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday was sworn in, in the presence of dignitaries from nearly 90 countries, to formally start his four-year term and announced a policy of “constructive and effective” engagement with the world while offering his country’s participation in solving regional and global issues.

After Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf delivered a speech, Pezeshkian, 69, took the oath before the Parliament.

“I, as the President, in front of the Holy Quran and the people of Iran, swear to almighty God to be the guardian of the official religion and the Islamic Republic system and the constitution of the country,” he affirmed.

As part of the oath, he swore to use all his talents and qualities to perform the duties he has assumed as the President of the Islamic Republic.

In his address to the gathering after his swearing-in, Pezeshkian urged the world “to seize the unique opportunity to solve regional and global problems with the participation of a powerful, peace-seeking, and dignified Iran”, local Iranian news agencies reported.

“We will seek constructive and effective engagement with the world based on the principles of dignity, wisdom and expediency,” he said.

He stressed his administration’s readiness to continue negotiations with major global powers in order to remove the anti-Iran sanctions, reminding the West and Washington that Iran’s nuclear programme is peaceful as it has been verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

He stressed that Iran remained committed to its commitments under the nuclear deal.

“Pressure and sanctions do not work (in dealing with Iran),” Pezeshkian said in a remark aimed at the Western powers and called on them to “show respect to the noble Iranian nation”.

Citing the tragic conditions in Gaza, he slammed the United States and some Western states for delivering arms to Israel,

The Iranian President went on to call for a detente in the region, saying that “the countries in the region must not spend their valuable resources on conflict and war of attrition”.

“My administration wants a strong region,” he said, while adding that Iran wants to become the first power in economic, scientific, and technological fields at the regional level.

Pezeshkian also called for a region free from the influence of extremists, asserting that regional countries should not allow a few radical voices to misrepresent nearly two billion free-thinking Muslims.

“Islam is a religion of peace,” he said.

Furthermore, he voiced a strong desire for a world where the Palestinian people are liberated – a world where “no Palestinian child’s dreams are buried under the rubble of their homes”.

On the domestic front, Pezeshkian outlined the goals of his administration, promising to prioritise sustainable development, economic strength, and improving the living standards of the Iranian people.

The inauguration ceremony, which began at 4 p.m. (local time) was attended by delegations from 88 countries and senior Iranian government officials.

Among those present at the ceremony were Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, and Prime Ministers Irakli Kobakhidze of Georgia, Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia, Hussein Arnous of Syria, and Manuel Marrero Cruz of Cuba.

Russia’s Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, Turkmenistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Rashid Meredov, South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Ahmed Mohamed Abdel Ati, Saudi Arabian Minister of Interior Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif, Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani and European Union’s deputy foreign policy chief Enrique Mora were also present.

India was represented by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.

Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar led his country’s delegation.

Among other foreign leaders that were present were Qatar’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad bin Sultan Al Muraikhi, Kazakhstan Senate Chairman Ashimbayev Maulen Sagathanuly, Malaysia’s House of Representatives Speaker Tan Sri Dato Johari bin Abdul, Uzbekistan’s Oliy Majlis Speaker Nuriddin Ismoilov, and Senegal National Assembly’s President Amadou Mame Diop.

Hamas’ Head of the Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem, Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement Secretary-General Ziad al-Nakhalah, and Yemen’s Ansarullah spokesman Mohammad Abdul Salam also participated in the ceremony.

The event comes two days after Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei endorsed the results of the recent presidential election, beginning Pezeshkian’s stint as the ninth President of Iran.

–IANS

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Vilnius, July 30 (IANS) Lithuania’s Ministry of the Economy and Innovation said Monday that it has been preparing to submit draft amendments to the Seimas to create a favorable environment for developing artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the country.

Lithuania aims to become a “center for AI innovation” and create “the most favourable environment for innovative companies to create and develop AI solutions,” the ministry said in a press release.

The ministry has developed financial measures to support this goal to grow the AI ecosystem. Last year, it launched a 15-million-euro call for start-ups to develop solutions based on advanced technologies such as AI, blockchain, and robotic process automation, Xinhua news agency reported.

Furthermore, it has planned actions to develop AI innovation and technology in the public sector, featuring collaboration among researchers and innovative companies to harness AI’s potential, test its applications within public sector institutions and integrate these technologies into public services.

In addition, a 35-million-euro package is planned to create digital resources for the Lithuanian language, which are essential for developing and adapting AI solutions. Calls for projects in this area will be launched this year.

–IANS

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Wellington, July 30 (IANS) New Zealand scientists have seen substantial changes in the ocean to the east of the country, with possible biological impacts yet to be determined but several local species likely to be affected.

The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) said on Tuesday that strong, full-depth ocean warming has occurred south of the Chatham Island at around five times the global rate since 2006 because of the ocean currents moving 120 km west.

“There are animals adapted to live on the warm northern side and others adapted to the cold southern side, so when warm waters encroach, you’d expect the species that favor the warmer conditions to increase, and those that favor cold conditions to move away or disappear,” said NIWA principal scientist Matt Dunn.

However, it might take a few years, or a few fish generations, for the scale of the changes to become clear, Dunn said, Xinhua news agency reported.

NIWA physical oceanographer Phil Sutton said it is the first time they have seen change through the full depth of the ocean off New Zealand, which are unexpected with unknown biological and fisheries impacts.

NIWA used ocean measurements from satellites and Argo floats, which was a fleet of robotic instruments that move up and down through the water column and drift with the ocean currents. Researchers found that areas that once contained cooler, fresher water are now warmer and saltier, at all depths from the ocean surface to the seafloor.

The subtropical front along Chatham Rise, an area of ocean floor to the east of New Zealand, creates a unique habitat that supports some of the most productive deep-sea fisheries in the world, where important hoki and orange roughy fisheries take place, including the world’s oldest and largest orange roughy fishery, according to NIWA.

Challenges remain to maintain critical observational infrastructure to further understand how these physical changes impact the wider New Zealand marine ecosystem, it said.

–IANS

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