Beijing, July 31 (IANS) Dai Daojin, a former senior political advisor of central China’s Hunan Province, has been expelled from the Communist Part of China (CPC) over serious violations of discipline and laws.

The decision was made following an investigation by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision upon the approval of the CPC Central Committee, according to a statement released on Wednesday.

Dai was formerly deputy secretary of the leading Party members group of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and vice chairperson of the committee.

The investigation found that Dai took a perfunctory and selective approach to implementing the decisions and plans of the Party Central Committee, Xinhua news agency reported.

He failed to comply with the central Party leadership’s eight-point decision on improving work conduct by attending banquets that may have compromised his ability to perform his duties fairly, according to the statement.

He was found to have abused his power to seek benefits for his relatives in business operations, allowing them to exploit his position for personal gain.

Dai’s acts constituted a serious breach of office duties and he was suspected of taking bribes, the anti-graft body said, adding that his illicit gains will be confiscated and his case will be transferred to the procuratorate for assessment and prosecution in accordance with the law.

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Prague, July 31 (IANS) Operations at the Bratislava Airport in the Slovak capital were resumed at around noon after an evacuation earlier on Wednesday over a bomb alert.

“The airport building is already open after the evacuation and flights are being arranged continuously,” the airport said on its website.

A total of six planned inbound and nine outbound flights were delayed as a result of the incident, the News Agency of the Slovak Republic reported.

Local police said in the morning that an anonymous call reported the placement of an explosive device at the airport, and they were investigating the incident, Xinhua news agency reported.

“Police carried out tasks aimed at protecting the life and health of citizens. The pyrotechnic inspection did not confirm the storage of explosives in the airport premises,” the police later said on Facebook.

Bratislava Airport, or M.R. Stefanik Airport in Bratislava, is the biggest international airport in the Slovak Republic. Located 9 km from the city center, it handled over 1.8 million passengers last year, according to the airport website.

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Beijing, July 31 (IANS) China’s State Council on Wednesday announced the appointment and removal of several officials.

Shang Rui was appointed deputy auditor-general of the National Audit Office.

Li Ming was appointed vice chairperson of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, replacing Fang Xinghai.

Mao Xu was appointed deputy head of the National Immigration Administration, Xinhua news agency reported.

Liang Nan was appointed deputy head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, while Wu Lizhu was appointed vice president of the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Zhang Yaping will no longer serve as vice president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

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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.

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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.

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