Erdogan orders freezing of US Cabinet members' assets
Istanbul, Aug 4: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday announced retaliatory sanctions against members of the US government amid a diplomatic row over a jailed American pastor and said he ordered the freezing of assets of two US ministers, presumably the Attorney General and Homeland Security Secretary.
During a speech at the Congress for the ruling Justice and Development Party's women's organization in Ankara, Erdogan said that he was responding to the sanctions imposed by US President Donald Trump's administration over the case of Pastor Andrew Brunson, imprisoned in Turkey on charges of terrorism since 2016.
"I have told my colleagues to start the process of freezing the assets of the American 'Justice Minister' and 'Interior Minister' if they have any," Erdogan was cited as saying by Efe news.
The equivalent to the Justice and Interior Ministers in the US Cabinet are Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, respectively.
"The US' latest measure against Turkey is completely disrespectful," Erdogan added.
On Wednesday, the Trump administration announced it was imposing sanctions on Turkey's Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu for their roles in Brunson's imprisonment.
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MP Brijesh Chowta urges centre to grant point of call status to Mangaluru airport
New Delhi: Dakshina Kannada MP Brijesh Chowta has demanded that Mangaluru International Airport be given Point of Call (TOC) status urgently.
Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha under Rule 377, MP Chowta said that Mangaluru International Airport is a major aviation gateway for coastal Karnataka and neighbouring Kerala. The airport handled around 23.4 lakh passengers, including 7.15 lakh international passengers, during 2024-25. More than 16,800 flights were operated for it. This has registered a growth of more than 15% annually. He said that these figures highlight the importance of the airport in terms of growth and commercial promotion.
A significant number of people from Tulunadu regions work in Gulf and Middle Eastern countries. This working community relies heavily on Mangaluru airport for international travel. However, due to lack of point of call status, foreign airlines are unable to operate direct international services from here. Hence, passengers have to travel via Bengaluru or Cochin airports. This is causing various inconveniences to the NRI community, including high cost, long travel time, Brijesh Chowta has drawn the attention of the House.
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Granting the status to Mangaluru International Airport will enable direct international connectivity for the people of this region. It will also facilitate further expansion of airline operations. It will enable smooth travel for the working class abroad and their families.
Such air connectivity will naturally boost trade and investment activities here. It will also support and encourage regional industries like areca nut, cashew nut processing and petrochemicals. It will also complement the growth of the Mangalore Special Economic Zone, MP Chowta assured the House.
Providing direct international connectivity can not only boost the growth of tourism in the coastal region but also the progress in the education sector. It will also facilitate easy travel for students, researchers and visitors of prestigious institutions like NITK Suratkal and Manipal Institute of Technology to international forums, he said.
