Pyongyang's actions at odds with denuclearization: Pompeo
Kuala Lumpur, Aug 3 : US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday called North Korea's actions to continue building missiles inconsistent with its promise of dismantling its nuclear weapons.
"Chairman Kim (Jong-un) made a commitment to denuclearize. The world demanded that (he) do so in the UN Security Council resolutions," Pompeo told journalists accompanying him during his flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore.
"In so far as they behave inconsistently with it, they violate one of the resolutions of the UN Security Council," he was quoted as saying by Efe news.
Pompeo's statements came after US intelligence services this week said that North Korea could be building new missiles in the same plant where it produced an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching cities located on the US East Coast.
US President Donald Trump and Kim on June 12 held a historic meeting in Singapore where they agreed on the importance of moving step by step and taking simultaneous actions to achieve peace and denuclearization on the Korean peninsula.
The Singapore summit came after Kim held one with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on April 27 -- the first inter-Korean summit in 11 years -- where both leaders agreed to work towards achieving peace and denuclearization of the peninsula.
Within the framework of the ministerial summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Singapore, Pompeo planned to urge other attendees to remain committed towards continuing with sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council on Pyongyang.
North Korea is one of the countries invited to the Asean Foreign Ministers meetings in Singapore, which will close on Saturday after the meetings of the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) and the East Asia Forum (EAF).
Asean consists of Myanmar, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The EAF includes Australia, China, South Korea, the US, India, Japan, New Zealand and Russia, along with the 10 Asean nations.
The ARF, which addresses security issues, consists of, in addition to the above countries, Bangladesh, Canada, North Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, East Timor and the European Union.
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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.
