EU ministers criticise Turkey over Hagia Sophia
Brussels: European Union foreign ministers on Monday criticised Turkey for several reasons, including energy exploration in disputed Mediterranean waters and changing the status of Hagia Sophia from a museum to a mosque.
For their first face-to-face meeting in months, the ministers were planning to discuss taking a tougher stand on Ankara though no immediate measures were expected.
When I see now what is happening with Hagia Sophia, that is a blow," Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said.
Hagia Sophia was originally built in Istanbul as a Christian cathedral, and the pope and others have expressed their sadness and criticism of the move by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell was in Turkey last week where he also discussed Ankara's disputes with Greece and Cyprus over energy exploration in the eastern Mediterranean region. Turkey has dispatched warship-escorted vessels to drill for gas in an area where Cyprus insists it has exclusive rights.
The Turkish government has said it's acting to protect its interests in the area's natural resources and those of Turkish Cypriots.
Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said that the movements in the Mediterranean were a reason for worrying" for the 27-nation bloc, but insisted that human rights and democracy issues would also be taken up during the regular monthly meeting.
Borrell said that relations were not especially good at that moment.
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Mangaluru court sentences man to life for 2022 murder
Mangaluru (Karnataka) (PTI): A court in Mangaluru on Thursday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for the murder of a 47-year-old man in Dakshina Kannada district in 2022.
The II Additional District and Sessions Court Judge, Jagadish V N, convicted the accused, Murugan, under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced him to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 10,000.
According to the police, the case relates to the murder of Harish Salyan, a resident of Ullanje in Mangaluru city.
The incident occurred on March 19, 2022, near a tourist car parking area at Mulki Pete in Bappanadu village of Mulki town in Dakshina Kannada district.
Investigations revealed that the accused attacked Salyan with a red laterite stone embedded in cement concrete, repeatedly striking his face and killing him on the spot.
Police said the murder was allegedly committed due to financial enmity between the accused and the victim.
Following the incident, a case was registered at the Mulki police station, and the matter was later taken up for trial in the Sessions Court.
The investigation in the case was carried out by Police Inspector Kusumadhar, who filed the charge sheet before the court. Assistant Sub-Inspector Sanjeev assisted in the investigation.
During the trial, the prosecution was represented by Public Prosecutor Jyothi Pramod Nayak, who argued the case on behalf of the state.
Based on the evidence and arguments presented, the court pronounced the verdict convicting the accused and awarding life imprisonment.
