NEW DELHI, 28 February 2022, (TON): India abstained on a procedural resolution to call for a rare special emergency session of the UN General Assembly on Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

Two days after the Russian veto blocked a UNSC resolution on its aggression against Ukraine, the Security Council voted to convene an emergency special session of the 193-member General Assembly on the crisis.

The 15-nation Security Council met on Sunday afternoon to hold a vote on the emergency special session of the General Assembly on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Only 10 such emergency sessions of the General Assembly have been held since 1950.

India abstained, while Russia voted against the resolution and 11 council members voted in favour.

NEW DELHI, 28 February 2022, (TON): India is looking to host an Asean grouping foreign minister meet later this year. This year marks 30 years since India began its engagement with ASEAN.

India first became a "sectoral dialogue partner" of the 10-country grouping in 1992.

This was elevated to a full dialogue partnership in December 1995.

The relationship was further elevated with the convening of the ASEAN-India Summit in 2002 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Since then, the ASEAN-India Summit has been held annually.

The meeting comes even as India and Asean are looking to review free trade agreements in goods so that Indian goods get more market access.

Recently the second ASEAN India digital ministerial meet virtually. India, of course, has many times reaffirmed the "Asean centrality" when it comes to its vision for the Indo Pacific.

External Affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar said "EU’s strategy is consistent with India’s vision of a free, open, balanced and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, anchored in ASEAN centrality, as outlined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Singapore in 2018."

DHAKA, 28 February 2022, (TON): Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque has stressed bolstering cultural bond between Bangladesh and India, saying “enhanced cultural relation will play a vital role in political, economical and social lives of the two neighbouring countries.”

He said "India is our friendly neighbouring country and we have similarities in various cultural fields. So there is a need of expediting people to people connectivity of the two countries through bolstering the existing relations.”

The minister was addressing the inaugural function of the Fifth Bangladesh-India Cultural Meet-2022, Rajshahi held at Rajshahi College yesterday evening as the chief guest.

Friends of Bangladesh and Rajshahi City Corporation are jointly hosting the four-day event to mark the Golden Jubilee of Independence, Birth Centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Golden Jubilee of India-Bangladesh Relations.

Around 40 political, cultural and media personalities from India are joining the function being celebrated at different locations and historical and archeological sites in Rajshahi and Natore districts.

DHAKA, 28 February 2022, (TON): Over 400 Bangladeshis have been able to safely cross Ukraine borders to neighboring countries mainly in Poland.

A Bangladesh foreign ministry press release said "till today, around 400 Bangladeshis have safely crossed the Ukrainian border and reached Poland.”

The press release said “46 Bangladeshis are in temporary shelter arranged by the Bangladesh Embassy in Warsaw while rest of them are in their own arrangements as per their own choice despite the mission's offer.”

The release added “the Embassy is working to rescue and relocate 28 Bangladesh nationals through ICRC, Ukraine.”

The Embassy is also working to evacuate Bangladeshis who are in jail or detained in Ukraine through IOM, Ukraine.

In Hungary, a total of 15 Bangladeshi students have arrived from Ukraine, who are now being looked after by the Bangladesh Embassy in Vienna.

PARIS, 27 February 2022, (TON): France seized a car cargo ship in the English Channel that Washington says was linked to the son of a former Russian spy chief, in one of the first visible displays of the West enforcing sanctions on Moscow over its Ukraine invasion.

Captain Veronique Magnin of the French Maritime Prefecture told media that the “Baltic Leader” was headed to St. Petersburg but was diverted to the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. (0200-0300 GMT).

She said “the vessel was “strongly suspected of being linked to Russian interests targeted by the sanctions.”

The United States Treasury Department has issued blocking sanctions against the vessel because, according to Treasury, it was owned by a subsidiary of Russian lender Promsvyazbank, one of the Russian entities hit by US and European Union sanctions.

LONDON, 27 February 2022, (TON): Royal Navy ships, British Army troops, and Royal Air force fighters are arriving on new deployments in eastern Europe to bolster NATO’s eastern front.

HMS Trent is in the eastern Mediterranean, conducting NATO exercises with Merlin Helicopters and RAF P8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

They will be shortly joined by HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer, which set sail from Portsmouth.

Challenger 2 tanks and armoured vehicles of the Royal Welsh battlegroup have arrived in Estonia from Germany, with further equipment and around 1000 troops arriving over the coming days.

This will lead to a doubling of the UK presence in Estonia, where the UK leads a NATO battlegroup as part of the Alliance’s enhanced Forward Presence.

RAF Typhoon fighter jets have already completed their first air policing missions across the region, with an additional four aircraft based at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.

Typhoons flying from bases in Cyprus and the UK are now patrolling NATO airspace over Romania and Poland alongside NATO allies with Voyager air-to-air refuelling aircraft in support.

WASHINGTON, 27 February 2022, (TON): Biden administration and congressional aides said “the White House asked Congress to approve $6.4 billion in aid to address the humanitarian and security crisis in Ukraine after Russia invaded the country this week.”

An official from the White House Office of Management and Budget said "in a recent conversation with lawmakers, the administration identified the need for additional US humanitarian, security, and economic assistance to Ukraine and Central European partners due to Russia's unprovoked and unjustified invasion.”

The request included $2.9 billion in security and humanitarian assistance and $3.5 billion for the Department of Defence.

Congressional aides said the administration had made the request on Friday at a briefing for staff from congressional leadership offices and relevant committees, including the appropriations committees that set spending.

LONDON, 27 February 2022, (TON): According to a newspaper close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei “Iran’s ambassador to the UK has been dismissed due to an unconventional event at Tehran’s London embassy.”

Kayhan newspaper said on Saturday that the ambassador, Mohsen Baharvand, had been dismissed from his post over a norm-breaking ceremony two weeks ago to mark the anniversary of 1979 Islamic revolution.

According to the semi-official ILNA news agency, foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said Baharvand was on the change list along with 37 other ambassadors.

Officially, the reason for Baharvand’s removal has not been disclosed.

However, a video posted online allegedly from the ceremony showed women without  hijabs, which are compulsory by law in public in Iran.

BERLIN, 27 February 2022, (TON): Germany is in the process of approving a decision to supply Ukraine with 400 hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers via a third country. This was reported on Saturday by Reuters , citing a diplomatic source from the European Union.

According to him “Berlin has already delivered RPGs to a third country. States wishing to export German weapons must first obtain approval in Berlin, the agency explains.”

The German authorities oppose the provision of lethal weapons to Ukraine, which they have repeatedly emphasized.

However, Berlin is under strong pressure from EU partners, primarily Poland, the Baltic countries and the United States, who demand “clear signals” from the German government in the direction of Moscow.

ANKARA, 27 February 2022, (TON): The Russian Embassy in Turkey did not receive notifications about the closure of the straits for the passage of Russian warships.

Volodymyr Zelensky published a statement on the topic of banning the passage of Russian ships through the straits in Turkey, without indicating whether such a decision was made by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan or not, there is no confirmation from the Turkish side at the moment.

Earlier, Ukrainian Ambass-ador to Turkey Vasily Bon-dar said that Kiev demands Ankara to close the straits for Russian ships. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Turkey can close the Bosporus and Dardanelles for the passage of Russian warships, but the Russian side will have the right to return its fleet to the base.

The diplomatic mission told “the embassy has not received any official notifications from the Turkish side regarding the closure of the straits for Russian warships.”