SYDNEY, 30 November 2022, (TON): Australia’s parliament voted to censure former Liberal prime minister Scott Morrison after an inquiry found his secret appointment to multiple ministries during the COVID-19 pandemic undermined trust in government.

Morrison, who lost power in a general election in May, secretly accumulated five ministerial roles during the pandemic: health, finance, treasury, resources and home affairs.

The historic motion, brought by the ruling Labor party, passed by 86 votes to 50 in the country’s lower house.

Morrison has said “his decisions were lawful, and that the decision was necessary in case ministers became incapacitated during the pandemic.”

DHAKA, 30 November 2022, (TON): BGB Director General Major General Shakil Ahmed said “Myanmar has assured that it will not violate Bangladesh's airspace in the future.”

The BGB DG said "there have been some incidents of airspace violations. We have taken this issue seriously.”

BGB DG said "we have requested them to inform us if they need to fly a drone or a chopper in the border area, so that we can monitor if any type of airspace violation occurs. They have assured us that no such incidents will take place in future.”

Shakil Ahmed said “the BGP has expressed regret over recent shelling incidents inside the Bangladesh border.”

WASHINGTON, 30 November 2022, (TON): French President Emmanuel Macron is headed to Washington for the first state visit of Joe Biden’s presidency a revival of diplomatic pageantry that had been put on hold because of the pandemic.

The Biden-Macron relationship had a choppy start. Macron briefly recalled France’s ambassador to the United States last year after the White House announced a deal to sell nuclear submarines to Australia, undermining a contract for France to sell diesel-powered submarines.

But the relationship has turned around with Macron emerging as one of Biden’s most forward-facing European allies in the Western response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

This week’s visit it will include Oval Office talks, a glitzy dinner, a news conference and more comes at a critical moment for both leaders.

DHAKA, 30 November 2022, (TON): Officials said “the Bangladesh Navy is hosting the first-ever International Fleet Review at Inani of Cox’s Bazar between December 6 and 9.”

They added “Naval commanders, ships from some 30 countries including the United States, China, India and the neighbouring Myanmar would participate in the international gathering.”

According to a letter from the Armed Forces Division, the US Pacific fleet commander Admiral Samuel J Paparo Jr, Indian chief of naval staff Admiral R Hari Kumar and Indian Coast Guard director general Virender Singh Pathania, among others, were scheduled to visit Cox’s Bazar with their aircraft.

WASHINGTON, 30 November 2022, (TON): Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met today with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in Bucharest, Romania.

They discussed bilateral cooperation in response to Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine and our close and continuing partnership as NATO Allies.

The Secretary and President Iohannis also discussed our collaboration on regional energy security and spoke about our shared democratic values and commitment to the rule of law.

DHAKA, 30 November 2022, (TON): Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh, Ito Naoki said “Japan is the largest bilateral development partner of Bangladesh. It has provided about $27 billion in grants and loans to Bangladesh since 1971. Japan is currently implementing some of the major infrastructure projects.”

Ambassador said “the two countries are willing to elevate the relations to a strategic level during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to Japan.”

Naoki said “we are working on the visit because it will be immensely beneficial for us to deepen our friendship. We still have a lot of room for developing our partnership and cooperation for peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region. I hope the visit will take place sooner rather than later and elevate our partnership.”

He added “it is not only me. All the like minded countries' missions here hope that there will be free, fair and participatory elections. I have been talking to all the interlocutors of mine during my assignment here.”

RIYADH, 30 November 2022, (TON): Saudi Press Agency reported “Saudi Arabia extended the term for a $5 billion deposit the Kingdom made to Egypt’s central bank.”

The extension comes at the directive of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and aims to enhance economic stability in Egypt.

There is continuous communication between authorities in the two countries in order to enhance coordination, especially with regard to pumping numerous investments in foreign currencies into the Egyptian market in addition to Saudi deposits.

It is hoped that these investments will contribute to opening new funding channels with regional and international organizations.

WASHINGTON, 30 November 2022, (TON): Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland will travel to Lodz, Poland November 30 to December 1, where she will attend the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

Under Secretary Nuland will reiterate the United States’ commitment to the OSCE’s foundational principles to advance security, prosperity, human rights, and territorial integrity particularly in the face of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Under Secretary Nuland will also meet with Polish officials to thank Poland for its leadership as OSCE chair and underscore the U.S. commitment to NATO’s Eastern Flank.

DHAKA, 30 November 2022, (TON): Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding with state-owned Bangladesh Power Development Board to set up a 1000MW solar power plant in Bangladesh.

Welcoming the initiative, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said “the investment and technology of the ACWA will help Bangladesh achieve its clean energy goal of 2041.”

He said “Bangladesh has been supporting renewable energy in different ways.”

NEW DELHI, 30 November 2022, (TON): Indian and US troops participated in a high-altitude training exercise in a cold, mountainous terrain near India's disputed border with China, at a time both countries are trying to manage rising tensions with Beijing.

During the exercise, Indian soldiers were dropped from helicopters to flush out gunmen from a house in a demonstration of unarmed combat skills.

Other drills involved sniffer dogs and unmanned bomb-disposing vehicles, and trained kites were deployed to destroy small enemy drones.

Brig said "overall, it has been a great learning experience. There has been sharing of best practices between both the armies.”