As the Bali Process ministers concluded their meeting in Adelaide Friday, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) welcomed the endorsement of an updated strategy for cooperation designed to reinvigorate an agile, relevant and responsive Bali Process as it moves beyond 20 years since its establishment. The eight ministerial meeting reviewed developments in the Bali Process region and agreed priorities to address emerging challenges in relation to people smuggling, human trafficking and related transnational crimes. Officials were tasked to reactivate the consultation mechanism in response to the increased maritime movements and explore options for Bali Process engagement and support. The three UN agencies continued to stress the need for prompt search and rescue and timely disembarkation in a place of safety when lives at sea are in danger. Last year was one of the deadliest years in the region since the Andaman Sea Crisis in 2015. In 2022, more than 3,600 Rohingya refugees were adrift in the sea, with over 340 dead or missing. "We need to save lives. We need a regional conversation to establish a predictable and equitable mechanism for disembarkation and to support states where disembarkation takes place," said Gillian Triggs, UNHCR's assistant high commissioner for protection. "Not allowing disembarkation has cost human lives, and the duty to rescue is not only a legal international obligation but also a moral one."  IOM, UNHCR and UNODC also shared a proposal for action that provides practical suggestions for enhancing cooperation, including through the use of a regional consultation mechanism to address maritime movements in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. If activated, this would allow members to better engage in the response to urgent irregular migration emergencies and be an instrument for effective dialogue and coordination. Additionally, the UN agencies continued to urge members to build the capacity of states to initiate proactive and joint investigations of criminal networks involved in transnational organised crimes, offering support in tackling common issues affecting member states in the region and beyond. "Given the most recent trafficking trends into forced criminality, IOM reiterates the importance of screening irregular migrants for vulnerability to understand when states may be dealing with victims of trafficking who need specialized support," said Sarah Lou Ysmael Arriola, IOM regional director for Asia and the Pacific. "This would both offer better protection for people in vulnerable situations, but also provide valuable information to law enforcement on possible criminal activity." Trafficking to commit online fraud and scams occurs in the context of growing organised criminality in the region. To address this complex challenge, a comprehensive response must entail tackling corruption, money laundering, human trafficking and cybercrime, while protecting those who were exploited and forced to participate in activities exclusively profiting organised criminal groups.  "We need a strong political commitment to take on these challenges. And it will need to be put into action through targeted responses," said Jeremy Douglas, the UNODC regional representative. "To this end, we are in discussions to develop a regional framework to address transnational organised crimes specifically related to scams and connected crimes, strategic coherence and operational results are urgently needed." In addition to efforts to tackle people smuggling, human trafficking and related transnational crime, the root causes underlying displacement and factors influencing desperate boat journeys also need to be addressed. This year also marks the second Global Refugee Forum, co-convened by Japan in Geneva this December, which would be a moment for Bali Process members to further demonstrate solidarity to address displacement issues. The UN agencies had earlier called for the meeting to not only reaffirm previous commitments made in 2016 and 2018 but also to fully materialise and operationalise these commitments. Read more: Bali Process: Momen calls for sustainable solution over 'painkiller'

Australia, one of the top crickets playing nations, will host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2022 for the first time. Local people and international fans will have the opportunity to join the festival and enjoy the host cities’ marvelous tourist spots, exotic foods, versatile culture, and more. The world Cup tournament’s 45 matches will be played in seven stadiums located across 7 big cities including Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Geelong, Hobart, Melbourne, and Perth. Let’s take a look at the top things to do in the host cities for the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Host cities for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Australia 2022 You should not just enjoy your time watching some exciting matches. You can also check out what these cities have in their bucket to offer you. Sydney Sydney is a beautiful city with plenty to see and do. From the iconic Sydney Opera House to the attractive Bondi Beach, there is something for everyone to enjoy.  Read ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022: Meet the 16 Captains Regarding food, Sydney offers a wide variety of cuisines from all over the world. If you are looking for something truly unique, be sure to try one of the city’s many Aboriginal restaurants.

Tim Paine took over the Australian test cricket team captaincy following one of the country's biggest and and most embarrassing international scandals. He's lost it following a more personal indiscretion. Paine quit as test captain on Friday after being investigated by Cricket Australia for sending explicit text messages to a female co-worker four years ago. Veteran wicketkeeper Paine was named in a News Corp. report as being at the center of the sexting scandal. The 36-year-old Paine appeared before media on Friday in Adelaide to announce he was resigning the captaincy but wanted to remain a member of the test squad. Also read: Australian court rules media liable for Facebook comments The announcement comes less than three weeks before the Dec. 8 start in Brisbane of the five-test Ashes series against England. Paine, who underwent surgery in September to repair a pinched nerve in his neck and isn't a certainty to be a starter in the Ashes series, became test captain in March 2018 after Steve Smith lost the role following the sandpaper ball-tampering scandal in South Africa. During the third test match against South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town, Cameron Bancroft was caught by television cameras trying to rough up one side of the ball with sandpaper. Smith and vice-captain David Warner were found to be involved and all three received sanctions from Cricket Australia, and when Smith was dumped as captain, Paine took charge. Until Friday. “It’s an incredibly difficult decision, but the right one for me, my family, and cricket,” Paine said. “As a background on my decision, nearly four years ago, I was involved in a text exchange with a then-colleague. “At the time, the exchange was the subject of a thorough CA integrity unit investigation, throughout which I fully participated in and openly participated in. Although exonerated, I deeply regretted this incident at the time, and still do today." Also read: Australian baseball team withdraws from Olympic qualifying The messages date to 2017, months before Paine was recalled to the test team after a seven-year absence. Cricket Australia's statement said its board had accepted Paine's resignation and will look to appoint a new test captain. “Tim felt it was in the best interests of his family and Australian cricket to take this decision to step down as captain," CA board chairman Richard Freudenstein said. “While the board acknowledges an investigation cleared Tim of any breach of the code of conduct regarding this matter some years ago, we respect his decision. “CA does not condone this type of language or behavior. Despite the mistake he made, Tim has been an exceptional leader since his appointment and the board thanks him for his distinguished service." Cricket Australia said Paine "will continue to be available for selection in the test team through the Ashes summer.” He was among the 15 players named earlier this week for the Ashes. Paine said at the media conference that he thought the matter had been dealt with several years ago. “I spoke to my wife and family at the time and am enormously grateful for their forgiveness and support," Paine said. "We thought this incident was behind us and that I could focus entirely on the team, as I have done for the last three or four years. “However, I recently became aware that this private text exchange was going to become public.” Paine said he didn't want the scandal to become “an unwelcome disruption to the team ahead of what is a huge Ashes series." The series is one of the most anticipated in world cricket. After the opening test match in Brisbane, further matches are scheduled for Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. Australia holds the Ashes. “I have loved my role as captain of the Australian cricket team," Paine said Friday. “I’m grateful for the support of my teammates and proud of what we’ve been able to achieve together. To them, I ask for their understanding and forgiveness. To Australian cricket fans I’m deeply sorry that my past behavior has impacted our game on the eve of the Ashes. “ Cricket Tasmania released a statement Friday saying the allegations against Paine were only raised when the female employee was charged with theft. Chairman Andrew Gaggin said no complaint was made until mid-2018 following the message exchanges in November 2017. “As soon as Cricket Tasmania was made aware, it undertook an investigation that determined the interaction was consensual, private, occurred on the one occasion only, was between mature adults and was not repeated,” Gaggin said. Paine has played 35 tests for Australia, taking 150 catches behind the stumps. He has scored 1,534 runs at an average of 32.63 with a high score of 92 and nine half-centuries. Pat Cummins is now favored to become the first fast bowler to assume the full-time captaincy of the test team, although once sandpaper-tainted Steve Smith's name has also been mentioned.