Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said police and intelligence agencies are working to strengthen security across the country ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr. He said this after a meeting for the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr at the Home Ministry conference room at the Secretariat on Monday (April 1). The minister said all measures will be taken to maintain law and order across the country during Eid-ul-Fitr. Police and intelligence agencies will be deployed alongside uniformed police to prevent theft, robbery, hijacking, extortion and terrorist activities. He said police patrols will be in all important places, big cities and ports, including the diplomatic areas of the capital. Besides, special measures will be taken to maintain law and order on waterways.

Report says Xiangguo Qiu secretly worked with Wuhan Institute for Virology and posed a ‘threat to Canada’s economic security’ A leading research scientist at Canada’s highest-security laboratory provided confidential scientific information to Chinese institutions, met secretly with officials and posed “a realistic and credible threat to Canada’s economic security” according to newly released intelligence reports. The dismissal of Xiangguo Qiu and her husband, Keding Cheng, has been shrouded in mystery ever since the couple were escorted from Winnipeg’s National Microbiology Laboratory in 2019 and formally fired two years later. Intelligence assessments released late on Wednesday afternoon alleged that Qiu’s “close and clandestine relationships” with Chinese institutions which showed a “reckless judgment” could have harmed Canada’s national security. The assessments were among more than 600 documents released after a long fight with opposition legislators who had demanded information behind the sackings. CSIS, Canada’s intelligence agency, concluded that in security-screening interviews, Qiu repeatedly lied about about her relationship with research institutions linked to the Chinese government. Even when confronted with contradictory evidence, “Ms Qiu continued to make blanket denials, feign ignorance or tell outright lies.” In one instance, Qiu told investigators a 2018 trip to China was a personal vacation. But she eventually admitted the trip was paid for by Wuhan Institute for Virology and that she met the a senior member of the organization during the trip. Investigators also found evidence of application from Qiu agreeing to work for the Wuhan Virology Institute for at least two months each year, with the aim of augmenting China’s “biosecurity platform for new and potent infectious disease research”, according to the CSIS report. Qiu admitted she sent an Ebola sample to China’s national institute for food and drug control, which was attempting to develop an inhibitor to the virus. But she did so without a material transfer agreement or collaboration agreement. Qiu also allowed two employees of a Chinese institution, “whose work is not aligned with Canadian interests” access to the lab. Both Qiu and Cheng filed grievances for their dismissal but have not commented on the allegations in the documents. Their current whereabouts are unknown. In a letter to Cheng, the public health agency said there were “serious concerns” over his “close personal and professional relationship with Xiangguo Qiu” and his “awareness and lack of candour regarding your own activities and those of Xiangguo Qiu with individuals and entities of a foreign government”. Qiu was told by the health agency that “during the entire [investigative] process, you did not express remorse or regret” and at times tried to deflect blame onto the public health agency. “You cannot be relied upon not to abuse the trust accorded to you and to perform your assigned duties in a manner that will reflect positively on PHAC and not pose a security risk to the government of Canada and PHAC,” the agency said. Canada’s Liberal government has fought the release of the documents for years. The government initially released heavily redacted documents, which left opposition parties frustrated with what they felt was a lack of candour by Justin Trudeau’s government. A recent unified motion by opposition parties finally compelled the release of the investigation. The Health minister, Mark Holland, acknowledged “a lax adherence to the securities and protocols” at the lab, which is overseen by the public health agency of Canada. But Holland said “at no time” were there breaches of national secrets or information from the lab. The Conservative party, which is currently polling far ahead of the Liberals, accused the Trudeau’s government of permitting the Chinese government to infiltrate Canada’s highest-security lab. “This is a massive national security failure by Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government, which he fought tooth and nail to cover up,” said the Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre.   Source: The Guardian

The intelligence leaders of the 'Five Eyes' countries have accused China of posing a threat to the world, alleging that the country is stealing intellectual property, trade secrets, and personal data all across the world, as reported by CBS News. These leaders made these claims on the news show '60 Minutes' on CBS News. 'Five Eyes' is a security alliance formed after World War II, comprising the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It monitors the global threat landscape, including events such as the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in West Asia, Russia's military offensive in Ukraine, and what they refer to as China's unprecedented global espionage campaign. According to CBS News, when discussing China's espionage, FBI Director Wray noted that there are approximately 2,000 active investigations underway to uncover Chinese efforts to steal data from various countries. "The People's Republic of China represents the defining threat of this generation this era. There is no country that presents a broader, more comprehensive threat to our ideas, our-- our innovation, our economic security, and ultimately our national security. We have seen efforts by the Chinese government, directly or indirectly, trying to steal intellectual property, trade secrets, personal data-- all across the country," he said. He added, "We're talking everything from Fortune 100 companies, all to smaller startups. We're talking about agriculture, biotech, health care, robotics, aviation, academic research. We probably have somewhere in the order of 2,000 active investigations that are just related to the Chinese government's effort to steal information." Apart from this, the Director General of MI5, the U.K.'s FBI, Ken McCallum emphasized that China is making efforts to steal the military, government as well as academic data of the country. McCallum stated, "This is not just about government secrets or military secrets. It's not even just about critical infrastructure. It's about academic research in our universities. It's about promising startup companies. People, in short, who probably don't think national security is about them." In the same event, the intelligence leaders of the 'Five Eyes' countries flagged concerns over ongoing global espionage by China, CBS News reported. David Vigneault, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, said the partnership between the leaders of the 'Five Eyes' strengthens the alliance. According to CBS News, the leaders of 'Five Eyes' nations, along with FBI Director Christopher Wray, made their first joint public appearance last week to issue a warning on the global espionage by China. "The People's Republic of China represents the defining threat of this generation, this era," Wray said at the joint public appearance, adding, "There is no country that presents a broader, more comprehensive threat to our ideas, our innovation, our economic security, and ultimately our national security." The intelligence directors warned further that in addition to the threats to national security, China has been stealing intellectual property from companies, CBS News reported. Mike Burgess, the director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, highlighted that one way in which China steals intellectual property is by targeting people on professional networking sites. The Chinese state actor pretends to be a consultant or a conference host and then uses the site to lure a businessman to a third country, CBS News quoted them as saying. The actor may access the target's computer in their hotel room and steal intellectual property from the target's company, they added." They seize commercial advantage to our disadvantage," Burgess was quoted as saying further by CBS News. The Chinese government targets dissidents across the world through a programme named 'Operation Fox Hunt', which is an initiative supposedly intended to find fugitives charged with domestic corruption, the report noted. FBI Director Wray noted that China used this programme to harass, stalk, surveil, and intimidate Chinese dissidents in foreign countries. "These are uncoordinated law enforcement operations that violate our sovereignty and international norms," Wray added. Later, during the news show 60 Minutes, the Five Eyes leaders also addressed the "perennial threat" posed by Russia. Ken McCallum, the Director General of M15, which is responsible for protecting the UK, its citizens and its interests at home and overseas against threats to national security, said his country had taken strict action against the Russian's covert presence even before its "invasion" of Ukraine, reported CBS News. After a British double agent was poisoned in the English city of Salisbury in 2018, the UK removed the undeclared Russian intelligence officers who were part of the Russian diplomatic presence in the country. McCallum added that since the "invasion" of Ukraine, the UK has expelled several Russian diplomats. "But in our line of work, never underestimate the Russian intelligence services. They will be looking to use any other available means, including cyber methodology, to continue to exert influence and gather intelligence," McCallum added. Meanwhile, Wray said the FBI has partnered with other intelligence operations to disrupt significant Russian cyber operations, including a malware called "Snake", CBS News reported. He added that the FBI and its partners were able to turn the malware on itself, later rendering it ineffective, the report added. The director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Vigneault, explained how he and his colleagues manage everything that is going on across the world. He made an analogy borrowing from his country's national pastime -- ice hockey. "When the puck goes into the corner and you have to defend yourselves, you know you have your partners with you, your players with you on the ice to defend," Vigneault said, adding, "And that's what makes us stand taller in front of the threat." 

UN official Lt Col (retd) Sufiul Anam, abducted by Al Qaeda in Yemen in February 2022, has been rescued by the National Security Intelligence (NSI), under the direct instructions of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.  Lt Col (retd) Sufiul Anam was abducted by al Qaeda in Yemen 18 months ago. On February 11, 2022, Lt Col (retd) Sufiul Anam, who works in the United Nations, was abducted from Yemen's Mudiah province by members of al-Qaeda and $3 million was asked as ransom for him. Bangladeshi news agency UNB reports that, Sufiul Anam is physically in good health.  "He will likely be brought home on Wednesday and handed over to his family" also said it in that report. Lt Col (retd) Sufiul Anam expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for rescuing him and sought prayers from the countrymen.

India and the European Union will coordinate within the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) and explore bilateral cooperation on trustworthy and responsible Artificial Intelligence, including in research and innovation, according to India-EU joint statement. The two sides will coordinate their policies with regard to the strategic semiconductor sector, with the aim of concluding a Memorandum of Understanding by September 2023. Furthermore, India and the European Union will work towards bridging the digital skills gap, explore Mutual Recognition of certifications and make progress on the promotion of skilled professionals and exchange of talent. They will also enhance cooperation on IT and Telecoms Standardisation with a particular focus on promoting interoperable standards. Both sides recognise the importance of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for the development of open and inclusive digital economies and digital societies, and realise that the DPI approach leverages technology, markets and governance to create population-scale digital ecosystems that promote inclusive development and competitive markets and accelerates the progress for achieving 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goals, added the statement. To that end, India and the European Union have agreed to collaborate on enhancing the interoperability of their respective Digital Public Infrastructures and on this basis jointly promote secure, privacy-preserving solutions to the benefit of Developing Countries. In addition to the abovementioned priorities, there is an opportunity for both sides to work together on areas such as Platforms, Data Governance and Telecoms Regulation. India and the European Union have set ambitious goals of achieving net zero emissions by 2070 and 2050 respectively. They have also taken commitments to halt and reverse Biodiversity loss by 2030 and to promote Circular Economy. "Achieving these targets and objectives will require significant investments in new clean technologies as well as increased research and innovation efforts. To this end, the Working Group on Green and Clean Energy Technologies will focus on relevant aspects of three areas: (1) Renewable and Low Carbon Hydrogen; (2) Batteries for Electrical Vehicles and (3) Standards Under these focus areas, India and the EU will start with implementing the joint wastewater treatment and management projects to facilitate their market uptake; work on wastewater to energy and on waste to Hydrogen; undertake gap analysis on how to tackle marine plastic litter/pollution; share knowledge on circularity aspects of batteries and recover raw materials; and develop standards that can ensure interoperability, including for Renewable and Low Carbon Hydrogen," read the statement. By investing in these areas, India and the European Union will seek to drive innovation and promote sustainable development in a way that helps meet their respective climate targets, strengthening the role of start-ups, and building skills and capacity. Working Group on Trade, Investment and Resilient Value Chains aims to deepen bilateral cooperation in specific areas of mutual interest. They complement the ongoing negotiations for legally binding agreements on Trade, Investment Protection and Geographical Indications, that proceed on a separate track. To this end, the two sides intend, in the year to come, to focus on the following four areas: Resilient Value Chains; Market Access; exchange of information and multilateral trade issues, with particular emphasis on the World Trade Organization, including the forthcoming Ministerial conference-13. The sides will also intensify their engagement to address the issues that emerge in the implementation of carbon border measures. India and the European Union underlined the importance of advancing across all Working Groups established under the TIC. The co-chairs will meet again in early 2024 in India to take stock of the progress achieved and decide on further actions. India - EU Trade and Technology Council (TIC) met in Brussels on May 16, 2023. The meeting was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Commerce Minister, Piyush Goyal and Minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar with European Commission Executive Vice-Presidents Margrethe Vestager and Valdis Dombrovskis, and joined by High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell and European Commissioner Thierry Breton. "Just concluded an extremely productive 1st India-EU Trade and Technology Council meeting. Thank European Commission VPs @vestager and @VDombrovskis for hosting the Indian Ministerial delegation," tweeted Jaishankar. Rapid changes in the world's geopolitical environment highlighted the need for an even deeper strategic partnership between India and the European Union. "On strategic technologies, digital governance and connectivity; clean and green energy technologies; resilient value chains, our discussions were truly meaningful," tweeted Jaishankar. As vibrant democracies, open market economies and pluralistic societies, India and the European Union share fundamental values and have a common interest in ensuring security, prosperity and sustainable development in a multi-polar world. "Exchanged perspectives on economic security; cooperation in third countries including connectivity and derisking the global economy. Confident that this mechanism will further energise our strategic partnership," tweeted Jaishankar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ursula von der Leyen agreed to set up the TTC as a key coordination platform to address key trade, trusted technology and security challenges, to promote a human-centric approach to digital transformation, and to deepen their bilateral relationship in these fields. The choice of this format reflects the strategic nature both sides attach to their bilateral relationship, the desire to guide their cooperation towards tangible results and the geopolitical significance of their trade and technology links in the context of a more contested and rapidly evolving international environment, added the statement. They reaffirmed that international rules-based approaches to trade, technology, and innovation that are founded on solid democratic principles and values can improve the lives of their citizens and generate greater prosperity for people around the world. India and the European Union are committed to deepening their partnership and leveraging their respective strengths to accelerate the development and deployment of advanced digital technologies that will benefit both societies and promote global progress in line with our common values, read the joint statement. The India-EU TTC Working Group on Strategic Technologies, Digital Governance and Digital Connectivity defined priority areas and outlined the next steps. The India and the European Union will undertake Quantum and High-Performance Computing research and development projects that could address climate change, natural hazards, bio-informatics, bio-molecular research, and drug development. 

India has appointed robust security and intelligence grid to ensure the safety of the minority communities in Srinagar, informed the Ministry of Home Affairs of the state.   In his written reply in Rajya Sabha to a question by Congress MP Naranbhai J Rathwa on steps being taken to protect the Minority Community in Srinagar, Rai said, “A robust security and intelligence grid is in place to ensure the safety of minority community in Srinagar.” “In addition to group security in the form of static guards, day and night area domination and patrolling is being carried out in the areas where the minorities reside besides proactive operations against militants,” he added. He further informed Rajya Sabha that people from Hindu and Sikh communities are leaving Srinagar due to safety. He said that in October 2021, approximately 115 Kashmiri Pandit families, mostly women and children, living in Kashmir have moved to the Jammu region. “These are the families government employees, many of whom, move to Jammu in winter as part of the movement of officials and the winter vacation in education institutions,” he added The union minister said that an ex gratia of Rs 1 lakh is paid to the Next of the Kins (NoKs) of civilians killed in militancy-related violence under the existing scheme of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir.   Source: ANI  

US President Joe Biden said Wednesday he has already seen a soon-to-be released intelligence report detailing the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. “Yes I have,” he told reporters when asked if he’d read the intelligence assessment. Earlier, the White House said the unclassified report would be out “soon.” Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden was also “soon” due to speak with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman for the first time since taking office in January. Psaki would not confirm a report in Axios that the Biden call with Salman would take place Wednesday and that the unclassified intelligence report would be published Thursday. Asked when the call would take place, Biden only said: “We’re going to be talking to him, I have not spoken to him yet.” Khashoggi, a Saudi who wrote for The Washington Post and was a US resident, was killed and dismembered in 2018 inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The CIA has directly linked Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the murder. He has accepted overall responsibility, as his country’s leader, but denies a personal link. Biden has stressed he will “recalibrate” the US relationship with Saudi Arabia. This will mean steering away from former president Donald Trump’s reliance on Prince Mohammed and dealing directly with the king, the White House says. However, there are clearly limits to how far the Biden administration is ready to go in punishing oil-rich Saudi Arabia, a strategic ally in the Islamic world. “He will speak out when there are human rights abuses, about the lack of freedom of speech, or the lack of freedom of media and expression,” Psaki said. “At the same time, we have a long relationship with Saudi Arabia. They are being attacked in the region and that is certainly an area where we continue to work with them.” The contents of the intelligence report will pile pressure on the Saudi leadership, which got little pushback from the Trump administration. Already the episode has badly tarnished the reputation of the powerful crown prince who had positioned himself as a forward thinking reformer in the monarchy. According to CNN on Wednesday, court documents in a Canadian civil lawsuit filed earlier this year show that two private jets used by the squad allegedly sent to murder Khashoggi were owned by a company earlier seized by Prince Mohammed. Source: AFP/BSS AH

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday said the new book containing the secret documents of Pakistani Intelligence Branch (IB) on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman will provide an immense opportunity to people to know about the Father of the Nation properly and elaborately.   "To me, it’s the diamond out of a coalmine. We’d been able to find the diamond mine inside the coalmine," she said.   The Prime Minister was speaking at the publication ceremony of the first edition of 'Secret Documents of Intelligence Branch on Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman' at her official residence Ganobhaban. Reports UNB.   Emeritus Professor Rafiqul Islam chaired the function while Bangla Academy Director General Prof Shamsuzzaman Khan was the discussant.   Sheikh Hasina, the elder daughter of the Father of the Nation, said there is a priceless depot of information in these books.   "The IB reports are against Bangabandhu. There’s nothing in favor of him, everything is against him. Why have we published these reports? It’s my interest that by this publication, people will know each and every activity, move and speech of the Father of the Nation from 1948-71. There’re so many information there," she said.   The Prime Minister also said the IB reports will give the readers, researchers and others an opportunity to find out the most valuable information about Bangabandhu. "Country’s people will be able to know a lot about the Father of the Nation."   Mentioning that there are some questions about how Bangabandhu had contributed to the Language Movement as he had been in jail at that time, Hasina said, “The hostile attitude of a section of people will be removed after reading these documents."   Explaining the reason behind the publication of the IB reports, she said, “I took the step to publish those as country’s people will be able to divulge truth from these. They’ll know the history of Bangladesh. They’ll be able to know how we got the independence."   Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Javed Patwary, Golam Mostafa of Hakkani Publishers, Father of the Nation Bangbanadhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Trust Member Secretary Sheikh Hajizur Rahman and Curator Nazrul Islam Khan also spoke at the programme.   Bangabandhu Memorial Trust is funding the publication of the book. Hakkani Publishers will publish the book in 14 volumes.   Pakistani Intelligence Branch (IB) used to make reports on Bangabandhu every day.   The book will contain different information on the country’s War of Liberation and founding of Awami League, letters written to Bangabandhu by his party leaders and workers, relatives and speeches delivered by him at different meetings and public rallies. AH