Digital Security Act not against journos: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said the spread of cybercrime as a global phenomenon warranted the enactment of Digital Security Act 2018 and that it is "not against the journalists". "You [journalists] are only seeing one side of the law fearing it could gag you. In fact, there is nothing to muzzle the journalists," she said replying to a query at a press conference in New York on September 28. She also questioned if it was not essential to check various offences in social and digital media at a time when everyone, including minor children, were stepping into the wrong paths due to lack of cyber security. The PM said the cyber security issue also featured at the UN General Assembly as every country was worried that terrorist and militant activities were incited using the ICT.

UN for inclusive polls

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed hope that the next general election in Bangladesh would be a participatory one. He expressed the optimism during a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the UN headquarters on September 27. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque said the UN expressed full solidarity with the Bangladesh government and its people. Highly appreciating the country's development under the leadership of Hasina, the UN chief said many countries could learn from it. "You can become a role model for many heads of state and government," Shahidul quoted the UN secretary-general telling the PM. The UN secretary-general stressed the need for facing the climate change unitedly and requested Hasina to continue with her leadership on the issue.

WB projects 7% growth for Bangladesh in FY19

World Bank has projected a seven per cent growth for Bangladesh in the fiscal 2018-19. The growth is driven by industry and services on the supply side and private consumption and investment on the demand side, they said in a report released on October 2. The report 'Bangladesh Development Update: Powering the Economic Efficiency' said Bangladesh's economy is still one of the fastest growing economies in the developing world. "To realise its goals of achieving upper-middle income status, Bangladesh must make sure its economic fundamentals are sound," said Zahid Hussain, lead economist of the World Bank and the author of the report. "As immediate measures, the country needs policies to contain inflation, correct the exchange rate, and remove interest rate distortions," he added.

2 Defamation Cases: SC upholds Khaleda's bail

The Supreme Court on October2 upheld the High Court orders that granted bail to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in two separate defamation cases filed in Dhaka and Narail. A three-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain dismissed two separate petitions filed by the government seeking stay on the HC bail orders. However, Khaleda cannot walk out of jail now as she has been shown arrested in a few other cases. Attorney General Mahbubey Alam appeared for the government, while AJ Mohammad Ali represented Khaleda. On December 21, 2015, Khaleda at a discussion at Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh raised questions about the number of Liberation War martyrs. She said, "There are controversies over how many were martyred in the Liberation War." Raihan Farooque Imam of Naragati in Narail filed a defamation case against her on December 24 in connection with the remark.