Environment minister's controversial statement about tigers

Star Online Report

Meet Bangladesh’s Environment and Forest Minister Anwar Hossain Manju who seemed least bothered about the number of country’s national animal, the Bengal Tiger.
On the occasion of World Environment Day today, we bring to you the minister who advised activists not to bother about cutting down "some trees".
“Corruption is rampant in the country of 160 million people and you are telling me to be concerned over only 15 trees?” Manju said while talking to an environmental organisation in Sylhet, according to a local media Sylhet Today24.com.
“The people of southern Bangladesh don’t have gas; if they don’t cut trees what will they cook with?”
Regarding the safety of tigers in the world’s largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, the minister said: “We got $1,300 million to protect tigers there. I have said in my speech that we cannot save 160 million people, how can we save 400 tigers?”
He also went on to say: “There may be some 400 tigers in the Sundarbans. But who cares?

They gave money so I wrote down 440 tigers. Do you know people and tigers both sleep in the vicinity of the Sundarbans?”
Regarding environmental organisations and NGOs, the minister said, “This is a business and one of the most lucrative businesses around. We are talking about environment now, because international organisations give us money…they don’t give it to you, they give it to me” he added.

India PM Modi pays homage to Bangladesh war heroes, founding father

Star Online Report

Paying homage to Bangladesh’s founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today termed him as an “icon of democracy” and “a great friend of India”.
The visiting Indian premier made the remark in a tweet he posted while paying homage to Bangabandhu, whom he also termed as a “towering personality”, at Bangabandhu Bhaban in Dhanmondi after visiting the National Memorial in Savar earlier in the day.

“Bangabandhu lived here from 1961 till his assassination on the night of 14-15 August 1975,” Modie tweeted with a photograph taken inside the house.

There, he placed wreaths at the portrait of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and also visited Bangabandhu Memorial Museum.

Narendra Modi visits Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi-32 in Dhaka on Saturday. Photo: Twitter/ @PMOIndia

Posting several pictures, he wrote on his Twitter account: “Pictures from the house where history was scripted by Bangabandhu.”

Earlier, Modi paid homage to martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War at the National Memorial at Savar on the outskirts of the capital.
Top officials who flew in with him here and officials at Indian high commission here accompanied him to the war memorial.
“Foundation Stone for Jatiyo Smriti Shoudho was laid by Bangabandhu himself. Design was chosen from various entries obtained in a competition,” reads another Tweet of the Indian premier.
He went there immediately after landing at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka around 10:10am by a special aircraft of the Indian Air Force.

“Memorial gives impression of rising from the ashes like a phoenix. It symbolises courage & determination of people,” he wrote in another tweet.

This is Modi's first Bangladesh trip after he took over as the prime minister of India following the landslide victory of his party – Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – in Indian election last year.

Deals worth $5.5b power plants inked with Indian companies

Bangladesh signed MoUs with Indian companies to set up two power plants. Star file photo of Pabna power plant.

Star Online Report

Bangladesh today signed two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with two Indian companies to set up 4,600-megawatt power plants in the country.
The deals worth $5.5 billion were inked between Power Development Board of Bangladesh and Indian companies Adani Power Limited and Reliance Group at the Bidyut Bhaban in Dhaka around 11:30am.
The MoUs were signed when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is paying his maiden trip to Bangladesh.
Adani Power Limited will invest $2.5 billion to set up a coal-based power plant with capacity of 1,600MW power.
The Reliance Group signed the deal to set up an imported Liquefied Natural Gas-based power plant in Bangladesh with capacity of 3,000MW power. The group will invest $3 billion to set up the plant.
The sites for setting up the power plants are yet to be decided.