The interim government of Bangladesh is set to be sworn in today. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus will lead the government when he arrives in the country, the army chief announced. Mr Yunus, who is currently in France, has said he was looking forward to helping the country overcome its current turbulence. The caretaker government will fill in the void left by the Monday ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina amid student-led protests that saw over 400 deaths after a violent crackdown.
The movement rose out of demonstrations against public sector job quotas for families of veterans of Bangladesh's 1971 independence war, seen by critics as a means to reserve jobs for allies of the ruling party.
Here are the LIVE updates on Bangladesh unrest:
Protesters Force 4 Bangladesh Central Bank Deputies To Resign: Report
Four deputy governors of Bangladesh's central bank were forced to resign on Wednesday after about 300-400 officials protested against what they said was corruption by top officials, two sources at the bank told Reuters. Protesters also demanded the resignation of Bangladesh Bank governor Abdur Rouf Talukder, who was not present during the demonstrations at the bank's headquarters in capital Dhaka, said the sources, who did not want to be named.
Garment Factories Reopen In Turmoil-Hit Bangladesh After Sheikh Hasina's Ouster
Garment factories in Bangladesh, forecast to account for 90% of the country's exports, reopened on Wednesday hoping to swiftly resume full operations after production was disrupted by violent protests that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina this week. Garment and textile factories which supply major western brands such as H&M, Zara and Carrefour had been forced to shut under curfews imposed during the unrest.
Conviction Of Bangladesh's New Caretaker In Labour Law Case Overturned: Lawyer
A court in Bangladesh overturned on Wednesday the conviction of Muhammad Yunus, the head of the country's interim government, in a case relating to labour law violations, the lawyer of the Nobel laureate said. Mr Yunus was out on bail after being handed a six-month jail sentence in January for failing to create a welfare fund for employees of Grameen Telecom, a company he founded.
Bangladesh's New Top Cop Apologises Over Conduct Of Officers During Protests
Bangladesh's newly appointed police chief on Wednesday offered an apology for the conduct of officers during deadly protests and vowed an "impartial" probe into the killings. "We are committed to conduct a fair and impartial investigation into every recent killing of students, common people and the police", Inspector General of Police Md. Mainul Islam told reporters.
"In the current protests... our previous responsible officials were not able to fulfil their duties as per the expectations of the countrymen," he added, a day after he was appointed following the ouster of the prime minister. "I, as the chief of police, apologise on behalf of the Bangladesh Police for that."
"Muhammad Yunus Very Eager To Do This": Bangla Army Chief On New Caretaker
Nobel-winner Muhammad Yunus will lead Bangladesh through a "democratic process" when he arrives in the country to helm an interim government, army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman said Wednesday. "He is very eager to do this," the general said in a televised address to the nation. "I am certain that he will be able to take us through a beautiful democratic process and that we will benefit from this."
"Looking Forward To Going Back Home": Bangladesh's New Caretaker Muhammad Yunus
Nobel peace prize winner Muhammad Yunus, who is due to head an interim government in Bangladesh after the ousting of Sheikh Hasina, says he is looking forward to helping the country overcome its current turbulence. "I'm looking forward to going back home, see what's happening and how we can organise ourselves to get out of the trouble we are in," he told reporters before boarding a flight at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport bound for Dubai, where will take a connecting plane for Dhaka.
Bangladesh Interim Government To Take Oath Tomorrow, Says Army Chief
The interim government in Bangladesh led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus will take oath tomorrow, the crisis-hit nation's army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman said today. General Waker told reporters the interim government is likely to take oath at 8 pm tomorrow, adding the advisory council may have 15 members.
For Indians In Bangladesh, Helpline Numbers Released By High Commission
"Stand In Solidarity With People Of Bangladesh": Pakistan
Pakistan has said it "stands in solidarity with the people of Bangladesh" as the country witnesses civil unrest which led to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fleeing the country.
"We are confident that the resilient spirit and unity of the Bangladeshi people will lead them towards a harmonious future," said a statement from the foreign ministry of Pakistan, from which Bangladesh won independence in 1971.
20 Leaders Of Sheikh Hasina's Party Found Dead As Protests Continue
Amid the ongoing unrest in Bangladesh, the bodies of 29 people, including 20 Awami League leaders, were found across the country, local media reported. These deaths follow the resignation of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her departure from the country on Monday, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
What Went Down At Sheikh Hasina's Home Before She Fled Bangladesh
Sheikh Hasina did not want to resign as Bangladesh Prime Minister and wanted security forces to intensify the crackdown on nationwide protests, but security bosses said the protests cannot be contained by force, according to a report in Prothom Alo newspaper.
The report details what went down in the Prime Minister's official residence before her last-minute escape in a military aircraft, shortly before hundreds of protesters stormed in and went on the rampage.
Months Ago, Sheikh Hasina Had Claimed She Got An "Offer" From "White Man"
Months before her tragic fall as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina had claimed that "conspiracies" were being hatched to topple her government and that she may be assassinated just like her father and independence hero Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
She had also alleged a "white man's" plot to carve a new "Christian country" out of Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Ms Hasina had said she was offered an easy re-election in January - which she anyway achieved in a one-side election boycotted by her arch-rival Khaleda Zia's party. The condition was that she had to allow a foreign country build an airbase in Bangladesh, she claimed, suggesting this was why her government had always been in trouble.
Sheikh Hasina's Fall Leads To Slump In India-Bangladesh Border Trade
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina quit this week and fled the country after violent protests demanding her resignation.
Ms Hasina, who started her fifth term as Prime Minister earlier this year, left the capital Dhaka in a military aircraft and landed in India.
Her shocking exit has now impacted the trade between India and Bangladesh, which had grown during her tenure.
Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus To Lead Bangladesh's Army-Backed Interim Government
Bangladesh's Nobel-winning microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus has been named the head of the military-backed interim government after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina. Read more
- The military-backed appointment of Yunus to temporarily lead Bangladesh is a remarkable turn of events for the economist.
- Over the past couple of years, Yunus has spent much of his time inside Dhaka's courtrooms, fighting about 200 charges against him and his associates, including allegations of money laundering and graft.
- He and his supporters say Hasina's government was behind the legal pressure and perhaps saw him as a threat to her power. She denied those accusations.
- Yunus, 84, is best known for founding Grameen Bank and pioneering microcredit - providing tiny business loans to the world's poorest people, most of them women.
- Though he's spent much of his life in the public eye, politics is largely unexplored terrain. In 2007, the Bangladeshi government splintered, and the military seized power.
- Yunus, who'd never run for office, considered forming a new party to fill the vacuum, but ultimately scrapped the idea within a few weeks.
- Bangladesh is pinning its hopes on one of the nation's most acclaimed intellectuals to bring stability to a country scarred by coups and political upheaval.
- Muhammad Yunus, whose work alleviating poverty won him a Nobel Peace Prize, was named the head of a new interim government on Tuesday following the sudden ouster of Sheikh Hasina as prime minister this week.
- Though he's mostly stayed away from politics, Yunus is one of Bangladesh's most famous faces and brings considerable clout with Western elites.
- Restoring normalcy to Bangladesh won't be a small feat for Yunus. Over the past few weeks, clashes between protesters and security personnel cost the lives of more than 300 people, one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the South Asian nation's history.
- nd while Hasina lifted millions out of poverty through garment exports, economic growth has lately stalled in Bangladesh, prompting the International Monetary Fund to step in with bailout funds.
