Prof. Mohammad Yunus

TOP OF THE AGENDA

From 'banker to the poor' to interim leader

Prof Yunus started Grameen Bank in 1983, helping poor people start small businesses. Credit: Getty Images

Students who led mass protests in Bangladesh that resulted in the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have gotten another one of their wishes. After refusing to accept a military-led government, they pushed for the appointment of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus as interim government leader, and he agreed. "When the students who sacrificed so much are requesting me to step in at this difficult juncture, how can I refuse?" Prof Yunus said. While Prof Yunus has been lauded for his pioneering use of microloans, which won him and his Grameen Bank a Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, Ms Hasina regarded him as a public enemy - he is currently on bail, appealing against a six-month jail term in what he has called a politically motivated case. The 84-year-old is returning to Dhaka from Paris where, according to his spokesperson, he is undergoing a minor medical procedure. ‌ Profile: Prof Yunus is known internationally as the "banker to the poor" for pioneering micro, long-term loans - but at home, he's had to weather hostility and controversy. ‌ Her final hours: Ms Hasina repeatedly dismissed security chiefs' advice that she had lost her grip on power - it took persuasion from her family to finally convince her to leave. ‌ Religious minorities: Bangladeshi Hindus said their properties were targeted by mobs during the anti-government protests. But as violence spread, local Muslims rallied to form protective rings around Hindu homes and temples.