Muhammad Yunus to lead interim government amid chaos in Bangladesh
By EasternEyeAug 07, 2024
BANGLADESH's Nobel-winning microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus will lead an interim government after mass protests forced longtime prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee, the presidency announced Wednesday.
The decision came after student leaders called on the 84-year-old Yunus to lead, during a meeting with president Mohammed Shahabuddin, military heads, and student leaders.
"(They) decided to form an interim government with Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus as its chief," Shahabuddin's office said in a statement. "The president has asked the people to help ride out the crisis. Quick formation of an interim government is necessary to overcome the crisis." Yunus will hold the title of chief advisor, according to Haid Islam, a leader of Students Against Discrimination. Shahabuddin agreed that the interim government "will be formed within the shortest time" possible, describing the meeting as "fruitful."
Yunus, who is currently in Europe, expressed his willingness to lead the interim government. "If action is needed in Bangladesh, for my country and for the courage of my people, then I will take it," he said in a statement. He also wrote in The Economist about ensuring a free and fair election within months and called for new leaders to step forward. "Above all, we need young people who are not obsessed with settling scores, as too many of our previous governments were," Yunus wrote.
Hasina, who had been in power since 2009, resigned on Monday after mass protests, which began over government job quotas but turned into an anti-Hasina movement. Accused of rigging January elections and human rights abuses, Hasina deployed security forces against protesters, resulting in hundreds of deaths. The military turned against her, forcing her to flee to India on a helicopter. Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman said on Sunday it was "time to stop the violence." The military has since acceded to various demands from the student leaders, aside from Yunus's appointment.
The president dissolved parliament on Tuesday, another demand of the student leaders and the major opposition Bangladesh National Party (BNP). The head of the police force, blamed for leading Hasina's crackdown, was sacked on Tuesday. Ex-prime minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, 78, was also released from years of house arrest. The military reshuffled several generals, demoting some seen as close to Hasina, and sacking Ziaul Ahsan, a commander of the Rapid Action Battalion paramilitary force.
Since Hasina's departure, students have managed traffic in her absence. A top police official, AKM Shahidur Rahman, called on police to resume duties gradually. "The police are friends of the people and work for the public. We cannot imagine a society without the police. Therefore, I request our police members once again to ignore rumours and return to their duties in a phased manner, ensuring that security arrangements are properly in place," Rahman, now appointed as the director general of RAB, said. Reports of attacks on police stations and facilities have emerged, leading to casualties.
Businesses demanded the restoration of law and order amid arson attacks on factories. Six top officials of Bangladesh Bank resigned following unrest, with over a hundred officials storming the bank governor's office. The Daily Star reported that more than 100 officials of Bangladesh Bank forced several deputy governors to leave the office, accusing them of helping bank looters. Media reports indicate increased violence against minorities, with attacks on properties owned by Hindu communities and incidents like the vandalism of musician Rahul Ananda's residence.
Ananda's residence was vandalised on Monday, prompting him and his family to take shelter at a secret location. Saiful Islam Jarnal, one of Joler Gaan's founding members, described the attack: "The mob, after breaking the main gate, started ravaging the house, taking whatever they could find, from furniture to valuables, and then torched the whole house along with Rahul Ananda's over 3,000 musical instruments, which he designed and made over the years."
Millions of Bangladeshis flooded the streets to celebrate Hasina's departure, with crowds storming and looting her official residence. "We have been freed from a dictatorship," said Sazid Ahnaf, 21, comparing the events to the independence war that split the nation from Pakistan more than five decades ago. However, police said mobs launched revenge attacks on Hasina's allies and officers, and freed more than 500 inmates from a prison.
Monday was the deadliest day since protests began in early July, and 10 more people were killed Tuesday, taking the death toll to at least 469, according to an AFP tally based on police, government officials, and hospital doctors. Protesters broke into parliament and torched TV stations, and smashed statues of Hasina's father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh's independence hero. Neighboring India and China, both key regional allies of Bangladesh, have called for calm.
A SIKH religious leader, Gurpal Singh, has been elected unopposed to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assembly on a seat reserved for minorities and allocated to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), the provincial election commission announced on Thursday.
Singh, the JUI-F nominee, hails from the Malik Deen Khel tribe in Bara, Khyber district.
The reserved seat was awarded to JUI-F after the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) formally withdrew its candidate, Gorsaran Lal, in favour of Singh. This gave JUI-F an additional seat in the provincial assembly.
Shahida Waheed of the Awami National Party was elected to a reserved seat for women through a draw. The draw was conducted on the Election Commission of Pakistan’s directive to allocate one reserved minority seat between PML-N and JUI-F, and one reserved women's seat between ANP and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawmakers.
Following the draw, Shahida was declared successful.
The Election Commission of Pakistan on Tuesday had announced its decision regarding the allocation of reserved seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. These seats for women and minorities are distributed proportionally among political parties based on their numerical strength in the assembly.
Former prime minister Imran Khan’s party had formed the provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following last year’s elections.
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Yellow warnings remain across England and Scotland throughout the weekend
An amber thunderstorm warning is in place for parts of south-east and eastern England from 04:00 to 11:00 on Saturday
Rainfall could reach up to 100mm in a few hours, risking flash flooding and widespread disruption
Frequent lightning, large hail, and gusty winds are expected, affecting travel and infrastructure
Yellow warnings remain across England and Scotland throughout the weekend
Soil dryness from recent heatwaves increases risk of surface runoff and flooding
Hosepipe bans remain unaffected due to limited groundwater recharge
Met Office issues amber warning ahead of torrential rain and storms
The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for thunderstorms on Saturday morning, covering parts of south-east and eastern England. The warning is in effect from 04:00 to 11:00, with accompanying yellow alerts stretching across much of England and Scotland.
The warning highlights the potential for torrential rainfall, with 20–40mm expected in just an hour and isolated areas seeing up to 100mm within a few hours—more than a month’s worth of rain. This is likely to result in flash flooding, transport delays, and other significant disruption.
Where will be worst affected?
The most intense rainfall is forecast to move into central southern England, south-east England, and parts of the Midlands overnight on Friday. The system is expected to push into northern England and Scotland by Saturday.
Rainfall in northern Scotland could become slow-moving by Sunday, increasing the risk of localised flooding. Further downpours and thunderstorms are likely into Sunday and Monday as a low-pressure system establishes itself over the UK.
What other risks are expected?
In addition to heavy rainfall, affected areas may experience:
Frequent lightning
Large hailstones
Gusty winds
These hazards could bring delays or cancellations to road, rail, and air transport, and increase the risk of power outages.
Why dry ground could make flooding worse
The recent spate of summer heatwaves has left soils particularly dry across England and east Wales. According to meteorologists, baked ground struggles to absorb rain, especially when it falls quickly.
This causes water to run off the surface, dramatically increasing the likelihood of flash flooding, even from short bursts of rain.
Will the rain ease the drought or lift hosepipe bans?
Despite the severity of the rainfall, experts say it will not significantly impact current drought conditions. The Environment Agency reports that 2025 has seen the driest start to the year since 1976.
Much of the heavy rain will run off into rivers or out to sea, without effectively replenishing groundwater or reservoir levels. Additionally, water that does soak into the ground may be quickly taken up by plants and trees during this growing season.
As a result, hosepipe bans are expected to remain in place for the rest of the summer, potentially extending into early autumn. Only a sustained period of wet weather, typically seen in the autumn or winter months, would be enough to reverse the current water shortages.
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The Prithvi-II missile has a range of around 350 kms and can carry a payload of up to 500 kgs.
INDIA on Thursday successfully test-fired nuclear-capable short-range ballistic missiles Prithvi-II and Agni-I from the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, off the Odisha coast.
The launches were carried out by the Strategic Forces Command and demonstrated India's strategic deterrence capability, the defence ministry said.
"The short-range ballistic missiles -- Prithvi-II and Agni-I -- were successfully test-fired from the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, Odisha on July 17," the ministry said. "These tests were conducted under the aegis of the Strategic Forces Command." The launches validated all operational and technical parameters, it added.
On Wednesday, India had successfully test-fired the Akash Prime missile in Ladakh. The missile, developed indigenously, has been customised to operate at an altitude above 4,500 metres.
The Prithvi-II missile has a range of around 350 kms and can carry a payload of up to 500 kgs. It is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads. The Agni-I missile has a range of 700–900 kms and can carry a payload of 1,000 kgs. Both missiles have been key components of India's nuclear deterrence.
The defence ministry said the test of the Akash Prime missile followed the "exceptional performance" of India’s indigenously developed air defence systems during Operation Sindoor. Akash Prime is an upgraded version of the Akash weapon system developed for the Indian Army.
The test in Ladakh, near the Line of Actual Control (LAC), involved successfully destroying two high-speed unmanned aerial targets at high altitude.
"India on July 16 achieved a significant milestone by successfully destroying two aerial high speed unmanned targets at high-altitude in Ladakh by Akash Prime, the upgraded variant of Akash weapon system for the Indian Army," the ministry said in a separate statement.
The ministry said Akash Prime is customised to operate at altitudes above 4,500 metres and includes upgrades such as an indigenously developed radio frequency seeker.
"Based on the operational feedbacks from users, various upgrades are made to improve the operational effectiveness, demonstrating the advantage of the ecosystem created for the indigenous weapon system," it said.
India's defence minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the Indian Army, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and the industry on the achievement, the ministry said.
(With inputs from agencies)
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US secretary of state Marco Rubio said TRF is a 'front and proxy' of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a UN-designated terrorist group based in Pakistan. (Photo: Getty Images)
THE UNITED STATES on Thursday designated The Resistance Front (TRF), the group blamed for the April attack in Kashmir, as a terrorist organisation. The attack had triggered the worst conflict between India and Pakistan in decades.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said TRF is a "front and proxy" of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a UN-designated terrorist group based in Pakistan.
The designation "demonstrates the Trump administration's commitment to protecting our national security interests, countering terrorism, and enforcing President (Donald) Trump's call for justice for the Pahalgam attack," Rubio said in a statement.
In April, gunmen shot dead 26 people, most of them Hindus, in Pahalgam, a tourist area in the Indian-administered region of Kashmir.
Survivors told reporters that the gunmen had separated women and children and ordered some of the men to recite the Muslim declaration of faith.
India's foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Friday that the US decision was a "strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation", writing on X (formerly Twitter).
A strong affirmation of India-US counter-terrorism cooperation.
Appreciate @SecRubio and @StateDept for designating TRF—a Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) proxy—as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). It claimed responsibility for the… — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 18, 2025
Little was previously known about TRF, which initially claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam killings.
As criticism grew over the attack, the group later retracted its claim.
India has listed TRF as a terrorist group, and the India-based Observer Research Foundation think tank has described it as "a smokescreen and an offshoot of LeT".
New Delhi has accused Pakistan of being involved in the attack, a claim denied by Islamabad.
The violence in Pahalgam led to four days of fighting between India and Pakistan, leaving more than 70 people dead on both sides. It was the worst military standoff between the two countries since 1999.
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Diane Abbott has been suspended again by Labour after repeating comments about different forms of racism in a radio interview.
THE LABOUR PARTY has suspended Diane Abbott, the UK’s longest-serving female MP, after she repeated remarks on racism that had previously led to her suspension.
Abbott, a prominent figure in British left-wing politics and the first Black woman elected to parliament, was initially suspended by Labour in 2023 after she said the prejudice faced by Jewish people was similar to, but not the same as, racism.
She later apologised and withdrew the comments. Just weeks before the national election in July 2024, Abbott, 71, was readmitted into the Labour Party following internal criticism over her suspension.
Asked in an interview with BBC Radio on Thursday if she regretted the episode, she said: "No, not at all."
"Clearly, there must be a difference between racism which is about colour and other types of racism because you can see a Traveller or a Jewish person walking down the street, you don't know.
"But if you see a black person walking down the street, you see straight away that they're black. They are different types of racism," Abbott said.
A Labour spokesperson said Abbott had been administratively suspended while an investigation takes place.
Prime minister Keir Starmer has pledged to tackle antisemitism within the party after allegations of discrimination and harassment against Jewish people under former leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Starmer has also taken disciplinary action against other Labour MPs during his time as leader, including four lawmakers suspended on Wednesday for organising opposition to the government's welfare reforms.