Nobel laureate Yunus will head Bangladesh's interim government after unrest ousted Hasina

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus will head Bangladesh's interim government after longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country amid a mass uprising that left hundreds of people dead and pushed the South Asian nation to the brink of chaos.

The decision, announced early Wednesday by Joynal Abedin, the press secretary of the country’s figurehead President Mohammed Shahabuddin, came during a meeting that included military chiefs, organizers of the student protests that helped drive Hasina from power, prominent business leaders and civil society members.

A longtime political opponent of Hasina, Yunus is expected to return soon from Paris, where he is advising Olympic organizers, media reports said.

An economist and banker, he was awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his work developing microcredit markets. Yunus has been hailed for bringing thousands out of poverty through Grameen Bank, which he founded in 1983, and which makes small loans to businesspeople who wouldn't qualify for regular bank loans.

Other members of the new government would be decided soon, after discussions with political parties and other stakeholders, Abedin said. The president had dissolved Parliament on Tuesday, clearing the way for an interim administration and new elections.

Shahabuddin also ordered the release of opposition leader Khaleda Zia from house arrest, a longtime Hasina rival who was convicted on corruption charges in 2018.

The streets of Dhaka, the capital, were calm Tuesday, a day after violence swept parts of the country amid Hasina's sudden departure. On Tuesday, jubilant protesters thronged the ousted leader’s residence, some posing for selfies with soldiers guarding the building after Monday's wave of looting.

The Bangladesh Police Association went on strike after police stations and security officials were attacked across the country Monday. The association said “many” officers had been killed but gave no number. Officers would not return to work unless their safety is assured, the association said. It also apologized for police attacks on student protesters, saying officers were “forced to open fire.”

Yunus, who had called Hasina's resignation the country’s “second liberation day,” had faced corruption charges during her rule that he derided as politically motivated. He could not immediately be reached for comment, but a key organizer of the protests, Nahid Islam, said he had agreed to head the interim administration.

Islam said protesters would propose more names for the Cabinet and suggested that it would be difficult for those in power to ignore their wishes.

Hasina fled to India by helicopter as protesters defied a military curfew to march on the capital, with thousands eventually storming her residence and other buildings associated with her party and family.

The unrest began in July with protests against a quota system for government jobs, which critics said favored people with connections to her party. But they soon grew into a broader challenge to Hasina's 15-year rule, which was marked by human rights abuses, corruption, allegations of rigged elections and a brutal crackdown on her opponents.

The government's violent response to the demonstrations, which killed about 300 people in just a few weeks, only fueled the protests more.

The quick move to choose Yunus came after Hasina's resignation created a power vacuum and left the future unclear for Bangladesh, which has a history of military rule, messy politics and myriad crises. The military wields significant influence in a country that has seen more than 20 coups or coup attempts since its independence from Pakistan in 1971. Military chief Gen. Waker-uz-Zaman said Monday he had taken temporary control while a new government is formed.

Amid the celebrations, student Juairia Karim said it was a historic day. “Today we are getting what we deserve,” she said. “Everyone is happy, everyone is cheerful.”

But the country was still counting the toll of weeks of violence that produced some of its worst bloodshed since its war of independence. Many fear that Hasina's departure could trigger even more instability in the densely populated nation of some 170 million people, which is already dealing with high unemployment, corruption and climate change.

Violence in just the few days surrounding Hasina's resignation killed at least 109 people — including 14 police officers, and left hundreds of others injured, according to media reports which could not be independently confirmed. In the southwestern district of Satkhira, 596 prisoners and detainees escaped from a jail after an attack on the facility Monday evening, the United News of Bangladesh agency reported.

There are growing fears among the country’s Hindu minority, which has been targeted in the past during political unrest and which has long been seen as pro-Hasina, that they could again face attacks. Local reports of violence against Hindu leaders and other minorities could not be confirmed.

“Hindus are very afraid,” Charu Chandra Das Brahmachari, leader of the Bangladesh branch of a Hindu movement, told the IANS news service. “Hindus are very afraid that they could be attacked anytime. This is because whenever the government falls, minorities are affected.”

The EU ambassador to Bangladesh, Charles Whitley, said on the social media platform X that European diplomats were “very concerned” about reports of anti-minority violence.

Opposition politicians have publicly called on people not to attack minority groups, while student leaders asked supporters to guard Hindu temples and other places of worship.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Tuesday urged people to exercise restraint in what it said was a “transitional moment on our democratic path.”

“It would defeat the spirit of the revolution that toppled the illegitimate and autocratic regime of Sheikh Hasina if people decide to take the law into their own hands,” Tarique Rahman, the party's acting chairman, wrote on X.

“I think the next leader of the country should learn from the students that if anyone becomes corrupt, a traitor, or takes any action against the country, they will face the same fate," said Mohammad Jahirul Islam, a student in Dhaka.

Hasina, 76, was elected to a fourth consecutive term in January, an election boycotted by her main opponents. Thousands of opposition members were jailed before the vote, and the United States and the United Kingdom denounced the result as not credible.

After fleeing Dhaka, Hasina landed Monday at a military airfield near New Delhi and met Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, the Indian Express newspaper reported. She planned to travel to the United Kingdom, it said.

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told Parliament that Hasina "at very short notice requested approval to come for the moment to India.”

Saaliq reported from New Delhi, India.

A student volunteer controls traffic, in the absence of traffic policemen on a street in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Fatima Tuj Johora)

People keep guard in front of a police station which was vandalised on Monday, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Fatima Tuj Johora)

Students clean the area near the parliament building which was vandalised on Monday, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Fatima Tuj Johora)

The vandalised museum of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of Sheikh Hasina who resigned as Prime Minister on Monday, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Fatima Tuj Johora)

A boy celebrates with a national flag after the resignation of prime minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Fatima Tuj Johora)

People stand near vandalised murals of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of Sheikh Hasina who resigned as Prime Minister on Monday, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Fatima Tuj Johora)

People visit the vandalised museum of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of Sheikh Hasina who resigned as Prime Minister on Monday, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

A man visits the vandalised museum of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of Sheikh Hasina who resigned as Prime Minister on Monday, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

An army personnel stands guard in front of a vandalised boundary wall of Sheikh Hasina, who resigned as Prime Minister on Monday, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

A man peeks inside the boundary wall of the vandalised house of Sheikh Hasina, who resigned as Prime Minister on Monday, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Protesters try to demolish a large statue of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina, after she resigned as Prime Minister, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

People visit the site where a statue of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of Sheikh Hasina, was demolished following her resignation as Prime Minister in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

A man sells snacks as people visit the vandalised house of Sheikh Hasina, who resigned as Prime Minister on Monday, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

People crowd in front of the vandalised house of Sheikh Hasina, who resigned as Prime Minister on Monday, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

A burnt car stands in the vandalised house of Sheikh Hasina, who resigned as Prime Minister on Monday, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

FILE- Bangladesh's President Mohammed Shahabuddin stands with his wife Rebecca Sultana as they arrive for the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. (Adek Berry/Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE- Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus smiles as he arrives to appear before a labor court in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu, File)

FILE- Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus, Chairman of the Yunus Centre, speaks during a debate hosted by the Associated Press "Regions in Transformation: South Asia" at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)

FILE- Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus speaks to the media after he was granted bail by a court in an embezzlement case, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, March 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu, File)

FILE- Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, centre, is flanked by her daughter Saima Wazed Putul, left, and sister Sheikh Rehana as she speaks to the media after casting her vote in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024. Protesters stormed Hasina’s official residence on Monday, Aug. 5, as leader’s whereabouts are unknown. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri, File)

FILE- Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina delivers a speech during the Paris Peace Forum, in Paris, Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. Protesters stormed Hasina’s official residence on Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, as leader’s whereabouts are unknown. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)

People participate in a rally against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government demanding justice for the victims killed in the recent countrywide deadly clashes, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

People shout slogans as they take part in a protest against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government demanding justice for the victims killed in the recent countrywide deadly clashes, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

FILE- Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaks during a press conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Jan. 6, 2014. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh, File)

Protesters celebrate at the Parliament House premise after news of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Fatima Tuj Johora)

Protesters climb a public monument as they celebrate the news of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Julio Rodríguez homered twice to drive in five runs, George Kirby went six innings for his 13th victory and the AL wild card-chasing Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 8-2 on Friday night.

Rodríguez put the Mariners (79-75) ahead to stay with his three-run homer in the fifth off Jack Leiter, who relieved Jacob deGrom after the two-time Cy Young Award winner made his first home start in nearly 17 months after elbow surgery.

Seattle remained two games behind Minnesota for the third and final wild card after the Twins beat Boston 4-2 in 12 innings. The Mariners stayed five back of Houston in the AL West with eight games remaining, three in Houston.

Rodríguez tied a career high for RBIs with his first multihomer game this season. His first homer put Seattle up 4-2, and he went deep off the rookie right-hander again in the seventh with a two-run shot the opposite way to right field for his 18th of the year.

Kirby (13-11) beat the reigning World Series champions again, five days after facing the minimum 21 batters over seven scoreless innings at home against them. The 26-year-old right-hander is 7-0 with a 1.15 ERA in nine career starts against Texas. He struck out four without a walk this time while allowing two runs on five hits.

Nathaniel Lowe had a two-run single for the Rangers (73-81), who have already been eliminated from the AL West race and are on the verge of being officially knocked out of wild-card contention and guaranteed a losing record.

Lowe's hit ended Kirby's streak of 34 consecutive scoreless innings against Texas in a span of seven starts since Sept. 28, 2022.

DeGrom struck out five over three innings, and the only run he allowed was when No. 9 batter Josh Rojas led off the third with a homer. Rojas later added a sacrifice fly.

Leiter (0-3) allowed seven runs (six earned) over five innings. He struck out five and walked two while throwing 57 of 92 pitches for strikes.

A week after throwing 3 2/3 scoreless innings in his season debut on the road, also against the Mariners, deGrom threw 37 of 58 pitches for strikes and had one walk. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy had said the 36-year-old right-hander would throw about 60 pitches.

It was the first start at home for deGrom since he left in the middle of the fourth inning against the New York Yankees on April 28, 2023. That was the sixth and last start in the first season of his $185 million, five-year contract.

UP NEXT

Three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer (2-4, 3.95 ERA) makes his second start since coming off the IL after missing 40 games with right shoulder fatigue and an arm nerve issue. Rookie right-hander Emerson Hancock (3-4, 4.83) starts for Seattle.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Texas Rangers' Nathaniel Lowe (30) hits a two-run single in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez)

Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodriguez celebrates in the dugout after a two-run home run against the Texas Rangers in the seventh inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez)

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) delivers in the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez)

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby (68) delivers in the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez)

Seattle Mariners Josh Rojas (4) celebrates in the dugout after a solo home run against the Texas Rangers in the third inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez)

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) and catcher Jonah Heim (28) walk back to the dugout in the first inning in a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez)

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) delivers in the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez)

Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodriguez (44) hits a two-run home run against the Texas Rangers in the seventh inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez)

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby (68) delivers in the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez)

Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodriguez reacts toward the dugout as he runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Texas Rangers in the seventh inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez)