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Nobel Winner Yunus Returning to Bangladesh to Lead New Government

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus gestures while speaking to the media upon arriving at Charles de Gaulle's airport in Roissy, north of Paris, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus gestures while speaking to the media upon arriving at Charles de Gaulle's airport in Roissy, north of Paris, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
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Nobel Winner Yunus Returning to Bangladesh to Lead New Government

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus gestures while speaking to the media upon arriving at Charles de Gaulle's airport in Roissy, north of Paris, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus gestures while speaking to the media upon arriving at Charles de Gaulle's airport in Roissy, north of Paris, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Nobel peace prize winner Muhammad Yunus was flying back to Bangladesh on Thursday to lead a caretaker government after a student-led uprising ended the 15-year rule of Sheikh Hasina.
Yunus, 84, could be sworn in as the country's new leader as soon as Thursday evening to begin what the army chief has vowed will be a "beautiful democratic process".
The prospect of Yunus standing alongside military leaders was almost unimaginable a week ago, when security forces were shooting dead protesters who had taken to the streets demanding that Hasina resign, said AFP.
But the military on the weekend turned on Hasina, and she was forced to flee to neighboring India as millions of Bangladeshis celebrated her demise.
The military then agreed to students' demands that Yunus, who won the Nobel in 2006 for his pioneering microfinancing work, lead an interim government.
"I'm looking forward to going back home, see what's happening and how we can organize ourselves to get out of the trouble we are in," Yunus told reporters in Paris' airport on Wednesday.
Yunus had travelled abroad this year while on bail after being sentenced to six months in jail on a charge condemned as politically motivated, and which a Dhaka court on Wednesday acquitted him of.
"Be calm and get ready to build the country," Yunus said Wednesday in a statement before beginning his journey back home.
"If we take the path of violence everything will be destroyed."
Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman said Wednesday that he hoped to swear in the interim government on Thursday evening and that he backed Yunus.
"I am certain that he will be able to take us through a beautiful democratic process," Waker said.
Yunus said he wanted to hold elections "within a few" months.
- 'Beautiful way' -
Few other details about the planned government have been released, including the role of the military.
But Bangladeshis voiced hope as they joined a rally in Dhaka on Wednesday of the former opposition Bangladesh National Party.
"I expect that a national government will be formed with everyone's consent in a beautiful way," Moynul Islam Pintu told AFP.
"I expect that the country is run in a nice way, and the police force is reformed so that they can't harass people."
Hasina, 76, who had been in power since 2009, quit on Monday as hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets of Dhaka.
Jubilant crowds later stormed and looted her palace.
Monday's events were the culmination of more than a month of unrest, which began as protests against a plan for quotas in government jobs but morphed into an anti-Hasina movement.
Hasina, who was accused of rigging January elections and widespread human rights abuses, deployed security forces to quash the protests.
At least 455 people were killed in the unrest, according to an AFP tally based on police, government officials and hospital doctors.
- Military move -
The military's switching of allegiances was the decisive factor in her demise.
It has since acceded to a range of other demands from the student leaders.
The president dissolved parliament on Tuesday, a key demand of the students and the BNP.
The head of the police force, which protesters have blamed for leading Hasina's crackdown, was sacked on Tuesday.
The new chief, Md. Mainul Islam, offered an apology on Wednesday for the conduct of officers and vowed a "fair and impartial investigation" into the killings of "students, common people and the police".
Ex-prime minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, 78, was also released from years of house arrest, while some political prisoners were freed.
The military has demoted some generals seen as close to Hasina and sacked Ziaul Ahsan, a commander of the feared Rapid Action Battalion paramilitary force.
Police said mobs had launched revenge attacks on Hasina's allies and their own officers, and also freed more than 500 inmates from a prison.
Protesters broke into parliament and torched TV stations. Others smashed statues of Hasina's father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh's independence hero.
But since Tuesday, streets in the capital have been largely peaceful.

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A ‘Particularly Dangerous Situation’ Is Forecast for Fire-Scarred Los Angeles Area

An aerial view of a fire truck near homes destroyed in the Palisades Fire as wildfires cause damage and loss through the LA region on January 13, 2025 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
An aerial view of a fire truck near homes destroyed in the Palisades Fire as wildfires cause damage and loss through the LA region on January 13, 2025 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
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A ‘Particularly Dangerous Situation’ Is Forecast for Fire-Scarred Los Angeles Area

An aerial view of a fire truck near homes destroyed in the Palisades Fire as wildfires cause damage and loss through the LA region on January 13, 2025 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
An aerial view of a fire truck near homes destroyed in the Palisades Fire as wildfires cause damage and loss through the LA region on January 13, 2025 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

Millions of Southern Californians were on edge as a final round of dangerous fire weather was forecast for the region on Wednesday, along with a rare warning of a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” for an area near where two massive blazes have killed at least 25 and destroyed thousands of homes.

Firefighters got a reprieve Tuesday when winds were unexpectedly light and they were able to make progress battling the two huge Los Angeles area fires and quickly snuff out several new fires.

The Eaton Fire burning just north of Los Angeles and the Palisades Fire that destroyed much of the seaside LA neighborhood of Pacific Palisades broke out Jan. 7 in conditions similar to what’s expected Wednesday. High winds last week pushed flames at remarkable speed and carried fire-sparking embers sometimes miles away.

The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings – done when temperatures are warm, humidity is low and strong winds are expected – from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. from the Central Coast 275 miles (443 kilometers) south to the border with Mexico. The “Particularly Dangerous Situation” was in effect for an area that includes parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

“Key message: We are not out of the woods yet,” the weather service said in a post late Tuesday. “The winds underperformed today, but one more enhancement could happen tonight-tomorrow.”

More than 77,000 households were without electricity as utilities shut off power to prevent their lines from sparking new blazes.

A state of alert

Weary and anxious residents were told to be ready to flee at a moment’s notice. They remained vigilant, keeping an eye on the skies and on each other: Police announced roughly 50 arrests, for looting, flying drones in fire zones, violating curfew and other crimes.

Of those, three people were arrested on suspicion of arson after being seen setting small fires that were immediately extinguished, LA Police Chief Jim McDonnell said. One was using a barbecue lighter, another ignited brush and a third tried to light a trash can, he said. All were far outside the disaster zones. Authorities have not determined a cause for any of the major fires.

Among nine people charged with looting was a group that stole an Emmy award from an evacuated house, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.

The biggest worry remained the threat from intense winds. Now backed by firefighters from other states, Canada and Mexico, crews were deployed to attack flareups or new blazes. The firefighting force was much bigger than a week ago, when the first wave of fires began destroying thousands of homes in what could become the nation's costliest fire disaster.

Kaylin Johnson and her family planned to spend the night at their home, one of the few left standing in Altadena, near Pasadena. They intended to keep watch to ward off looting and to hose down the house and her neighbors’ properties to prevent flareups.

Preparing for another outbreak

Planes doused homes and hillsides with bright pink fire-retardant chemicals, while crews and fire engines deployed to particularly vulnerable spots with dry brush.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other officials who were criticized over their initial response expressed confidence that the region is ready to face the new threat. The mayor said she was able to fly over the disaster areas, which she described as resembling the aftermath of a “dry hurricane.”

Winds this time were not expected to reach the same fierce speeds seen last week but they could ground firefighting aircraft, LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said.

He urged homeless people to avoid starting fires for warmth and to seek shelter.

Wildfires on the rise across LA

With almost no rain in more than eight months, the brush-filled region has had more than a dozen wildfires this year, mostly in the greater Los Angeles area.

Firefighters have jumped on small blazes that popped up, quickly smothering several in Los Angeles county, including a blaze Tuesday evening in the Angeles National Forest.

The four largest fires around the nation’s second-biggest city have scorched more than 63 square miles (163 square kilometers), roughly three times the size of Manhattan. Of these, the Eaton Fire near Pasadena was roughly one-third contained, while the largest blaze, in Pacific Palisades on the coast, was far less contained.

The death toll is likely to rise, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. Nearly 30 people were still missing, he said Tuesday. Some people reported as missing earlier have been found.

Just under 90,000 people in the county remained under evacuation orders, half the number from last week.

Hollywood on hold Hollywood’s awards season has been put on hiatus because of the crisis. The Oscar nominations have been delayed twice, and some organizations postponed their awards shows and announcements without rescheduling.