Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus – a longtime political foe of Bangladesh’s ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina – has been named the country’s interim leader.

The 84-year-old was appointed a day after Ms Hasina fled the country following weeks of deadly protests that brought her resignation.

While Prof Yunus has been lauded for his pioneering use of microloans, 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.

Students who led the mass protests that unseated Ms Hasina refused to accept a military-led government and pushed for Prof Yunus to lead the interim administration.