The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in Bangladesh, Obaidul Hassan, decided to step down in principle following intense pressure from protesters surrounding the Apex Court of the country, as per the reports.

The 65-year-old judge tendered his resignation after consulting President Mohammed Shahabuddin today evening, as per the Bangladesh newspaper.

The protests erupted when Hassan called for a full court meeting with all justices from both divisions of the Supreme Court. The protesting students interpreted the convening of the full court meeting as a judicial coup and declared a siege of the High Court premises.

Amid student protests, Chief Justice Hassan decided to postpone the meeting and subsequently announced his intention to step down. Hassan, who was appointed just last year and was considered a loyalist to ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was given a one-hour ultimatum to resign.

The Bangladesh Bank Governor, Abdur Rouf Talukder, has also submitted his resignation, although it has not been accepted due to the significance of the position. This was stated by finance ministry adviser Salehuddin Ahmed, who stated that the importance of the position was a determining factor.

Notably, several deputy governors were compelled to resign in the days leading up to this, following accusations of corruption by 300 to 400 bank officials.

The protests, which are part of the broader unrest that precipitated Hasina’s departure, have resulted in over 450 deaths, including numerous police officers. Allegations against Hasina include murder, forced disappearance, money laundering, and corruption, asserting that a senior member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said she must face the law.

The police union has declared a strike, refusing to resume work until their safety is ensured, contributing to the complexity of the situation.

Since Monday, Hasina has been taking refuge in New Delhi, but she plans to return to the country and participate in elections, according to reports. Furthermore, this week witnessed the vandalism of numerous homes and businesses belonging to Bangladesh’s minority Hindu community, prompting hundreds of them in northwest Bangladesh to attempt to flee to neighboring India.

In the midst of this turmoil, Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, made an appeal for religious unity as he consoled the grieving mother of a student who was fatally shot by police – a poignant moment in the mass protests that brought an end to Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule.

In an incident in Nepal, four Chinese tourists were among five people killed in Kathmandu on Wednesday when a helicopter crashed in the mountains northwest region of the country’s capital.

Police have recovered five dead bodies from the crash site in Ward No 7 of Shivapuri Rural Municipality, Nuwakot, as per reports.

Authorities have confirmed that an Air Dynasty helicopter crashed this afternoon in the Shivpuri area of Nuwakot district, Nepal. It had taken off from Kathmandu, en route to Syaphrubensi, losing contact with ground staff only three minutes after takeoff.

The helicopter was captained by Senior Captain Arun Malla. It had on board a total of five people, including four Chinese nationals. They were on their way to Rasuwa. According to the local media, the helicopter left Kathmandu at 1:54 pm and lost contact at around 1:57 pm near Surya Chaur.

Currently, rescue teams are at the scene which has been described as fiery. News agencies have confirmed all five onboard, including the pilot, are dead.

Already at the crash site in Suryachaur, northwest of Kathmandu, have been rescued, among them a Prabhu chopper 9N-ANL, deployed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. According to locals, two male and one female bodies, besides that of the pilot, Arun Malla, were recovered. One of the bodies was so severely charred that identification was not possible.

This incident comes just weeks after the July 24 crash of a Saurya Airlines plane at Tribhuvan International Airport, killing 18 people on board, with only the captain remaining alive. The recent crash again brings into focus concerns over the air safety situation in Nepal, which has faced several aviation accidents over the past few years.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was named as head of the interim government of Bangladesh by President Mohammed Shahabuddin, days after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country in a crisis caused by riots due to the deaths of university students angered by the controversial job quota system of the administration run by the now-outgoing government.

The decision came following a meeting at Banghabhaban between President Shahabuddin, chiefs of the three services, and a 13-member delegation from the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, said President’s Press Secretary Md Joynal Abedin.

After a four-hour-long discussion over the formation of new legislature leaders, Yunus is chosen as the new chief advisor of the interim government, adding that names of the other cabinet advisers of the interim government would be decided after consultations with political parties.  He said the president desires to induct at least one freedom fighter in the interim cabinet.

Also present during the meeting were Chief of Army Staff General Vaker-Uz-Zaman, Chief of Navy Staff Admiral M. Nazmul Hassan, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, Professor of Dhaka University Law Department Asif Nazrul, and Professor of International Relations Department Tanzim Uddin Khan.

The Nobel laureate, now abroad, had termed the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government as the “second liberation” of the country. The 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner, known for his anti-poverty efforts through the Grameen Bank since 2006, has had running battles with Hasina’s government.

Since she took office in 2008, authorities opened numerous investigations against him for alleged crimes, which resulted in a probe being launched into the activities of Grameen Bank in 2011 and his eventual removal as managing director of the bank for breaching retirement rules.

Among a series of other litigations, Yunus was also sentenced to six months imprisonment in January for contravention of labor law.