BBC : Bank founder gets Nobel Peace Prize

BBC NEWS | Europe | Nobel for anti-poverty pioneers: "Bangladesh's Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank have been awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize.

Mr Yunus, an economist, founded the bank, which is one of the pioneers of micro-credit lending schemes for the poor in Bangladesh.

The bank is renowned for lending money to the least well-off, especially women, so that they can launch their own businesses.

The winners receive a prize of 10m Swedish kronor ($1.07m, �730,000).

Mr Yunus, 66, told Norway's NRK public television that he was 'delighted, really delighted', AFP news agency reported.

'You are endorsing a dream to achieve a poverty-free world,' he said."

UPDATE: I wanted to make sure you saw this wonderful comment posted by Atunu:
I'm a Bangladeshi and words can't describe how we are feeling at this very moment :') Dr Yunus has worked very hard to establish his idea of microcredit and alleviate the condition of a majority of village dwellers abandoned by their government and social stigma. Bangladesh has been nominated "the" most corrupt country by transparency international for the last couple of years, I hope this achievement will work towards diminishing that.

There aren't too many ideal figures in BD to whom todays youth may look with their heads up, Dr Yunus is certainly one of them.