The caretaker government last night declared again that the ninth parliamentary election will be held on the original scheduled date of December 18, after its frantic two-day negotiations with BNP-led 4-party alliance on the question of poll deferment had failed.(The Daily Star)   • FULL STORY

Hasina holds meeting with Australian envoy Hasina urges political parties to participate in poll on Dec 18
Number of AL ticket holders stands at 242

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday called upon all political parties to take part in the parliamentary election schedule to be held on December 18 in order to switch over and restore democracy in the country.(The Bangladesh Today)   • FULL STORY

Reschedule possible only if two major parties agree: CEC
EC proposes JS polls on December 28-Extends nomination submission by 3 more days

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday said the much debated schedule for parliamentary election will be revised only if two major parties reach a consensus on it. He said that the EC had proposed to the government to hold parliamentary election(The Bangladesh Today)   • FULL STORY

Build capacity to conduct physical survey in Bay
Experts ask govt at The Daily Star roundtable on maritime boundary

While continuing negotiations with India and Myanmar on maritime boundary delimitation, Bangladesh should build capacity to conduct physical surveys in the Bay of Bengal, so it may make proper claims with the UN Commission on the Limits of Continental Shelf (UNCLCS) in 2011, experts said.(The Daily Star)   • FULL STORY

Emergency should be lifted
NDI urges CG, EC and political parties to reach a consensus on election issue

National Democratic Institute (NDI), a US-based election monitoring team on Wednesday simultaneously called upon Caretaker government, Election Commission and all political parties to reach a consensus on election issue to hold a free, fair and acceptable election(The Bangladesh Today)   • FULL STORY

‘Plot to hold one-sided election’
4-party rejects govt stand on holding polls on Dec 18: It gives final decision on poll participation today

The BNP-led four-party alliance rejected the government decision to hold the general election on December 18 as "unilateral and partisan" but kept its decision whether or not to join the polls suspended till Thursday(The News Today)   • FULL STORY

50pc workplace deaths take place in construction sector

About 50 per cent of the total workplace deaths in the country take place in the construction sector, which is having a boom-time through a rather random growth. This finding was disclosed Wednesday in Bangladesh Worker Safety Programme (BWSP) survey report titled(The Financial Express)   • FULL STORY

Food poisoning causes 2.1m deaths in world annually: seminar

An estimated 2.1 million people die in the world annually from food poisoning and of other food-borne diseases, participants in a seminar in Dhaka said on Wednesday. Food contamination refers to the presence in food of harmful chemicals and micro-organisms, which cause consumer illness(The Newage)   • FULL STORY

BSTI denies any role in quality control of non-packet products
98pc sweetmeats adulterated: CAB

Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institute (BSTI) has no role to play in controlling the quality of goods other than packeted products. Stating this an official of BSTI at a function on 'Quality Food and Consumers Right" held at the National Press Club yesterday said government should strictly(The Bangladesh Today)   • FULL STORY