Dhaka, Dec. 10 -- Bangladesh's interim government urges political groups, activists and the public to desist from staging unauthorised protests and street gatherings once the timetable for national elections is announced, or else illegal assemblies will invite legal action.

Schedule is expected within days for the 13th parliamentary polls-concurrently with referendum on post-uprising reforms-planned for the first half of February.

At a Ministry of Home Affairs meeting Tuesday, held under instructions from Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, officials outlined plans for what they described as "the most extensive security operation in the country's electoral history".

Nearly 900,000 personnel from the armed forces and law- enforcement agencies...