Bangladesh, Aug. 13 -- Women's rights groups in Bangladesh are furious and frustrated after the all-male National Consensus Commission, mandated to build political agreement on key reforms, settled on a compromise over women's representation in parliament that fell far short of their demands.

The seven-strong body, led by Nobel laureate-turned-Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, concluded five days of negotiations by proposing a cautious formula: keep the 50 reserved seats for women in the 350-member parliament and force parties to nominate women for a small share of the 300 general seats-5 percent at the next election, 10 percent at the following one, and then a five-point rise each cycle until 33 percent. If parties ever reach that benchmark...