New strike over Bangladesh attack

The latest stoppage is the fourth since 21 August

Shops, offices and schools across Bangladesh were closed on Monday after opposition supporters called another 24-hour general strike.

They were protesting against a grenade attack on one of their rallies nine days ago which killed 18 people.

The main opposition Awami League has blamed the government for the attack which, it says, was an attempt to assassinate its leader, Sheikh Hasina.

It wants an independent investigation. The government denies any involvement.

Tension high

The BBC's Roland Buerk in Dhaka says that there was a heavy police presence in the city to try to prevent violent confrontations between supporters of the government and the opposition.

The opposition says it will continue to protest

The Awami League protest coincided with two rallies organised by the ruling coalition in the capital.

The government says its demonstrations were organised first and that the Awami League called a strike simply to trigger clashes.

Tension is high in Bangladesh because the Awami League claims some members of the two Islamic parties in the ruling alliance are supporting fundamentalists - allegations denied by the government.

Our correspondent says that amid all the protests little progress has been made in identifying those behind the blasts.

The opposition want the prime minister to stand down

Two detectives from Interpol are now in Dhaka to assess how the international police organisation can help to organise an effective investigation.

More than 140 people have now been killed in a series of bomb attacks since 1999.

But in all but one case, Bangladesh's police have failed to make any arrests.

The latest stoppage is the fourth since the grenade attack.

On Sunday, the government announced a $160,000 reward for information leading to the arrests of the bombers.

The opposition says it will carry on its protests until Prime Minister Khaleda Zia steps down.