Clashes amid Bangladesh strike

Smoke rises after a small home made bomb is set off amid confrontations between activists and police in Dhaka.

Elsewhere in the Bangladeshi capital armed police chase stone throwing protesters, and search homes suspected of hiding demonstrators.

But Dhaka on Thursday was mostly quiet - the result of a nationwide strike in place since Sunday, called for by an 18 party opposition coalition.

This member of the opposition Bangladesh National Party said the strike action was called after police seized their office and arrested their party secretary.

The opposition alliance is led by former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia.

Her BNP party has called for blockades and strikes in an attempt to force the current Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, to restore a previous system of parliamentary elections.

The opposition want Hasina's government to return to holding parliamentary elections under a non party caretaker administration, instead of it being supervised by the party in power.

Hasina and Khaleda Zia - who've both served two terms as Prime Minister - are likely to face each other again during elections due by the end of 2013.