Bangladesh Islamists march against bloggers

Islamist groups in Bangladesh are to hold a rally in the capital, Dhaka, calling for tough curbs on bloggers who insult Islam. Thousands of activists have staged a "long march" from around the country to take part in the rally. A 45-year-old man was killed on Friday when some activists clashed with supporters of the ruling Awami League.

Bus and river transport has been halted and groups opposed to the rally have announced a day-long shutdown.

The marchers are calling for a new blasphemy law, with the provision of the death penalty to punish those who insult Islam and the Prophet Muhammad.

Their group, Hefajat-e-Islam, has put forward a total of 13 demands, criticising the government for not taking action against what it calls "atheist bloggers".

The marchers set off for the capital soon after Friday prayers, the BBC's Anbarasan Ethirajan reports from Dhaka.

They were marching from the southern city of Chittagong and other parts of Bangladesh.

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