Huge protests in Bahrain

BBC

A man has been found dead with gunshot wounds in Bahrain after overnight clashes with police, activists say, a day before Sunday's F1 Grand Prix.

His body was found in the Shia village of Shakoura, near the capital, Manama, an opposition group said.

On Friday, tens of thousands took part in at times violent protests demanding an end to the crackdown on dissent in the run-up to the rally, reports the BBC.

Armoured vehicles are patrolling the streets of Manama ahead of the race.

Opposition activists from Al-Wefaq said the dead man, variously named as Salah Abbas Habib or Salah al-Gattan, who was in his thirties, was killed by government forces.

Several others were hit by birdshot in the incident, said Nabeel Rajab from the Centre for Human Rights.

In a message posted on Twitter, the Bahraini Interior Ministry confirmed that a dead person was found in Shakoura. It said police had launched an investigation.

The opposition group Al-Wefaq said security forces had beaten protesters in Shakoura with tools and weapons, according to the AFP news agency.