Bahrain 'confident' Grand Prix will not bedisrupted

The authorities in Bahrain say they are confident the Formula 1 Grand
Prix will not be disrupted by protests.
The heavily-guarded race track has been surrounded with layers of
security to keep opposition activists away.
On Saturday, protests intensified after the body of a Shia man killed
in overnight in clashes with security forces was discovered on a
rooftop.
Protesters are calling for the race to be cancelled, but the
government is determined it will go ahead.
On the eve of the event, British Foreign Secretary William Hague spoke
to hisBahraini counterpart to"call for restraint" in dealing with
protesters.
The race is due to start at 15:00 (12:00 GMT).
Spotlight on protests
His call came after police fired tear gas to disperse thousands of
protesters on Saturday. Many of them had gathered near the village
where anti-government demonstrator Salah Abbas Habib's body was found.
Zeinab al-Khawaja, the daughter of hunger striker Abdul Hadi
al-Khawaja, wasalso briefly detained on Saturday afternoon.
Her father has been on hunger strike in prison for over 70 days after
he was arrested for protesting against the government, and is now
refusing water.
Armoured vehicles are patrolling the streets to clamp down on any
demonstrations ahead of Sunday's race.
Violent protests against theGrad Prix began on Friday and continued overnight
Formula 1's governing body, the FIA, only went ahead with the Grand
Prix after the government said it had security under control.
Last year's Bahraini Grand Prix was cancelled after 35 people died in
February and March during a crackdown on mass demonstrations calling
for greater democracy.
The Bahraini government, headed by the al-Khalifa dynasty, had been
keen forthis year's race to go aheadthis year to prove it has put the
14-month uprising against Sunni minority rulebehind them.
BBC correspondent CarolineHawley says that staging the event has had
the opposite effect,

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