Police and anti-government protesters were again involved in a running battle on the outskirts of Bahraini capital Manama just days ahead of this weekend’s Formula One grand prix.

Bahrain used torture and excessive force against people arrested in crackdowns on anti-government protests, an official inquiry has found.

The Bahrain Grand Prix has returned to this year’s Formula One calendar after a meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Bahrain today.

The new head of Iraq’s biggest Sunni government organisation has accused “some elements” in the Shiite-controlled Interior Ministry of random arrests to keep Sunni Arabs from registering to vote in the constitutional referendum.