Police, Bahrain | featured news

Bahrain was under tight security on Saturday after violent clashes between police and anti-government protesters overshadowed this weekend's Formula One Grand Prix race meeting in the Gulf state.

Bahrain's opposition asked for U.N. and American intervention in the government crackdown on the Shiite protests trying to loosen the monarchy's grip, in a brief protest Sunday in the capital that disbanded before police could arrive to break it up.

The move by King Hamed ibn Isa Khalifa to quell a growing uprising is akin to three months of martial law for Bahrain. With hundreds of foreign military and police in the nation to support the government, protesters and their foes set up rival checkpoints.