Between Bahrain's villages and F1 circuit, a stark contrast

MANAMA (Reuters) - Young men hurl rocks and petrol bombs at police. Police fire tear gas and stun grenades. Thousands gather to demand an end to a Formula One car race they see as a public relations stunt to gloss over chronic human rights abuses.

But except for the odd plume of black smoke, hardly any sign of Bahrain's two-year-old political crisis reaches the Grand Prix race site at the Sakhir circuit in the desert about 30 km (19 miles) southwest of the capital Manama.