Frederik Richter

Small protests broke out in Bahrain’s capital for a planned Day of Rage on Friday despite a ban under martial law imposed last week, but were crushed.

Bahraini troops and armoured vehicles on Saturday rolled out of a Manama square that had been a base for anti-government protesters.

Bahrain’s king has offered a national dialogue "with all parties" in a conciliatory move to resolve a crisis that has killed six people.

Bahraini security forces shot at protesters near Pearl Square on Friday and wounded at least 23, a former Shi’ite lawmaker said.

Several thousand Shi’ites turned out in Bahrain on Friday to bury three of those killed in a crackdown ordered by the state’s Sunni ruling family.