Bahrain unrest: Protesters

 enter symbolic Pearl Square

Protesters brought banners and flags as they returned to Pearl Square once the army and police left

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Thousands of anti-government protesters in Bahrain have entered Pearl Square, the focal point of protests in the capital Manama.

Jubilant protesters returned after riot police fired tear gas and shotgun rounds before leaving. Reports say some 60 people may have been injured.

Obamas to make state visit to the United Kingdom

Carney said the trip would be Obama's first European state visit, illustrating "the strength of the special relationship between our two countries, and of the United States' enduring commitment to its European and NATO allies and partners."

Explosions at munitions depot rock district near Dar es Salaam airport

By the CNN Wires Staff

February 17, 2011 -- Updated 0208 GMT (1008 HKT)

Shock waves could be felt in neighborhoods more than six miles (10 kilometers) away from the airport in Dar es Salaam.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: A witness to depot blasts takes pictures of orange-red glow in the sky
• Several explosions rattled an area around the airport in Tanzania's largest city.
• U.K. High Commission said an army ammunition bunker exploded
• Eyewitnesses say fireballs could be seen from homes in nearby neighborhoods

RELATED TOPICS

• Tanzania
• Dar Es Salaam

(CNN) -- Witnesses who heard explosions in Tanzania's largest city Wednesday night said they first thought the blasts were thunderclaps, until they saw the night sky glowing red and orange.

Sandip Patel grabbed his camera and ran to the top of his apartment building. He snapped away as a series of explosions shook neighborhoods around Dar es Salaam's Julius Nyerere International Airport.

UK consumer price inflation hits 4%

By Norma Cohen, FT.com

February 15, 2011 -- Updated 1254 GMT (2054 HKT)

A shopper searches for clothing bargains at Bolton Market in the UK as figures show another rise in inflation.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• UK consumer price index rises to 4% in January, in line with forecasts
• Reading puts pressure on Bank of England to raise interest rates
• Biggest monthly rise came from the alcohol and tobacco sector
• Some economists expect inflation to rise further in the next few months

RELATED TOPICS

• United Kingdom
• Business
• Inflation Rate

(FT) -- UK price inflation hit 4% in January, in line with economists' expectations but double the Bank of England's target of 2%.

The latest reading triggered yet another round of letters between Mervyn King, the Bank's governor and George Osborne, the chancellor, with Mr King forced to explain why prices are rising so quickly and what the Bank intends to do about it.

Tehran, Iran (CNN) -- Iranian lawmakers denounced Monday's protests in Tehran and called for the execution of two opposition leaders for inciting the demonstrations, Iran's state-run Press TV reported Tuesday.

Members of the Iranian parliament issued fiery chants against opposition leaders and former presidential candidates Mehdi Karrubi and Mir Hossein Moussavi.

Press TV aired video Tuesday of lawmakers chanting "Moussavi, Karrubi ... execute them."

Lawmakers also named former President Mohammad Khatami in some of the death chants.

The calls for the leaders' executions come after a particularly deadly month in Iran. At least 66 people were executed in January, according to Iranian media reports. Most of the executions were reportedly carried out for drug offenses, although at least three involved political prisoners, a U.N. statement said.

Brazil floods: More than 500 dead

 woman in Brazil narrowly avoids being swept away

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Related stories

• In pictures: Flood-hit towns
• In pictures: Brazil floods
• Eyewitnesses: 'Fear and devastation'

More than 500 people are now known to have died in floods in south-eastern Brazil, the country's worst natural disaster for several decades.

Heavy rain has led to massive mudslides hitting several towns, resulting in thousands being made homeless.

Police say the number of dead is likely to rise further.

The death toll has now surpassed the devastating 1967 mudslides in Caraguatatuba, Sao Paulo state, in which up to 430 people perished.

UN Vehicle attacked in Iveory-Coast !

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast – Mobs and security forces allied to Ivory Coast leader Laurent Gbagbo attacked at least six U.N. vehicles Thursday, setting some ablaze and injuring two people in the latest round of violence sparked by this West African nation's disputed election.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the attacks by loyalists of Gbagbo, who the U.N. says lost the Nov. 28 poll to longtime opposition leader Alassane Ouattara.

Ban said the attacks by "regular and irregular forces" constituted crimes under international law, and warned that those responsible would be held accountable. Other officials with the global body sounded an alarm, warning they were being prevented from protecting civilians.

Gbagbo has refused to accept the outcome of the November poll and has ordered the U.N.'s 9,000-strong peacekeeping mission to leave. The U.N. has refused, and its troops have increasingly come under attack, including earlier this week when gunmen wounded three peacekeepers after their car crashed, said spokesman Kenneth Blackman.

In the violence Thursday, Ban said one military vehicle belonging to the U.N. peacekeeping mission was burned, and a doctor and driver of an ambulance targeted in one attack were injured.