An update from the CNN newsdesk in London on the stories we're following on Wednesday:

Evacuations continue: Flooding that has soaked large parts of Australia will peak Wednesday, experts say, as authorities continue to help beleaguered locals.

Ivory Coast blockade lifted: Laurent Gbagbo, self-proclaimed president of Ivory Coast, has agreed to lift a military blockade around the headquarters of rival and president-elect Alassane Ouattara. The move by Laurent Gbagbo came after talks between the nation's political rivals and African mediators.

Rare public execution: Iran executed a man in a rare public hanging in Tehran on Wednesday morning, local media reported. The man, identified only as "Yaqub," was convicted of stabbing a man to death in broad daylight in October, said the official Islamic Republic News Agency.

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An update from the CNN newsdesk in London on the stories we're following on Thursday:

WikiLeaks latest – Julian Assange’s supporters have continued to wreak havoc on the internet as they hit companies who have withheld WikiLeaks payments as well as the Swedish government’s website.

Student protest - Today is the day that British MPs vote on whether or not to remove caps on students’ tuition fees and the last day for students to make their voices heard to the government, so large-scale protests are expected. FULL POST

An update from the CNN newsdesk in London on the stories we're following in Monday:

Concorde crash trial - A Continental Airlines mechanic was found guilty Monday in a trial over the Concorde crash that killed 113 people in 2000.  John Taylor received a fine of 2,000 euros ($2,656) and a 15-month suspended prison sentence. Continental Airlines was fined 202,000 euros ($268,400).  The mechanic was the only person found guilty in the trial in Paris, France. He was not present for the verdict.  His former supervisor and three French officials were found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter.  Read the full story

Wikileaks release - Britain condemned Monday the release by WikiLeaks of a secret list of key global infrastructure compiled by the United States, saying such leaks were "damaging to national security."

Egypt shark attack - Divers in the popular Sharm el-Sheikh Red Sea resort are arranging an expedition to find and a shark thought to be responsible for a string of attacks.  A 70-year-old German woman died Sunday after being attacked. Read the full story

Iran talks - Iran announces its nuclear program is self-sufficient ahead of U.N. talks. Those long-stalled meetings with Iran are set to resume in Switzerland later today.

Ivory Coast elections - Former South African President Thabo Mbeki arrived in the Ivory Coast Sunday on an emergency mission as two men claimed to be president of the West African nation. Incumbent Laurent Gbagbo defied international appeals to step aside and was sworn in Saturday as the new president in a formal ceremony inside the presidential palace that was broadcast live on television. Read the full story

An update from the CNN newsdesk in London on the stories we're following on Tuesday:

WikiLeaks leak - Latest revelations from WikiLeaks describe an astonishing outburst from Britain’s Prince Andrew at a lunch in Kyrgyzstan, and reveal information that shows that China is losing patience with North Korea and is not averse to the notion of a reunified Korea.

UK student protests - UK students are set to take to the streets in London again today to protest against university fee increases.

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An update from the CNN newsdesk in London on the stories we're following on Friday:

European austerity woes - The German government voted today to pass the country's 2011 budget. The Portuguese government is also voting on its 2011 budget. Finally, the results of the Irish by-election which are expected to undermine the position of the government will also be made known today.

“Love Island” - The locals are beginning to call it “Love Island” - a windswept outpost of North Wales, otherwise known as Anglesey. But forget the rain, wind and snow, “Love Island” is now home to the talk of the nation: Prince William and his bride-to-be Kate Middleton. Dan Rivers talks to locals about how the Royal couple have put Anglesey back on the map and how they're being treated “just like any other couple.”

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An update from the CNN newsdesk in London on the stories we're following Wednesday:

Cholera epidemic continues: Aid agencies call for an end to violence in Haiti as demonstrators accuse U.N. peacekeepers of starting a cholera epidemic that has killed more than 1,000 people.

Wedding speculation: Bookies have stopped taking bets and are predicting a July 2011 wedding for the UK’s Prince William and his fiancée Kate Middleton. The couple announced their engagement Tuesday.

Ireland refusing bailout? Ireland’s Taoiseach Brian Cowen has said that Ireland does not need a bailout. European finance ministers meet at in Brussels Wednesday, with the state of Eurozone top of the agenda.

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An update from the CNN newsdesk in London on the stories we're following on Monday:

Was ransom paid for Chandlers?: Paul and Rachel Chandler, the British couple kidnapped by Somali pirates in 2009, are currently recuperating at the UK High Commission in Nairobi, Kenya, after they were released. The couple's family would not comment on whether a ransom had been paid.

Ireland debt crisis: Irish officials have said the country does not need an EU or IMF bailout despite spiralling bond rates and banking debt.

Nigeria cholera deaths: More than 1,500 people have now died from cholera in northern Nigeria during one of the worst outbreaks for several years.

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An update from the CNN newsdesk in London on the stories we're following on Friday:

German intelligence - August Hanning, the former head of the German Intelligence Service, tells Nic Robertson just how close the western allies were to Bin Laden at Tora Bora, all those years ago, and that they missed a "real opportunity" to capture him. 

Russia spy ring - A colonel in Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, identified as "Colonel Shcherbakov," gave the United States information on a Russian spy ring in the United States that was broken up this past June, according to a report in the respected Russian newspaper Kommersant. Read the full story

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The Qantas plane at Singapore

An update from the CNN newsdesk in London on the stories we're following on Thursday:

Qantas emergency landing - A Qantas Airbus A380 superjumbo made an emergency landing in Singapore with 459 people aboard, after one of its four engines failed over western Indonesia.  The airline has grounded its fleet of six A380s until an investigation is complete. Read the full story

Greece letter bombs - Greek air cargo and airmail transport remains suspended after embassies and European leaders were targeted by a series of letter bombs.

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An update from the CNN newsdesk in London on the stories we're following on Wednesday:

Greece Bombs - All outgoing airmail from Greece has been suspended for 48 hours after another letter bomb was found in Bologna on late Tuesday addressed to Italian PM, Silvio Berlusconi. After another letter bomb was sent to the office of German Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier on Tuesday, and more than 10 letter bombs were found in Athens near embassies and on airmail carriers.

Merkel Integration summit - A summit on social and ethnic integration is due to take place in Berlin Wednesday, hosted by the German chancellor, Angela Merkel. National and regional leaders are expected to attend, as well as reps of migrants and ethnic minorities, to discuss ways of improving integration in the country.

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An update from the CNN newsdesk in London on the stories we're following on Monday:

Yemen conference - A conference to discuss Yemeni development is taking place in London. In the light of the events of the past few days, security in the country and the threat it poses to the rest of the world will be top of the agenda.

Ivory Coast election - The outcome of Ivory Coast's election on Sunday is not expected until Tuesday. The world's largest cocoa producer has been due to hold an election since 2005 when President Laurent Gbagbo's term ended. An election date has been set and missed six times already, with the voter list and rebel disarmament the main bones of contention.

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An update from the CNN newsdesk in London on the stories we're following on Thursday:

More France strikes - The French Pension Reform Bill now goes to the courts to determine whether it is constitutional. Unions have called for a national strike Thursday against pension reform. Read the full story

Uganda homophobia - Stosh Mugisha is breaking Taboos. She is in love with a woman, and it almost killed her. Two weeks ago she was outed by a Ugandan tabloid that called on people to “hang” gay Ugandans. Their house was surrounded by a mob and they had to flee. CNN's David McKenzie investigates attitudes towards gays in Uganda and finds that an “anti-gay” bill that was supposed to be shelved is very much on the cards again. Watch the report

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An update from the CNN newsdesk in London on the stories we're following on Wednesday:

Airport security checks - The chairman of British Airways, Martin Broughton, has described some airport security checks as “completely redundant” and has said that the UK should stop “kowtowing” to U.S. security demands.

France strikes - The Pension Reform Bill will eventually become law today as the final vote is taken this afternoon local time.

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An update from the CNN newsdesk in London on the stories we're following on Tuesday:

France strikes - The Pension Reform Bill is set to become law today as students are poised to take to the streets in a series of rallies across the country. Read the full story

UK GDP figures - UK GDP figures were released today. They showed a slowdown in growth at a rate of 0.8% as opposed to 1.2% in the previous quarter but beat gloomy predictions of 0.4%.

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An update from the CNN newsdesk in London on the stories we're following on Thursday:

France strike - Some 200 demonstrators blocked France's Marseille-Provence airport for more than three hours Thursday as strikes and protests continued across the country.  The action comes ahead of a final vote on the country's Pension Reform Bill.  Pop star Lady Gaga postponed two Paris shows this weekend because of "the logistical difficulties due to the strikes," her website said.

Sudan report angers China - China has deemed “inappropriate” a U.N. report suggesting that Chinese bullets were used in attacks on peacekeeping troops in Darfur.

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