munitions
depot
in the capital of Brazzaville. The head of the local health service said the exact number of dead was impossible to confirm because many people were still
trapped
in their homes. The explosions were felt several kilometres away in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
President Obama has warned that the US will not hesitate to use force to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, but he says diplomacy is still the
preferred
course. Addressing an influential pro-Israel lobby group, he warned against what he called "too much loose talk of war" in the dispute with Tehran.
"I would ask that we all remember the weightiness of these issues, the stakes involved for Israel, for America and for the world. Already, there is too much loose talk of war. Over the last few weeks, such talk has only benefited the Iranian government by
driving up
the price of oil, which they depend on to fund their nuclear programme."
The president also acknowledged that Israel must always have the right to make its own decisions about its security needs. His comments were welcomed by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who's meeting Mr Obama in Washington on Monday.
You're listening to the World News from the BBC.
For the third day in a
row
, the Syrian government has blocked the Red Cross from bringing aid into a stricken district of the city of Homs. Jim Muir reports from neighbouring Lebanon.