Riot police in Bahrain fired tear gas and stun grenades Thursday to disperse thousands of opposition supporters gathered near the square that was the epicenter of the nation's Shiite-led demonstrations earlier this year, an activist said.
The violence is a setback to efforts by the tiny island's Sunni rulers trying to open reconciliation talks with the Shiite opposition in the Gulf kingdom.
Activist Nabeel Rajab said the protesters at Manama's Pearl Square chanted: "Down, down Hamad" – a reference to the Bahraini monarch. They also demanded that all demonstrators, opposition leaders and activists, detained during the deadly crackdown on the Shiite-led campaign for political freedom and greater rights, be released.
No injuries were immediately reported during Thursday's demonstration.
The violence came a day after Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa announced the creation of an independent commission that will investigate allegations that protesters' rights were violated during the anti-government demonstrations that erupted in February.
The announcement was an apparent effort by the Sunni monarch to draw opposition groups into the government-sponsored talks, set to begin on Saturday.
Washington has encouraged dialogue in the island nation, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, and had urged the monarchy to meet some of the opposition's demands.
But the king's appeal for dialogue got a cool reception from opposition groups. The leaders of the biggest Shiite party, Al Wefaq, have not yet decided whether they will join the talks.
Reports by Bahrain's rights groups that another protester died on Thursday as a result of injuries he sustained during the unrest could further erode Wefaq's appetite for reconciliation talks with the monarchy.

n an E! Entertainment special that aired Wednesday night, teen queen Selena Gomez opened up about her parents' divorce.
Gomez, who was 5-year-old when her parents split, blamed her mother for the divorce--something she deeply regrets.
"I blamed my mom a lot [for the divorce] because I wanted a family so bad," Gomez said. "I wanted to have my mom and dad together. I remember just being angry with my mom. I still feel really bad about that."
Her mother Mandy Teefey, who became pregnant at age 16, recounts her daughter's difficulty coping with the split. "[Selena] would vent and yell at me and all I could do is just say, 'I'm sorry--but you'll understand someday,'" she said.
Today, Gomez defends single-parenthood and is grateful for her mother's many sacrifices.
"Having me at sixteen had to have been a big responsibility. My mom gave up everything for me and had, like, three jobs. She supported me, sacrificed her life for me," she said.

Kim Kardashian is going to great lengths to prove that her enormous bum is au natural.

The reality star just had her tush x-rayed to show the world that there are no foreign objects in her cheeks that would cause that massive rump roast of hers
A RumorFix reader pointed out to us that if Kim had one particular procedure done, an x-ray would prove nothing. That procedure is called the Brazilian Buttock lift, an operation that entails removing fat from other parts of the body and recycling it in the buttocks.

RumorFix reached out to a couple of medical experts to get their take on Kim's behind and whether it's real or not. Here's what they had to say.

Dr. Drew Ordon explains, "With our dear friend Kim and her x-ray, clearly there was no prosthesis, there is not a butt implant, but with the classical Brazilian butt lift, yes, you’re using your own fat which you’re taking from one part of the body which you’ve gotten from liposuction and putting it in another part of the body. And on x-ray you would not be able to tell if that was done so she may in fact had the classical Brazilian butt lift using her own fat.

All this pretend working and running from bill collectors of late has kept me from my dedicated viewing of the Spanish language telenovelas; I'm determined to work my way back into the lives of the sultry, soapy day time hot Latina messes. I've missed Triunfo del Amor, oh, it's a bitch slapping, los doctores shennanigan fest of the highest order, featuring Dorismar, and, today, introducing Andrea Garcia, Mexican actress seen here in some delightful pictures from H Magazine featuring the Central American hottie in all kinds of inspirational lingerie poses. If you are not spending your work day sneaking around work to watch these soaps, you truly are missing out on dramatic awesomeness. Enjoy, Andrea   Read more

Always a pleasure when we get to salute the fine fineries of the fine ladies of Puerto Rico, especially the sextastic Vanessa Claudio, who since winning Miss Congeniality a few years back in a beauty pageant representing her country, has transplanted her hotness stake to the lands of Mexico on television and, thankfully, a delightful pictorial in H para Hombres magazine where the young sexy actress shows why it would be hard to turn her down at an audition (though, definitely why to have a casting couch there when she comes in to read for a role). So sultry, so hawt, such Latina awesomeness. Disfruta.

True Grit was Hailee Steinfeld's first feature length film, and the 14-year-old signed a modelling contract with Miu Miu soon after receiving her Oscar nomination.
But the latest photos from her Hailee's high fashion campaign show that the film that made her famous was as much of a factor in her appointment as her pretty face and spot-on style.
Many of the shots would not look out of place in a Western film just like the one shot by the Coen Brothers - albeit one with very good clothes

In other shots, the young actress wears a structured white shirt, a black bird print dress and a vintage-inspired cream, green and pink shirt dress.
All are accessorized with sky-scraping heels.
But the fact that the actress is just 14 has sparked criticism of the fashion industry, accusing it of using models so young, the women who can afford to buy designer clothing cannot relate to them.

Paris Hilton feared she was pregnant after piling on a few pounds.
The hotel heiress convinced herself she could be expecting when she gained weight, was suffering from fatigue and couldn’t stop eating.
Her then-boyfriend Cy Waits rushed out to buy a pregnancy test and the pair snuggled up in bed as they awaited the results.
Paris, 30, breathed a sigh of relief as she read the words 'not pregnant', while Cy confessed he felt a little disappointed.
'In a way I wanted to have a baby with you. But I think you’re right. We’re not ready yet,' he said.
The scenes aired in the U.S. last night on reality TV show The World According To Paris.