Middle East Today: Israel Extends Detention Orders For Security Suspects

Iraq: 26 Die in Monday Bombings

Five car bombs have exploded in public areas in central and southern Iraq, killing 26 civilians and wounding dozens.

Two parked car bombs went off simultaneously in the city of Amarah near a gathering of construction workers and a market, killing 13 civilians and wounding 42, according to police.

A parked car bomb exploded near a restaurant in the city of Diwaniyah, killing eight civilians and wounding 25 others.

Amarah and Diwaniyah are predominantly Shia areas.

Hours later, another parked car bomb went off in the Shia hold city of Karbala, killing two civilians and wounding 12 others.

A parked car bomb ripped through a Shiite neighborhood in the otherwise predominantly Sunni town of Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad, killing three and wounding 16.

Click to read more ...

Egypt (and Beyond) Live: Protests Turn Into Clashes at High Court

See also Turkey Analysis: Erdogan's Risky Game on The Kurdish Issue
Syria Live: Deadly Airstrike in Aleppo
Saturday's Iraq (and Beyond) Live Coverage: At Least 25 Killed in Attack on Campaign Rally

---

1440 GMT: Turkey and Israel. US Secretary of State John Kerry, during a trip to Turkey, has urged Ankara and Israel to restore full relations, for the sake of regional stability.

Last month, during a trip by President Obama to Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved towards reconciliation when he called Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to apologise for the killing of nine Turkish citizens in an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla in May 2010.

Kerry said it was imperative for Israel to honor its commitment to pay compensation to the families of the victims, and for both countries to return their ambassadors.

Click to read more ...