Syria Today: Turkey Blames Damascus for Car Bombs That Kill 43

Aftermath of Saturday's car bombs in Reyhanli in Turkey

See also Syria Opinion: How to Meet the Challenge of Covering Conflict
Saturday's Syria Today: Russia Holds Off US and British Political Approach

---

1755 GMT: Humanitarian Aid

The European Commission has announced an additional 65 million Euros ($84 million) in aid for refugees and internally displaced Syrians, warning the crisis is "already at breaking point".

The announcement came as humanitarian aid commissioner Kristalina Georgieva visited the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan.

"The more atrocities and fighting go on in Syria, the more people run. There are no indications whatsoever that this...is going to go down," Georgieva said after the visit.

She continued, "We have to dig deep into our pockets (to help the Syrians) because the worst is yet to come. The crisis is beyond humanitarian response. We need to do more and we need to do more in a better way."

The UN humanitarian office has put the number of refugees at 1.4 million and displaced persons at 4.25 million --- together, the figures are about one-quarter of Syria's 22.5 million.

1335 GMT: The Car Bombs in Turkey

EA's Ali Yenidunya writes....

Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay has said that nine suspects --- all Turkish citizens linked to Syrian intelligence --- are in custody over Saturday's double bombing in the Turkish town of Reyhanli, just inside the Syrian border, that killed 43 people.

Atalay said all the detainees had confessed.

0825 GMT: Insurgent Brigade Releases UN Peacekeepers

The insurgent Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade has released four United Nations peacekeepers held captive for nearly a week.

The four Filipinos, serving in the UN Disengagement Observer Force in the Golan Heights, were transferred to Israel.

The peacekeepers were captured near the town of Jamlah last Tuesday by the Brigade, which briefly seized 21 UN personnel earlier this year.

0545 GMT: Casualties

The Violations Documentation Center puts the confirmed death toll at 60,100 since the conflict begin in March 2011, an increase of 84 from Friday. Of those killed, 47,075 were civilians, a rise of 52 from yesterday.

0525 GMT: Ankara Denounces Syrian Regime Over Deadly Car Bombs

Turkish leaders, while declaring "we have to be very careful and patient", have accused Damascus of a double car bombing in the Turkish town Reyhanli that killed 43 people and injured 140.

The blast occurred on Saturday in a crowded area of town in the southern province of Hatay, a few kilometres from the main border crossing into Syria.

Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Bulent Arinc said investigators had established links between a Syrian intelligence agency of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the car bombs:

We know that the people taking refuge in Hatay have become targets for the Syrian regime. We think of them as the usual suspects when it comes to planning such a horrific attack.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey reserves the right to take "every kind of measure" after after the attacks.