Middle East Today: Egypt --- An Interview with Mubarak?

Libya: Car Bomb in Benghazi

A car bomb has killed at least three people, including a child, and injured 17 outside a hospital in Libya's second city of Benghazi on Monday.

Hundreds of angry people gathered at the scene, blaming armed groups for the explosion and calling for them to be driven from Benghazi.

The blast damaged a dozen or more vehicles and shattered the windows of buildings nearby.

Bahrain: Blogger Abdulemam Speaks After Coming Out of Hiding

Blogger Ali Abdulemam, who emerged this week after more than two years in hiding, has spoken to Al Jazeera about the experience.

Abdulemam went underground as Bahraini forces, backed by militaries of the Gulf States, suppressed mass protests in March 2011.

Egypt: Newspaper Claims Interview with Former President Mubarak

The Egyptian newspaper El-Watan has claimed the first interview of former President Hosni Mubarak since he was ousted in February 2011.

Mubarak supposedly said of Mohammad Morsi, who took office in June 2012, "He is a new president who is carrying out weighty missions for the first time, and we shouldn't judge him now."

The 85-year-old also said he was concerned about lax security.

El-Watan, which published the interview on Sunday, said its reporter broke through security lines to speak to Mubarak, who is facing a retrial over charges of complicity in the death of protesters killed in the 2011 uprising.

Mubarak's lawyer Farid el-Deeb denied the newspaper's claims: "The whole interview is a lie. I talked to the President and he confirmed he never spoke to the journalist."

Mubarak supposedly said, "History will judge and I am still certain that the coming generations will view me fairly."

The former leader, speaking of current conditions, said he was saddened by what he described as the difficult conditions facing the poor and the Egyptian economy.