Middle East Today: Iraq --- Deadliest Day in More than 8 Months

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Bahrain: Protests Against Raid on Senior Cleric's Home

Thousands of Bahrainis marched on Friday to protest the early-morning raid by security forces on the home of Sheikh Isa Qassim, the leading leading Shia cleric in the Kingdom.

Qassim, a supporter of the mass pro-reform demonstrations that began in February 2011, was not at home but his family was present during the operation.

Iraq: Friday's Deadly Bombings

In the deadliest day in Iraq in more than eight months, at least 76 people were killed in bombings in mainly-Sunni districts in Baghdad and surrounding areas.

Since Wednesday, more than 130 people have been slain. On Thursday, attacks targeted Shias in several locations.

On Friday, twin bombings in Baquba, north of Baghdad, killed 41 people and injured dozens as as worshippers were leaving a Sunni mosque.

The second bomb exploded as people gathered at the scene of the first blast.

In Baghdad, a bomb exploded near a shopping centre during evening rush hour in the mainly Sunni neighbourhood of Amariyah, killing at least 12 people and wounding 32.

Another bomb soon detonated in a commercial district in Dora, another Sunni neighbourhood, killing two people and wounding 22.

In Madain, south of Baghdad, a roadside bomb exploded during a Sunni funeral procession, killing eight mourners and wounding 11.

An explosion struck a cafe in Fallujah, 65 kilometres west of Baghdad, killing two people and wounding nine.