Iraq (and Beyond) Live: Dozens Killed in Suicide Bombing in Baghdad Cafe

0845 GMT: Up to 27 people have reportedly been killed and dozens more injured in a suicide bombing in a Baghdad cafe, according to a Ministry of Interior source.

The bomber walked into the popular Dubai Cafe, crowded with young people late Thursday, and detonated explosives.

With provincial elections scheduled this weekend, about 110 people have died in violence in the last five days.

The Dubai Cafe is on the third floor of a mini-mall in the predominantly Sunni neighbourhood of Amiriyah. An Islamic studies centre, affiliated with the Iraqi Islamic Party, part of the main Sunni political bloc, is located below.

Iraq (and Beyond) Live: At Least 20 Killed in Bombings Across Country

This morning's bomb in Kirkuk in northern Iraq (Photo: Abu Rasheed/Reuters)

See also Syria Live: Mass Deaths from Airstrikes
Sunday's Bahrain (and Beyond) Live: Protests Build Again Before Grand Prix

---

1725 GMT:Bahrain. The Government has backed proposals to impose penalties of up to five years in prison for insulting the King or its national symbols.

The Cabinet approved proposals to impose the sentences and fines of 10,000 dinars ($26,500) for defaming King Hamad or Bahrain’s flag or coat of arms.

1635 GMT:Turkey. Fazil Say, an internationally-acclaimed pianist and composer, has been given a 10-month prison term, suspended for five years, for insulting Islam and offending Muslims in postings on Twitter.

Click to read more ...

Bahrain (and Beyond) Live: Protests Build Again Before Grand Prix

Police fear tear gas into a market in Sanabis on Thursday

See also Syria Live: Assessing the Insurgency
Saturday's Egypt (and Beyond) Live: Mubarak Retrial Opens

---

1605 GMT: Iraq. Two more Sunni Muslim election candidates have been killed less than a week before local votes.

At least 13 candidates, most of them Sunni, have been slain.

Saturday's election to select provincial council members is seen as a measure pf strength of the largely-Shia national government before the Parliamentary elections in 2014.

No group claimed responsibility for the weekend attacks in Baiji town, 180 kilometres (112 miles) north of Baghdad.

Another Sunni candidate escaped a roadside bomb in Balad Ruz, 90 km (55 miles) northeast of the capital, on Sunday.

Click to read more ...

Syria Live: Islamist Insurgents "Merging" with Al Qa'eda in Iraq?

2029 GMT: Syrian Jet Bombs Lebanon. Once again, a Syrian jet has dropped bombs in northeastern Lebanon, according to the AFP:

"A Syrian jet dropped five shells on the outskirts of Sarjal Ajram. No one was hurt," the official said.

Sarjal Ajram lies northeast of Arsal, which is home to a majority Sunni population, and whose residents support the uprising in neighbouring Syria against President Bashar al-Assad.

2019 GMT: Rebel Attack on Hama Airport. Earlier we reported that rebels were attacking Hama airport with homemade rocket launchers (see update 1733). According to Now Lebanon, which cites activists, the regime has evacuated its helicopters from the airport in response:

The activist Syrian Media Center said that regime forces moved helicopters from the under-fire airport to a base in Dair Shamil, a small Alawite-populated village west of Hama.

Click to read more ...

Syria Live: A Car Bomb in Damascus

State TV footage of the aftermath of Monday's car bomb in central Damascus

See also UAE (and Beyond) Live: 10 Months in Prison for Tweeting About a Trial
Monday's Syria Live: The Back-and-Forth Battle in Aleppo

---

2142 GMT: Cyber-Attacks. The website of State news agency SANA has apparently been hacked tonight, with the entire service replaced by a generic "Site Under Construction" page.

1616 GMT: Massacre in Homs. In the last week of March we posted evidence of a massacre in Abil, outside of Homs (map). Between 13 and 18 burnt bodies were found in the town, and eyewitnesses said that "shabiha," pro-regime militia, were the culprits.

Click to read more ...

Iraq (and Beyond) Live Coverage: At Least 25 Killed in Attack on Campaign Rally

Syria Live: A Funding Crisis for the Refugees
Friday's Turkey (and Beyond) Live: A Peace Deal with the PKK?

---

1959 GMT: Lebanon. New Prime Minister Tammam Salam has said he will work to unite the country and prevent the civil war in Syria from spilling over the border.

Salam, a former Minister of Culture, was named Prime Minister after receiving the support of 124 of 128 MPs. He was chosen after two days of consultations, following last month's resignation of Najib Mikati.

“I start from the necessity of taking Lebanon out of divisions and political tensions that were reflected in the security situation,” Salam said in his first public statement after being chosen.

Click to read more ...

Israel, Palestine (and Beyond) Live: Israeli Jets Strike Gaza for 1st Time Since November

See also Egypt Video Discussion: The Political and Economic Struggles
Syria Live Coverage: A Snapshot of the Cost of War in Aleppo
Tuesday's Bahrain (and Beyond) Live: An Agenda for a National Dialogue?

---

1705 GMT: Egypt. Defying the judiciary, President Morsi has said Public Prosecutor Talaat Abdallah will remain in his position.

A Presidential spokesperson said a challenge to the court ruling ordering Abdallah's dismissal and the return of former Public Prosecutor Abdel Maguid Mahmoud is still being considered.

Last week, the Cairo Court of Appeals reinstated Mahmoud to his post, annulling a decree by Morsi replacing him with Talaat Abdallah.

Click to read more ...

Mali (and Beyond) Live: At Least 7 Killed in Timbuktu Fighting

See also Syria Live: The Deaths on Easter Sunday
Sunday's Mali (and Beyond) Live Coverage: A Suicide Bombing in Timbuktu

---

1525 GMT: Morocco. Several thousand people marched through the capital Rabat on Sunday to protest against unemployment and the cost of living.

In a "national march of protest" for greater freedoms and rights, yellow-clad marchers moved through the streets of the city.

Protesters challenged government plans to reform laws dealing with labor unions, including docking the pay of strikers. Chanting "people want the fall of the government" and “Morocco is witnessing social regression", they called for the departure of Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane.

Other slogans denounced government policies, corruption, and the high cost of living.

Click to read more ...

Syria Live Coverage: Insurgents Make Key Advance in South

1803 GMT: What's So Important About a Croatian Rocket Launcher? James Miller provides a snap analysis:

Today we posted evidence that a 12-tube 8.5-13km range Croatian rocket launcher has made it to the battlefields of Syria.

See also Syria Exclusive: New Arms for Insurgents --- The Case of the Croatian Multiple Rocket Launcher

Why does this matter?

There are three different levels of significance. The first is the military effectiveness of the weapon. The second level concerns what the weapon's presence says about the state of the international effort to arm the rebels. The third is a question about the rule of unintended consequences. We'll be treating these separately in a longer analysis, especially the last two, but this deserves some treatment now.

First, militarily this weapon is fairly significant. The rebels are constantly being hit by long range artillery and multiple launch rockets, so this helps level that playing field. Of course, even if all of the RAK-12s were given to the Syrian rebels, this would not match the regime's firepower. However, in our updates to our separate feature we've posted video that already shows this launcher targeting the Damascus International Airport. These weapons are extremely effective at attacking isolated regime bases over short, medium, and long range distances. This weapon could provide much needed help in cracking Assad's most formidable defenses, though it's still hard to see how a few of these weapons will make a significant difference. Also, the rebels have some similar weapons that they have captured from the regime, so the presence of a few rocket launchers is not going to dramatically change the situation.

Click to read more ...

Iraq (and Beyond) Live Coverage: At Least 17 Killed in Mosque Bombings

See also Syria Live Coverage: Hesitating on Weapons to Insurgents?
Thursday's Saudi Arabia (and Beyond) Live Coverage: Prosecutor Demands "Death by Crucifixion" for Dissident Cleric

---

2055 GMT: Bahrain. Police used tear gas and sound bombs to disperse hundreds of protesters who demonstrated in the capital Manama against the regime.

The marchers chanted, "The people want the fall of the regime" and "Down with [King] Hamad."

Several protesters were arrested, witnesses said.

Click to read more ...