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.

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Egypt (and Beyond) Live: Talks Over IMF Loan Fail to Reach Agreement

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and International Managing Director Christine Lagarde at the Presidential Palace in Cairo last year

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1700 GMT: Egypt

Cairo and the International Monetary Fund have failed to agree on terms for a $4.8 billion loan to ease a worsening economic crisis.

After nearly two weeks of negotiations in Cairo, IMF mission chief Andreas Bauer issued a statement today that cited progress, notably in Egypt's efforts to better target fuel subsidies and broaden its revenue base.

However, Bauer indicated that no resolution had occurred, "Discussions with the authorities will continue with the objective of reaching agreement on a possible standby arrangement in support of Egypt."

Egyptian officials played down the setback, saying talks would continue this week in Washington, and in Cairo after that.

"We are travelling to the spring meetings in the next two days and are going to be there in the coming week and will complete the negotiations there, and after we return, the mission will come again for us to complete some of the negotiations," Planning Minister Ashraf al-Arabi, one of the Egyptian negotiators, said.

"But the talks are difficult," he added.

UAE (and Beyond) Live: 10 Months in Prison for Tweeting About a Trial

See also Syria Live: A Car Bomb in Damascus
Monday's Syria Live: The Back-and-Forth Battle in Aleppo

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1441 GMT: Egypt. Dutch journalist Rena Netjes was arrested in Cairo on Monday night on allegations of espionage.

Netjes was working on a story when she was apprehended by the owner of a coffee shop, using Egypt's new powers of "citizen's arrest", who had asked to see her press card and passport before taking it to the police.

After spending several hours waiting in the police station, Netjes said the report against her contained erroneous allegations. The report said she was a danger to Egypt and was attempting to spread Western culture.

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