BAGHDAD — The “Good Morning Iraq” presenters chatted amiably in front of a scenic backdrop of Baghdad’s Tigris River. Just then a body floated into view.

EREZ CROSSING, Gaza — Umm Mohammad and her children cowered in no-man’s-land on Monday with Israeli troops firing warning shots in front and Hamas gunmen behind.

MOGADISHU (Reuters) — A large blast wounded at least two children in Mogadishu on Monday near where a national reconciliation conference — twice delayed over insecurity — is due to be held next month, witnesses said.

TRIPOLI — Libya’s supreme court on Wednesday begins hearing the final appeal of six foreign medics sentenced to death for infecting children with HIV, raising the prospect of a swift end to the eight-year crisis.

KHARTOUM (Reuters) — Sudan is ready to attend Darfur peace talks under joint UN-African Union mediation to resolve a conflict which has driven 2.5 million people from their homes, its foreign minister said on Monday.

MADRID (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, a key player in Middle East politics, said he fears conflicts in the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and Iraq could explode into a global one, adding that his monarchy was making great efforts to reach peace.

BAGHDAD (AP) — US and Iraqi forces launched attacks on the capital’s northern and southern flanks to clear out Sunni insurgents, Al Qaeda fighters and Shiite militiamen who were chased from the capital and Anbar province during the first four months of the Baghdad security operation, military officials said Monday.

BEIRUT (AP) — A previously unknown group on Monday claimed responsibility for a rocket attack on northern Israel, reflecting Lebanon’s increasingly dangerous mix of armed organisations.

AMMAN (JT) — King Abdullah on Monday ordered the dispatch of food and other humanitarian aid to Gaza, which suffers a shortage in basic commodities, a Royal Court statement said.

RAMALLAH (Reuters) — Western powers bolstered Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ emergency government on Monday, vowing to end a 15-month-old embargo after he sacked ruling Hamas Islamists who seized the Gaza Strip.