A bloody Sunday in Iraq as a wave of bomb blasts devastates the country, leaving almost 60 dead.

Seven people were killed and at least 40 wounded at this site in Kirkuk when two car bombs exploded.

Another eight were killed and 15 wounded in the eastern part of the city when a suicide bomber detonated his car outside a police recruitment centre.

Three more were killed and nearly 30 wounded at this popular market in the southern province of Basra.

Police said the blast took place near a spot where labourers were gathering to look for part-time work.

Another car bomb exploded outside the French consulate in the usually stable city of Nassiriya, killing a police guard and wounding four other guards.

The honorary consul, an Iraqi citizen, was not at the office at the time of the attack.

Two others were killed and three wounded when another car bomb was detonated outside a hotel in the city.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for Sunday's attacks but insurgents have often hit high-profile targets to undermine government claims at security.

Infighting in Iraq's delicate cross-sectarian government and a resurgence of Iraq's Al Qaeda wing have raised fears of a return to widespread violence.