A wave of attacks, mostly against Sunni areas of Iraq, killed 70 people in renewed bloodshed that, coupled with widespread political paralysis, has revived fears of all-out sectarian war. 

The violence, which left more than 230 people wounded, came after several days of relative calm following symbolic moves by Iraq's political leaders to ease tensions among the country's communities after the UN warned violence was ready to "explode". 

But no tangible moves have been agreed to address underlying disputes that have fuelled months of protests among Iraq's Sunni community and, analysts say, given militant groups fuel and room to manoeuvre. 

No group has claimed responsibility for the bloodshed, but Sunni militants linked to Al-Qaeda have previously attacked security forces and fellow Sunnis, ostensibly in a bid to provoke retributive violence against Iraq's Shiite community.