At Least 48 Killed by Car Bombs in Baghdad

Predominantly Shiite communities targeted

A wave of car bombs has killed at least 48 people in mostly Shia areas of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, and in other cities around the country.

More than 100 people were wounded in the attacks, police and medics said.

More than 2,500 Iraqis have died in attacks since April, the UN says—with violence at its highest since 2008.

The spike comes amid heightened Shia-Sunni tensions. Sunnis say they are being marginalised by Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's Shia-led government.

The Baghdad bombs, hidden in parked cars, hit markets and car parks in several areas of the city, police say.