Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has urged activists on both sides of the Israel-Palestinian debate to “turn the heat down” after the US consulate in Sydney was vandalised.

The incident came at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East, and with Paris on high security alert as it gears up to host the Olympics in three months.

Police have found no weapons on a man detained at the Iranian Consulate in Paris after responding to a report of a suspicious individual seen carrying a grenade and explosives vest, an official said.

French police have detained a man at the Iranian consulate in Paris after responding to a report of a suspicious man possibly carrying a grenade and explosives vest. Officers in the capital did they did not immediately confirm finding any weapons.

A new Irish consulate covering the north of England is to be opened in Manchester.