France has stepped up security at its embassies across the Muslim world after a French satirical magazine published crude caricatures of Islam's Prophet Mohammed.

A French magazine has published caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed claiming the right to free speech even as global tension grew over the film insulting to Islam.

Syrian forces have opened fire on thousands of protesters in Aleppo, a day after a raid on dormitories at the city's main university killed four students and forced the closure of the state-run school.

The Israeli police presence in east Jerusalem has been raised today and Palestinian access to the city’s holiest site strictly limited in anticipation of possible unrest.

The brother-in-law of the new Iraqi judge presiding over Saddam Hussein’s genocide trial was killed and his nephew injured in a shooting today in Baghdad.