THOUSANDS marched on government buildings and clashed with security forces in cities across Iraq yesterday, in the largest and most violent anti-government protests here since political unrest began spreading in the Arab world several weeks ago.

Security forces have killed five people in northern Iraq as thousands of protesters rallied in cities across the country for a “Day of Rage.”

A coalition of Egyptian opposition groups have called for a million people to take to Cairo’s streets to ratchet up pressure for President Hosni Mubarak to leave.

Explosions caused by a bomb left in a bag near labourers waiting for day's work in Baghdad and a suicide bomber in a restaurant in northern Iraq killed at least eight people today and wounded 19 more.