At least two civilians are killed in a suspected suicide attack at the entrance to the Bagram air base in Afghanistan, officials say.

Troops on the U.S.'s largest base in Afghanistan have inadvertently burned Korans and other religious materials, triggering angry protests and fears of even larger demonstrations as news of the burning spreads. The books were mistakenly thrown out with the trash at Bagram Air Field north of Kabul and were on a burn pile Monday night before Afghan laborers intervened around 11:00 p.m., according to NATO and Afghan officials.

Australia plays down a report it plans to allow a US air base on islands in the Indian Ocean, calling such a move "down the track".

The Qatar-based al-Jazeera TV channel decides not to air video material of the deadly attacks carried out by Toulouse gunman Mohamed Merah.

At least 12 people are killed as protests continue for a fourth day across Afghanistan over the burning of Korans at a US air base.