Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in Cairo on Friday to pile pressure on President Mohamed Morsi after a panel dominated by fellow Islamists rushed through a controversial draft constitution.

The new charter, adopted after a marathon overnight session boycotted by liberals and Christians, raises serious human rights concerns, including about religious freedom, activists say.

Delegates from more than 60 countries agreed in Tokyo Friday to ramp up pressure on Bashar Assad's regime and urged the international community to unite to force change in Syria.

The "Friends of Syria" condemned the "incessant killings, bombings of residential areas" and the "gross violation of human rights" that have taken place since Assad's forces moved to crush an uprising.

The U.N. General Assembly on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to recognize Palestine as a non-member state, giving a major diplomatic triumph to President Mahmoud Abbas despite fierce opposition from the United States and Israel.

The 193-member assembly voted 138-9 with 41 abstentions for the resolution which enables the Palestinians to join U.N. agencies and sign international treaties.

Two Austrian soldiers stationed with the U.N. force on the Golan Heights were shot and wounded in Syria while their convoy was traveling to Damascus airport on Thursday, the defense ministry in Vienna said.

The two troops, whose lives were not in danger, were part of the Austrian contingent of the United Nations Disengagement Observers Force (UNDOF) on the Golan Heights and were traveling to Damascus airport to fly back to Austria after their tour of duty, the ministry said.

A Qatari court on Thursday jailed for life a poet accused of incitement against the regime and defaming the Gulf emirate's crown prince, who supported anti-government uprisings in the region, his lawyer said.

"A Qatar court sentenced to life in prison Mohammed al-Ajami, alias Ibn al-Dhib, charged on three counts: incitement against the regime, defamation of the crown prince, Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, and attacking the constitution," Nejib Naimi told AFP.

The old Syria ruled by President Bashar Assad's family is finished and the "new Syria" will never be the same, the U.N. special envoy said Thursday, in a strong hint that Assad will have to step down before a civil war can end.

Speaking to reporters after briefing the U.N. Security Council on what he said was the deteriorating situation in Syria, U.N.-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi did not mention Assad by name.

Security forces on Thursday arrested a "dangerous" al-Qaida chief in southern Yemen who took part in several attacks, state news agency Saba reported.

The agency, citing police, said Suleiman Hassan Mohammed Morshad Awadh, also known as Abu Ussama al-Abiye, was "one of the most dangerous members of al-Qaida and involved in several terrorist operations."

U.N. leader Ban Ki-moon warned Thursday ahead of key vote on U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state that the Middle East peace process is on "life support".

But he told a U.N. meeting that only "direct negotiations" between the Palestinians and Israelis can lead to a permanent settlement.

Members of Israel's Labor party went to the polls on Thursday to select candidates for parliament ahead of a January general election.

Polls opened at 10.00 am (0800 GMT) in 70 locations across the country and were due to close 12 hours later, with party leader Shelly Yachimovich to announce official results at 7.00 am (0500 GMT) on Friday, Labor’s website said.

Two U.S.-based Internet-monitoring companies say Syria has shut off the Internet nationwide.

Activists in Syria reached Thursday by satellite telephone confirmed the unprecedented blackout, which comes amid intense fighting in the capital, Damascus.