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F. BandarinOld Towns of Djenné (Mali)

EU countries will have to introduce stronger controls on “blank-firing” guns, to prevent them being converted to fire live ammunition, under Internal Market Committee amendments, voted on Wednesday, to a draft update of the EU firearms directive. The changes approved by MEPs ensure that any firearm which has been converted to firing blanks continues to be covered by EU gun control rules. This closes a legal loophole which became evident in the aftermath of last year’s terrorist attacks in Paris.

Ainura TentievaHistoric Centre of Shakhrisyabz (Uzbekistan)

Yacoub El Hillo, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria (centre), inspects the first batch of locally-produced bread bags in East Ghouta, Syria, during an inter-agency convoy on 29 June 2016.

The Tomping base of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), where displaced civilians have sought refuge in the wake of fresh clashes in Juba between soldiers of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and the SPLA in Opposition (SPLA-IO).

Civilians have borne the brunt of fighting in Wau and across South Sudan.

The High-Level Roundtable on the plight of people fleeing growing violence in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras – a region known as the Northern Triangle of Central America – on Thursday concluded in San José, Costa Rica, with a series of comprehensive actions to address the various dimensions of the situation, including the provision of international protection for asylum-seekers and refugees, and protection measures in the countries of origin.

UNMISS provides protection to civilians fleeing recent violence in Wau.

An EU army is not on the cards for the time being, however closer cooperation on security and defence is becoming more important. During the Nato summit starting in Warsaw on July 8, the EU and Nato will sign a declaration aimed at strengthening cooperation, while setting out an effective division of responsibilities. We asked Estonian liberal MEP Urmas Paet, who is drafting a report on the European Defence Union, whether EU countries are ready for working more closely together on security.