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Africa now has three female heads of state, after Catherine Samba-Panza of the Central African Republic took office in January. Though women leaders remain the exception in African politics, activists say things are looking up.

The head of the European Council says U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland's use of vulgar language about the European Union is "totally unacceptable."

Special Coordinator of the Joint Mission of the OPCW and the UN Sigrid Kaag speaks to journalists following a closed-door meeting of the Security Council.

An unsolved sniper attack last year on an electrical power substation in California that knocked out 17 giant transformers has mobilized industry leaders to beef up physical security at these vital installations. The incident also has some experts worried that parts of the U.S. power grid are similarly vulnerable.

The EU and its member states should prepare targeted sanctions, such as travel ban and freezing the EU assets of those personally responsible for killings of Ukrainian protesters, say MEPs in a resolution voted on Thursday. They also call for EU financial support for Ukraine. In a separate resolution, also voted on Thursday, MEPs urge Russia to respect the right of Ukrainian citizens to decide the future of their country.

Nickolay Mladenov, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Mission for Iraq.

Tensions between Ankara and the radical group the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, or ISIS, have continued to escalate. The Turkish army recently attacked an ISIS convoy and ISIS has targeted ethnic Turkmen leaders in Syria. Ankara is increasingly concerned that ISIS could now strike Turkish targets.

U.S. homeland security officials are warning airlines flying to Russia to watch out for toothpaste tubes that may be filled with bomb-making materials.

A teenager displaced by recent violence washes clothes in a basin at the compound of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), which has become a makeshift camp for many.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the head of NATO, said he expects the Afghan government will soon agree to a new security deal on the engagement of foreign troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014. President Hamid Karzai has refused to sign a deal before his country's April 5 presidential election, and a published report alleges he is in secret contacts with the Taliban to reach a peace agreement.