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Explosions have rocked the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Saturday, and the northern city of Aleppo as security forces try to push rebels from their remaining strongholds.

Soldiers of Hawaii Army National Guard's Bravo Company, 1-171st Aviation Regiment, based at Wheeler Army Airfield in Wahiawa, Hawaii, assemble the last of four Chinooks they transported to Botswana in support of Southern Accord 12. SA 12 brings together U.S. military personnel with their Botswana Defense Force counterparts to enhance military capabilities and interoperability.

Kofi Annan, Joint Special Envoy of the UN and the League of Arab States on Syria.

In all the anger over rival claims to the South China Sea, Indonesia has emerged as a voice of calm, working to mediate a dispute involving China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Malaysia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he does not favor harsh punishment for members of a punk rock band on trial in Moscow for alleged hooliganism.

UN peacekeeping chief Hervé Ladsous briefs reporters.

UN peacekeeping chief Hervé Ladsous briefs reporters.

Delegates attend a plenary session of the National Constituent Assembly in Mogadishu, Somalia.

The Wyoming National Guard's 153rd Airlift Wing use a modular air fire fighting system equipped C-130 Hercules aircraft in support of the Waldo Canyon wild fire in Colorado Springs, CO on June 27, 2012. Four MAFFS-equipped aircraft from the 302nd Airlift Wing - an Air Force Reserve unit - and 153rd flew in support of the U.S. Forest Service as they fought fires in Colorado. MAFFS is a self-contained aerial firefighting system that can discharge 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in less than five seconds, covering an area one-quarter of a mile long by 100 feet wide.

The new Za'atri camp opened by Jordan for Syrian refugees can eventually host up to 113,000 people.