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This week the United States and Philippines launched military joint exercises in the South China Sea. With a newly signed military agreement between the treaty allies, the Philippines, which is locked in a dispute with China over territorial claims in the sea, is now heavily focused on beefing up its maritime capabilities.

A displaced child in a makeshift camp in the Golan area of Gurbaz district, Khost province.

Officials in southern India say a state-owned gas pipeline has exploded, killing 13 people.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses the 23rd African Union (AU) Summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

North Korea can fire long-range missiles significantly faster, following upgrades to its launch sites, a U.S. expert has observed.

Efforts by the Turkish government to end a decade-long insurgency by Kurdish rebels is under threat, as controversial military construction projects across Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast have been causing violent protests as peace efforts remain stalled.

On Friday the European Council will adopt the 2014 country-specific recommendations for each EU member state. MEPs regularly point out that the member state governments have been slow to act on these recommendations. This view is corroborated by a new European Parliament study showing that on average, only 18% of the 2011 and 2012 recommendations have been fully implemented.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is continuing his focus on the crisis in Iraq as he meets Thursday in Paris with his counterparts from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin meeting with some families who fled the violence in Mosul.

Former Finnish President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari, former Governor-General and High Court judge of New Zealand Silvia Cartwright (center) and former President of Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission Asma Jahangir (right ).