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A Malian refugee woman in Mangaize, northern Niger, ponders her future, after fleeing her home because of the general insecurity and fighting between the army and Tuareg fighters.

High-level delegations from the United Nations, West African bloc ECOWAS, and the African Union met with Malian leaders Friday to develop a coherent strategy for tackling the crisis in northern Mali, where al-Qaida linked militant groups have taken control.

Syria Regional Refugee Response

The United States is said to be weighing the option of a military strike against those found responsible for the September 11 attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya that killed four American embassy personnel dead, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

Presidents Omar Al-Bashir of Sudan (left) and Salva Kiir of South Sudan.

A busy thoroughfare in the ancient Syrian city of Aleppo.

The Philippine government and the country’s largest Muslim rebel group have signed an initial peace agreement that they hope will end a 40-year insurgency that has left more than 120,000 people dead. Although the agreement has wide support, it faces opposition from the former leader of a smaller group.

Chinese state media reports that Cambodia's King Norodom Sihanouk, one of Southeast Asia's defining leaders, has died in Beijing.

Turkey says it has banned Syrian passenger planes from Turkish airspace in the latest sign of growing confrontation between the two neighbors.