2. United Nations has announced its highest level of emergency for the humanitarian crisis in Iraq. Islamic militants have overrun much of the country’s north and west, and have driven out hundreds of thousands from their home.

 

3. 5 day extension of a Gaza truce appears to be holding despite a rocky start. It’s the longest ceasefire yet since the war broke out last month in the Gaza Strip. Violence briefly spiked as the extension of the truce announced shortly before midnight on Wednesday.

 

4. Opening a 5 day visit to South Korea, Pope Francis has called for a new effort to forge peace on the war-divided Korean Peninsula, and for both sides to avoid fruitless criticism and shows of force.