The US and China spent the most on their military in 2021, accounting for 52% of the total global defense expenditure, according to a new SIPRI report. Russia also saw a spending jump ahead of its invasion of Ukraine.

Iranian women who rebel against mandatory wearing of hijabs say they are being discriminated against in the workplace.

In Singapore, the fate of two Malaysian men on death row has sparked local mobilisation and attracted international attention. On April 25th, Nagaenthran Dharmalingam was hanged. With an IQ of 69, which is recognized as a disability, his execution could amount to a breach of international law. The next day, 36-year-old Datchinamurthy Kataiah won a last minute reprieve from Singapore's top court, thereby suspending his execution. We talk to journalist and anti-death penalty activist Kirsten Han.

Rights groups are sounding the alarm over a 25 percent surge in executions in Iran. Despite growing public opposition, the Islamic Republic has long been a leading executioner. We talked to Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the director of the NGO Iran Human Right.

Some Russian lawmakers have urged the death penalty for Ukraine's captured Azov steel plant fighters. But what consequences could Russia face?

Tehran has suggested "global arrogance" could have been behind the killing of Colonel Hassan Sayyad Khodaei. He is believed to have been involved in operations in Syria and Iraq.

A wave of protests swept across Iran as people went online to express their opposition to the death penalty given to three young Iranians for taking part in demonstrations last year.

"Senior leadership" in the UK should bear responsibility for the culture which led to officials partying during COVID-19 lockdowns, according to an internal report.

Victims groups are furious that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson refuses to step down despite a damning report on illegal Downing Street parties during the country's strict pandemic lockdowns.

Tehran says the crews of two Greek oil tankers confiscated in the Gulf have not been detained and are in good health. Athens called the seizures "acts of piracy."

Law enforcement officers waiting to confront the gunman in the Uvalde school massacre were aware of the wounded inside, according to a New York Times report.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, made the announcement at a joint press conference in Tehran. The two allies have both been heavily hit by US sanctions.