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.

The number of people facing hunger rose to 193 million last year as conflict, climate change and economic crises ravaged people's livelihoods, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization said Wednesday.

In a UN Security Council briefing, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said the streets in Iraq could "boil over" if political leaders were unable to end a political stalemate that has gripped the country for over seven months.

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.

The UN human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, has traveled to China at Beijing's invitation. But the US has raised doubts about Chinese officials giving her "necessary access" to asses the situation.

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.

The 13-2 vote in favor of the resolution was not enough to secure its adoption as Beijing and Moscow have veto-rights. The US said the rejection means Pyongyang "will feel free to take further escalatory actions."

Activists slammed UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet for her restrained criticism directed at China's leaders after her return from Xinjiang. But Bachelet noted that her visit was "not an investigation."

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."

The UN says it is the sixth time a peacekeeping convoy has been targeted in less than a month. The West African country has been gripped by a jihadist insurgency for the past decade.

At a UN General Assembly meeting, China and Russia explained their vetoes of a proposal that would have imposed new sanctions on North Korea.