Executions fell worldwide by nearly a third last year to their lowest levels in at least a decade, but several countries recorded a rise, Amnesty International said Wednesday.
India's gargantuan election, the biggest in history, kicked off on Thursday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a second term from the South Asian behemoth's 900 million voters.
Modi's ruling party has pledged to put a major focus on strengthening national security as military tension continues between India and neighboring Pakistan over the disputed Kashmir region. India also has a border dispute with China.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on path for victory in Israel's elections on Wednesday after nearly complete results put him in position to form a right-wing coalition and further extend his long tenure in office.
In Japan's picturesque Ago Bay, a couple sits in a little hut picking out oysters from a net, cleaning them carefully one-by-one before replacing them gently back in the water
Israelis began voting Tuesday in a high-stakes election that will decide whether to extend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long right-wing tenure despite corruption allegations or to replace him with an ex-military chief new to politics.