Among the latest developments in the Syrian humanitarian crisis, China and Russia have reaffirmed their opposition to a forced regime change; Turkey and Japan joined 11 other countries in expelling Syrian diplomats, and the U.N.’s Human Rights Council is due to meet to discuss the massacre in the city of Houla.
On Wednesday night, an unrepentant, white supremacist murderer was executed at the same time Troy Davis had been scheduled to die before the Supreme Court delayed it.
China, which carries out more executions than any country—Iran comes in a semi-close second—is pledging to reduce the number of people killed by the state. While far from abolishing the death penalty, the government is narrowing the definition of execution-worthy crime.