The UN Security Council has unanimously approved a resolution demanding a 30-day ceasefire across Syria "without delay" to deliver humanitarian aid to millions and evacuate the critically ill and wounded.

A UN Security Council emergency meeting on the protests in Iran showed Tehran "the world will be watching" its actions, the US ambassador has said.

Rival US and Russian resolutions to extend the mandate of experts trying to determine who was responsible for chemical attacks in Syria have been defeated at a heated Security Council meeting that reflected the deteriorating relations between Washington and Moscow.

North Korea's leader is "begging for war", the US ambassador has said at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.

UN Security Council members have called for further sanctions against North Korea after a powerful nuclear test explosion added another layer of urgency for diplomats considering what to do about the North's persistent weapons programmes.