The United Nations announced Thursday it signed an agreement to purchase a very large vessel that can transfer more than 1 million barrels of crude now stranded in a rusting tanker off the coast of war-torn Yemen.

The UNSecurity Council on Wednesday overwhelmingly rejected Russia's attempt to establish a commission to investigate its unfounded claims that Ukraine and the United States are carrying out "military biological" activities that violate the convention prohibiting the use of biological weapons.

Russia vetoed a UNSecurity Council resolution on Friday demanding that Moscow immediately stop its attack on Ukraine and withdraw all troops, a defeat the United States and its supporters knew was inevitable but said would highlight Russia's global isolation.