Police in Myanmar have charged a protest by students who protested against proposed legislation, which they say stifles academic freedom.

Around 100 people were arrested with the police beating students, monks and journalists, according to Reuters.

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko said separatist rebels have withdrawn a significant amount of heavy weapons, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement signed in February.

The US imposed sanctions on Venezuelan officials for their suspected role in human rights abuses, as President Barack Obama declared the situation in the country an "extraordinary threat" to US national security.

At least seven high-ranking military, police and government officials will have assets frozen and will be blocked from doing business with US firms or travel to the country.

White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said the Venezuelan government had tried to distract from "its own actions by blaming the United States or other members of the international community for events inside Venezuela".

Troops from Niger and Chad have launched a joint offensive against Boko Haram in north-eastern Nigeria.

The African Union of Friday authorised the creation of a new regional force containing over 8,000 soldiers, to tackle the militant group, but the force's remit will be to secure Nigeria's side of Lake Chad and not push further into Nigeria.

A UN base was attacked in northern Mali, leaving three people dead and wounding at least 12.

Around 30 rockets struck the base in Kidal and killed one of the UN peacekeepers, with 2 more civilians dying in a nearby camp for Tuareg and Arab nomads.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, hailed a decision by Nepal’s top court rejecting the possibility of amnesty for suspected perpetrators of war crimes and other human rights abuses.

Mr Zeid praised the court for "upholding international standards relating to accountability for gross violations of international human rights law and serious violations of international humanitarian law".

"It is essential that the commissions adopt this victim-centred approach, as many victims have felt completely excluded from the process so far," said Mr Zeid in a statement.

The United Nations Security Council will vote on a resolution condemning the use of chlorine as a chemical weapon in Syria and threatens unspecified action if further violations occur, on Friday.

The resolution, reportedly pushed for by the United States "condemns in the strongest terms any use of any toxic chemical, such as chlorine, as a weapon in the Syrian Arab Republic."

However, the resolution itself does not blame any of the warring sides in Syria for the use of chlorine as a weapon during the conflict.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had earlier reported that chlorine gas had been used "systematically and repeatedly" as a weapon in Syria. Witnesses have reported chlorine gas being fired from helicopters – with only the Syrian government having access to such aircraft.

 Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch warned that war crimes may have been committed when Egypt carried out airstrikes in the Libyan city of Derna last month.

At least 7 civilians, including 3 children were reportedly killed in the attack.

Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Badr Abdelatty however rubbished the claims, saying they were “nonsense reports based on wrong information”.

“The Egyptian authorities must publicly disclose detailed information on all airstrikes carried out in Derna on 16 February, including targets, and measures taken to avoid incidental harm to civilians,” said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director at Amnesty International.

“Attacks which do not discriminate between civilians and fighters are war crimes. When perpetrated as part of a systematic and widespread attack against a civilian population, murder is a crime against humanity.”

Human Rights Watch also called for a “speedy and transparent investigations into the deaths,” with Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director saying,

“Egypt and Libya say they are fighting extremists affiliated with ISIS, but that doesn’t give them a free hand to kill civilians.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Islamic State of committing genocide in Iraq, by targeting Christians in the region.

Speaking at the sidelines of the United Nations Human Rights Council session, currently underway in Geneva, Mr Lavrov said,

“There are awful crimes, Christians are killed, they are burned alive, 21 Egyptian Copts have been beheaded in Libya, all these are signs of genocide following the definition of the UN.”