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.

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.”

 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.”

Opposition fighters have launched a fierce assault on Syrian government intelligence headquarters in Aleppo on Wednesday, with at least 34 people dead from both warring sides.

Opposition fighters linked to the Al Nusra Front and other Islamist organisations detonated a bomb placed in a tunnel running underneath the headquarters, with the blast being heard throughout Aleppo. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported a 2.3-magnitude tremor at the time of the explosion.

The UN Security Council voted unanimously in favour of a resolution establishing a sanctions regime on warring factions in South Sudan, ahead of a deadline for the sides to reach a peace deal later this week.

The resolution voted in on Tuesday, stopped short of travel bans, asset freezes and preventing the purchase of more weapons, but threatens to punish those who interfere with the ongoing peace process.

All 15 UN Security Council members voted in favour of the resolution after it was proposed by the United States. US Ambassador Samantha Power said that "those who frustrate peace must begin to pay the price," adding the council was "sending a very clear signal to those who continue to choose war over peace - you will be held to account now as we urge you to compromise to reach an agreement and later when you are considering whether to follow through on its terms".

The home secretary Theresa May, was accused of allowing “state sponsored abuse of women” at th Yarl’s Wood detention centre after a Channel 4 investigation uncovered systematic racial and physical abuse of detainees.

The shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, criticised Ms May for extending the contract for Serco to run the detention centre despite allegations of abuse, sexual exploitation, rape and self harm, reports The Guardian.

The international community must be ready to support Libyan efforts to tackle Islamic State militants, said the United Nations Special Envoy to Libya Bernardino Leon, during a briefing to the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday.

Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that a deal with Iran over a nuclear programme would see Iran "pave its way to the bomb", in a controversial speech to the United States Congress.

Mr Netanyahu said a deal would Iran would “inevitably lead to a nuclear armed Iran whose unbridled aggression will inevitably lead to a nuclear war”, adding that "Iran's regime is as radical as ever, the ideology is deeply rooted in militant Islam... it will always be an enemy of US".

The speech was criticised by US President Barack Obama who said that Mr Netanyahu had offered “nothing new” to progress towards containing Iran’s nuclear programme.