The South African government said it sought diplomatic assistance from countries across the African continent to help curb anti-immigrant violence that had left at least four people dead in the past 2 weeks.

The South African Foreign Minister, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, told Reuters,

“We belive that working together we can defeat this daemon. We will have to nip this in the bud.”

United Nations Security Council envoys were reportedly in tears after viewing footage of a chlorine gas attack in Syria from earlier this year, as they pledged to hold the perpetrators accountable.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said the UN Security Council meeting was "extremely unusual and very emotional," adding, "If there was a dry eye in the room I didn't see it."

"Those people responsible for these attacks have to be held accountable," Ms Power told reporters after the meeting.

“We need an attribution mechanism so we know precisely who carried out these attacks… only the Assad regime has helicopters,” she added, noting the bombs were dropped from aircraft.

The footage showed the aftermath of the attack on the city of Idlib earlier this year. Syrian doctors are seen trying unsuccessfully resuscitate 3 young children.

“But we need to move forward in a manner that also makes it very clear to all council members that those people responsible for those attacks are held accountable,” continued Ms Powers.

"The long arm of justice is taking more time than any of us would wish right now, but this documentary record will be used at some point in a court of law".

The Russian government has condemned the presence of US military trainers in Ukraine, as hundreds of US paratroopers arrived to train the Ukrainian military as they battle against pro-Russian separatists.

"Soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade have been arriving over the last week," a US army spokesman Donald Wrenn told AFP. "We will have about 300 soldiers from the brigade on the ground providing the training that will last over the next six months."

South Africa’s permanent Mission to the African Union, in a Statement released on Friday, condemned incidents of violence direct at foreign nationals in some parts of the Kwazulu-Natal province.

Outlining measures taken to control the situation, the statement said,

“The South African Government has also deployed Ministers of Police, State Security and Home Affairs to work with Kwazulu-Natal Provincial government to quell the violence and bring the situation to normality.”

Iran will only accept a deal over its nuclear programme if world powers lifted all sanctions imposed on it.

The Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, speaking on Iranian television, said,

“If there is no end to sanctions, there will not be an agreement. The end of these negotiations and a signed deal must include a declaration of cancelling oppressive sanctions on the great nation of Iran.”

The Colombian government has announced it will resume a bombing campaign against Farc militants, after the death of 10 government soldiers in an attack yesterday.

Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos said, "I have ordered the armed forces to lift the suspension of air strikes on Farc positions until further notice."

The United Nations envoy to Yemen resigned on Wednesday after four years in the role, as fighting in the country continues to rage on.

Jamal Benomar, a Moroccan diplomat, had been a mediator between various political organisations since 2012 after he brokered a 2011 transition plan following the Arab Spring. Since then the situation in the country has deteriorated with a Saudi-led collation bombing campaign now entering its fourth week.

UN chief Ban Ki-Moon released a statement saying he "greatly appreciates the tireless efforts Mr. Benomar has made over the years to promote consensus and trust on a peaceful way forward in Yemen".

Syrian government forces used toxic chemicals in barrel bomb attacks between March 16-31 2015, said Human Rights Watch in a statement released on Tuesday.

Calling on the UN Security Council and country members of the Chemical Weapons Convention to “respond strongly,” the Middle East and North Africa director of Human Rights Watch, Nadim Houry, said,

“Syrian authorities appear once again to have shown complete disregard for human suffering by violating the global prohibition against chemical warfare.”

The Colombian government claimed that 10 soldiers were killed in an attack by suspected Farc militants, despite a ceasefire being in place between the warring sides.

The attack, in the Farc controlled town of Cauca, also injured 17 soldiers according to government reports, who claimed grenades and explosives were used in the attack.