As Syria announced their first ever acknowledgement that it possesses chemical weapons, US President Barack Obama has warned the Syrian regime against their deployment.

Earlier on Monday, Syrian Foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi confirmed that they held chemical weapons, but declared that they would not be deployed “during the crisis in Syria no matter what the developments inside Syria”. He did state however, that they would only be used if “Syria is exposed to external aggression”.

South Sudan has offered to resume oil production and increase transit fees to Sudan in an attempt to further talks between the two nations.

The deal, proposed at talks being held in Ethiopia, would see South Sudan provide Khartoum $3.245 billion, as well as raising transit fees to $9.10 a barrel for use of a pipeline that crosses through Sudan and $7.26 a barrel for another.

South Sudan's chief negotiator, Pagan Amum, said,

South Sudan has scrapped talks with neighbour Sudan, after accusing Khartoum of carrying out air strikes on their side of a disputed border.

Direct talks were being held by the two countries as a UN Security Council deadline of August 2nd looms for the nations to resolve their disputes.

However, allegations of airstrikes by Sudan on Friday have led to South Sudan cancelling direct talk that were due to take place in Addis Ababa.

Atif Kiir, the spokesman for Juba's South Sudan said,

Human rights groups have urged Nepal to bar the promotion of a senior army officer implicated in torture and disappearances during the country’s civil war.

Local media had reported that Colonel Raju Basnet had been recommended for promotion to Brigadier General.

In a joint statement, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International said,

The International Court of Justice has ordered the Senegalese government to commence the trial of Chad’s former president Hissene Habre ‘without delay’ or to extradite him to Belgium to face trial.

Mr Habre denies accusation he committed crimes against humanities during his reign.

He is alleged to have killed and tortured tens of thousands of opposition activists between 1982 and 1990.

Guor Marial, a long distance runner from South Sudan will be competing in the upcoming London Olympics, after the International Olympic Committee granted him permission to compete under the Olympic flag.

Speaking to Associated Press, Marial said,

"The voice of South Sudan has been heard."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sanctioned a law which will impose tighter controls on civil rights groups which receive funding from abroad.

Opposition groups have said that the move continues Putin’s campaign to curb dissent, as the law will force NGOs engaged in “political activity” to register as “foreign agents” with the Ministry of Justice and submit a quarterly report to officials.

The Government of Mali has asked the International Criminal Court in The Hague to investigate possible instances of war crimes and crimes against humanity, after Islamists seized control of the North of the country earlier this year.

In a visit to The Hague, Malian Justice Minister Malick Coulibaly alleged that there were,

“grave and massive violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed particularly in the north of the country.”

Attacks on Rohingya Muslims in Burma are on the increase, warns Amnesty International on Friday.

In continuing communal violence, Rohingyas have become targets for killings, rape and physical abuse although the Burmese government has dismissed the allegations as groundless and biased.

Amnesty accused Burma’s security forces and ethnic Buddhists of being responsible for the attacks.