July 31, 2013 -- Updated 1531 GMT (2331 HKT) A wounded Afghan boy receives treatment at a local hospital after Taliban attack in Farah province on April 4, 2013. NEW: The Taliban criticize the U.N. report, saying it's "in favor of Americans" Nearly three-quarters of all civilian casualties in the first half of the year resulted from actions by anti-government groups, notably the Taliban, the U.N. report found. The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan welcomed the report, saying it had taken "a number of positive steps to reduce the number of civilian casualties in this country." Unfortunately, the Taliban's demonstrated lack of regard for human life has resulted in nearly 90 percent of all civilian casualties so far this year. By continuing the indiscriminate use of improvised explosive device attacks despite the huge toll on Afghan men, women and children, the Taliban proves it does not take their pledge to protect innocent civilians seriously," ISAF said. But the Taliban criticized the report, saying it was "in favor of Americans and part of the propaganda against the Taliban." CNN's Brian Walker and Masoud Popalzai contributed to this report. July 31, 2013 -- Updated 1417 GMT (2217 HKT) A student left handcuffed and unmonitored in a cell for five days where he drank his own urine to survive is awarded $4.1 million compensation. July 31, 2013 -- Updated 1528 GMT (2328 HKT) "Death would be a better option for me," says Nada, who accuses her parents of trying to marry her off. Waters off the island of Koh Samet turn black as 50,000 liters of crude oil leaks from a pipeline, threatening tourism and fishing industries. July 31, 2013 -- Updated 1238 GMT (2038 HKT) Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has joined Instagram and the photos are propagandastically fantastic. July 30, 2013 -- Updated 2343 GMT (0743 HKT) The candidates from Zimbabwe's last election in 2008 are back on the ballot. CNN's Errol Barnett reports. July 31, 2013 -- Updated 0521 GMT (1321 HKT) CNN reports on the tragic case of a young Italian girl who committed suicide after being bullied online. July 31, 2013 -- Updated 1145 GMT (1945 HKT) British Transport Police said they found a stolen 300-year-old violin worth more than $1 million and two bows valued at more than $105,000. July 31, 2013 -- Updated 1440 GMT (2240 HKT) Lines of code found within a beta version of iOS 7 suggest future iPhones and iPads might have biometric scanners that read fingerprints. July 30, 2013 -- Updated 1558 GMT (2358 HKT) Ever wondered what wild animals get up to when nobody's around? Hidden cameras expose the secret behavior of bears. July 31, 2013 -- Updated 1140 GMT (1940 HKT) One of the heaviest babies in Germany was born last week at the University Hospital Leipzig in Germany.