A woman and the body of a person killed in an artillery attack on Lugansk. At least 2,593 people have been killed in eastern Ukraine since the start of the Kiev’s military operation against anti-government forces there started in mid-April, according to a new estimate by the Office of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights. The death toll includes civilians, members of the Ukrainian troops and... 

The number of killed and wounded in eastern Ukraine has doubled to 2,086 over the last two weeks, according to the UN’s “very conservative estimates”. “This corresponds to a clear escalating trend,” UN human rights spokeswoman Cecile Pouilly told Reuters in response to a query. Over 60 people have been killed or wounded every day, Pouilly added. Almost 5,000 have been wounded. The... 

Canada has launched a scientific mission to map the seabed surrounding the North Pole, aimed at claiming the area. The Canadian government said in a statement issued on Friday that two ice-breakers will be sent to the Arctic waters to gather scientific information to support a plan to extend Canadian territory up to the North Pole. The coast guard vessel Terry Fox reportedly set sail from St. John’s,... 

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) seen under an electron microscope. A UN health official says most of the confirmed cases of Respiratory Syndrome Corona-Virus (MERS-CoV) could have been prevented as infection rates for the virus are slowing. Assistant Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Keiji Fukuda said on Thursday that there have been 824 confirmed cases... 

The UN urban ambient air quality database reveals that half the urban population monitored is exposed to air pollution at least 2.5 times higher than the recommended level and concludes that city dwellers are at risk of “serious, long-term health problems”. The survey, covering 91 countries and 1,600 cities, shows that most urban areas show air pollution above acceptable levels. According... 

Stephen Hawking has warned that artificial intelligence has the potential to be the downfall of mankind. ‘Success in creating AI would be the biggest event in human history,’ he said writing in the Independent. ‘Unfortunately, it might also be the last’. A sinister threat is brewing deep inside the technology laboratories of Silicon Valley. Artificial Intelligence, disguised... 

The Russian government says allegations regarding the use of chemicals by forces of the Syrian government are false and fabricated. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday that Moscow had proof against the allegations by France and the United States that Syrian forces may have used industrial chemicals on a militant-held village in Hama province this month. “Accusations against... 

The US Senate has approved legislation which aims to bar Iran’s proposed ambassador to the United Nations Hamid Abutalebi from entering the United States. The bill, sponsored by Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, was passed by the Democratic-controlled chamber on Monday by a voice vote. The bill has been to prevent supposed “known terrorists” from entering the US to serve as UN ambassadors. The... 

The World Health Organization (WHO) says the death toll from the Ebola virus epidemic in Guinea has risen to at least 83. On Wednesday, the UN agency said the fatality rate in the country so far stands at 65 percent with the virus mainly hitting those aged from 15 to 59. The organization added that five new cases of the deadly disease have been recorded in the past 24 hours, increasing the total number... 

The president of Uruguay has been nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. According to his advocates, José “Pepe” Mujica’s much talked-about marijuana legalization is in fact “a tool for peace and understanding.” For the second year in a row, the Drugs Peace Institute, which has supported Mujica’s marijuana legalization drive since 2012, insisting that the consumption... 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has predicted that the number of different cases of cancer across the globe would soar to 24 million a year by 2035. The urgent priority is to identify and tackle the causes of cancer, which are mainly linked to people’s lifestyle, WHO emphasized. While fourteen million people a year are currently diagnosed with cancer, it is estimated the number will increase... 

The United States is exerting pressure on the United Nations to withdraw its invitation of Iran to take part in this week international peace conference on the Syrian crisis. A senior US State Department official claimed on Monday that Tehran has “never endorsed the Geneva I communiqué” and “we expect the invitation will be rescinded.” Washington has urged the UN to withdraw Iran’s... 

The United Nations says there is “no doubt” that thousands of people have been killed in the weeklong fighting across South Sudan, while official figures put the death toll at nearly 500. “Absolutely no doubt in my mind that we’re into the thousands” of dead, said Toby Lanzer, the top UN humanitarian chief in the country, at a press conference in the capital Juba on Tuesday. UN... 

Clashes continue between government forces and troops loyal to fugitive former vice president, Riek Machar, as violence spreads across several regions of South Sudan. The UN says the unrest has now spread from the capital Juba to other parts of the country. The latest fighting took place near Bentiu, the capital of oil-producing Unity State. Up to 500 people have been killed since the violence broke... 

The UN mission probing allegations of chemical attacks in Syria says chemical weapons were probably used at least five times during the foreign-sponsored turmoil in the Arab country. The UN inspectors, led by Swedish expert Aake Sellstrom, handed a final report to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday, citing “evidence consistent with the probable use of chemical weapons” in the Syrian districts...