the Guardian

The Guardian reports that a small number of remaining residents in Oleshky, a Ukrainian city in Kherson region under Russian occupation, are living in what locals describe as 'hell on earth', eating weeds to survive amid severe food shortages. Conditions in the occupied city, already badly damaged by the 2023 Kakhovka dam flood, continue to deteriorate with little aid reaching those left behind.

Experts warn that allies of Donald Trump could exploit the period when midterm votes are counted to disrupt or challenge results. Reporting by The Guardian describes growing fears that loyalists positioned in key swing states could use the so-called counting window to amplify false claims of fraud, echoing tactics seen after the 2020 election and raising concerns about the integrity of the certification process in November's contests.

The Guardian reports that Donald Trump is lashing out as his political influence weakens, warning that 'the weaker he gets, the more dangerous he gets'. Coverage links his combative stance to the run-up to the 2026 midterm elections, with tensions involving the Federal Reserve, the Supreme Court and China. Commenters are debating whether a weakened Trump poses a greater risk to institutions as Republicans head into a contested election year.

New Jersey regulators have issued a record $1.1m fine against DataOne's datacenter facility in Vineland after dozens of unpermitted generators were found operating there. The action followed a visual investigation by Floodlight and The Guardian that documented the equipment. The penalty is the state's largest of its kind, and the case has drawn attention to environmental oversight of the fast-growing datacenter industry.

An 87-year-old woman's eviction in Spain has drawn national attention and put the country's worsening housing crisis back in the spotlight. The case, reported by The Guardian, has reignited debate over rising rents, weak tenant protections and the human cost of the property squeeze affecting vulnerable residents across Spain.

Environmental groups accuse US datacenter developers of manipulating regulatory processes to avoid emission controls and scrutiny of their projects, according to reporting by Tom Perkins in the Guardian. The allegations add to growing concern over the environmental impact of rapidly expanding datacenter construction across the United States, as critics say firms are exploiting loopholes in key pollution rules to fast-track build-outs without adequate oversight.

The Trump administration has sharply reduced the federal government's collection of data on American education, curbing the testing and statistics that track how US students perform in math and reading. The Guardian reports the cuts leave educators, researchers and policymakers with far less information about school achievement and learning gaps, raising concerns that declining student outcomes will go unmeasured and unaddressed.

The Guardian reports that the Trump family and other allies close to the administration have struck financial deals tied to the AI boom while the White House works to shield the fast-growing artificial intelligence sector from regulation. Critics say the overlap between policy-making and private financial interests raises conflict-of-interest concerns, and the report has prompted discussion about ethics oversight in US technology policy.

A strong El Niño event is pushing global temperatures beyond existing records well before the phenomenon is expected to reach its peak. The Guardian reports the record-breaking heat has arrived months earlier than forecasters anticipated, raising concerns about further warming as the El Niño intensifies into 2026.

A new projection reported by The Guardian estimates that the developing El Niño could be linked to around 450,000 additional deaths over the coming six months. The figures point to the human cost of extreme heat, drought and food insecurity associated with the climate pattern, and researchers are urging governments and aid agencies to prepare health and humanitarian responses now.

The Guardian reports that Amazon's Ring is positioning its neighbourhood-focused features as a replacement for local WhatsApp groups, and argues this would encourage excessive neighbourhood surveillance and suspicion. The piece warns the shift could turn community chat into a platform for nosy reporting on neighbours, dubbed a 'curtain-twitching disaster', raising concerns about privacy and the privatisation of local communication networks.

South African police say at least 27 people have been killed in two separate mass shootings. The Guardian reports the death toll, but few details have emerged about the locations, victims or circumstances of the attacks, and no arrests have been confirmed. Authorities are investigating both incidents as the country confronts another episode of severe gun violence.

A Guardian report examines a hyperscale AI datacentre being built in a small Indian village, where residents say land was confiscated and promises made to the community have been broken. The story highlights the local costs of the global AI infrastructure boom, as large-scale computing projects expand into rural areas and raise questions over land rights and compensation.

A Guardian investigation finds that scientists from Saudi Arabia's state oil company Aramco have worked as authors on IPCC climate reports, the scientific assessments that underpin global climate policy. Critics say the arrangement gives major fossil fuel producers influence over the documents used to justify emissions cuts, renewing debate about industry involvement in official climate science.

Schoolchildren in England who do not own smartphones are being charged higher bus fares than their peers, the Guardian reports. Discounted child fares are often tied to mobile ticketing apps, meaning pupils without a phone must pay more for paper tickets or cash fares. Critics say the pricing system effectively penalises children whose families have chosen not to give them a smartphone, prompting debate about fairness and digital exclusion.

Students at the University of St Andrews in Scotland say the institution has become 'like the Scottish Upper East Side', with wealthy American students blamed for fuelling snobbery and a culture of shame around class. Critics describe an elite social scene dominated by rich internationals, squeezing out local and less affluent British students.