Guardian

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.

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.

The Guardian reports that the Trump administration is protecting the artificial intelligence industry from regulatory scrutiny while the Trump family and other allies secure lucrative financial deals tied to the sector. Critics say the arrangement blurs the line between policy-making and personal enrichment, raising fresh conflict-of-interest questions as federal AI policy takes shape.

A large-scale leak known as Casino Secrets has revealed the internal operations of offshore gambling companies, according to the Guardian. The documents are reported to expose how these firms conduct business, though details of specific companies, individuals or regulatory consequences have not yet been fully outlined. Offshore gambling operators are typically based in jurisdictions with light oversight, making the leak likely to prompt scrutiny from regulators and lawmakers.

The Guardian reports on a growing class divide at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where American students are being blamed for fuelling snobbery and shame around wealth. Critics compare the small Fife town's social scene to New York's Upper East Side, with wealthy US students accused of dominating the social hierarchy and squeezing out less affluent British students.

Amazon's Ring is moving to position its app and devices as a replacement for local WhatsApp community groups, prompting criticism from commentators. A Guardian column argues the shift would encourage suspicion of neighbours and excessive surveillance culture, describing the prospect as a 'curtain-twitching disaster' for community life.

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.