The Guardian

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.

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.

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.

A powerful nor'easter storm has struck the US east coast, bringing heavy winds that have knocked out power to homes across the region. The Guardian reports the storm has also been linked to at least one death. Residents and officials are dealing with downed lines, damage and ongoing outage restoration efforts as the system moves through.

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 on desperate conditions in Oleshky, a Ukrainian city in Kherson region occupied by Russia since 2022. Remaining residents, cut off from aid and basic supplies, are reportedly foraging for weeds to feed themselves. The city's mayor in exile describes the situation as 'hell on earth', saying almost everyone who could flee has fled as conditions deteriorate under occupation.

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 research has identified 485 chemicals used in US pesticide products that are linked to breast cancer, according to coverage of the paper in The Guardian. The findings raise questions about the safety of food and other consumer products, arriving as rates of early-onset breast cancer surge worldwide. The study is prompting discussion about pesticide regulation and potential public health impacts.

Developers of datacenters in the United States are facing accusations that they have circumvented key federal pollution rules, according to a report by The Guardian. The allegation adds to growing scrutiny of the environmental footprint of datacenter construction, which has surged with the boom in cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Critics say regulatory gaps are letting projects avoid standards on air, water and emissions that other industries must meet.

President Donald Trump told Akayla Gardner, a female reporter for MS Now, to 'be quiet' when she questioned him about the White House's attempt to ban news outlets from the press pool. He doubled down on his criticism of CNN and MS Now in the exchange. The incident, reported by The Guardian, has drawn attention to the administration's ongoing clashes with news organisations over press access.

New Jersey regulators have issued a record $1.1m fine against DataOne's datacenter in Vineland after an investigation with Floodlight and the Guardian found dozens of generators operating without permits. The penalty, described as the largest of its kind by the state regulator, has drawn attention to the environmental footprint of datacenter expansion and the scrutiny of their backup power infrastructure.

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.

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.

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.

A new survey reported by the Guardian finds that around three in four GPs in the United Kingdom say they are too busy to talk with their patients in depth. The findings point to mounting pressure in general practice, with doctors citing workload and time constraints, and are likely to fuel debate over NHS funding, staffing and health policy.

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.

Granate Kim and Mohamed Hussein argue in The Guardian that the risks of artificial intelligence should not be treated as a distant, hypothetical concern. They contend that harms from AI systems are already affecting people today, pushing back against framing that defers regulation and scrutiny to some future moment.