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Millions of people returning to Sudan's capital are finding the city barely habitable, with widespread power cuts and streets filled with rubble, according to reports carried by AFP and other outlets. The reporting highlights damaged infrastructure and basic services in ruins, leaving families who came home struggling without electricity, water or safe housing as they attempt to rebuild their lives.

Sudanese families returning to the capital after waves of displacement are finding Khartoum largely uninhabitable, with the civil war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces having destroyed homes, infrastructure and basic services. Millions are confronting ruined neighbourhoods, scarce water and electricity, and little prospect of rebuilding while fighting continues across the country.

Millions of Sudanese are returning to Khartoum as fighting eases, only to find the capital barely habitable. Reporters describe widespread power cuts, destroyed buildings and rubble across entire neighborhoods, with basic services and water largely absent. The returnees, many displaced for months by the war between the army and paramilitary forces, face rebuilding their lives amid limited aid and unsafe conditions.

The United Nations reports a 20-fold increase in the number of Sudanese refugees crossing into Chad, as fighting and hunger drive people from the Darfur region and beyond. Aid agencies warn funding is running dry, leaving food, water and shelter dangerously short for the growing influx. Humanitarian groups are calling for urgent international support to prevent a wider regional crisis.

Reports from Gaza indicate the death toll continues to climb as the conflict between Israel and Hamas persists. The exact figures vary between sources, but aid agencies and health officials warn the humanitarian situation is deteriorating, with casualties mounting among civilians and severe shortages of food, water and medical supplies across the territory.

Israel is reported to be facing water shortages linked to the destruction of Gaza's water treatment infrastructure. Five desalination plants were shut down for several days, deepening a severe water and sanitation crisis that has gripped Gaza. The situation highlights how damage to water systems in the conflict is having consequences on both sides of the boundary, prompting concern over access to safe drinking water and sanitation for the affected population.

Sudanese families returning to the war-ravaged capital, Khartoum, are finding a city barely able to support them: electricity is largely out, streets remain choked with rubble, and basic services have collapsed after nearly two years of fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces. Reports describe residents clearing debris by hand and coping without power or reliable water as they try to rebuild their lives.

Russia continues to deny the UN and other humanitarian organisations safe access to Oleshky, a Ukrainian city under Russian occupation. Thousands of civilians, including children, reportedly face shortages of food and medicine, with limited medical care, running water and electricity. Observers are warning of a worsening humanitarian situation in the occupied city.

Ethiopia has accused Sudan and Egypt of supporting Tigray forces as fighting intensifies in the region. Sudan's army has denied the allegation, saying it is the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces that maintain ties with Tigray fighters. The accusations deepen tensions between the Nile neighbours at a time when relations are already strained over water and border disputes.

Bangkok has been declared a disaster zone after intense weekend rain left parts of the Thai capital flooded. Thousands of residents are sheltering in evacuation centers, while swollen reservoirs in an eastern province have prompted authorities to order more people to leave their homes as water levels continue to rise.

Gaza's sewage treatment infrastructure has been destroyed in the conflict, causing untreated wastewater to spread pollution across the territory. With plants non-functional, raw sewage is flowing into streets, farmland and the sea, raising serious public health and environmental concerns alongside the humanitarian crisis. Observers warn the damage could have lasting effects on water resources and disease risks in the densely populated enclave.

A stand-off at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea has triggered a sharp public exchange between the United States and Chinese embassies. Washington and Beijing traded accusations over conduct in the disputed waters, where Chinese coast guard vessels have repeatedly confronted Philippine resupply missions to a grounded warship. The row underscores rising tensions over freedom of navigation and territorial claims in the region.

Millions of people returning to Khartoum are finding the Sudanese capital barely habitable, with widespread power cuts, rubble-strewn streets and destroyed infrastructure. The city was heavily damaged during the conflict between the army and paramilitary forces, and returning residents face shortages of electricity, water and basic services. Aid agencies warn that conditions remain dire despite claims of security improving in some areas.

A United Nations report warns the world faces a 'narrowing window' to restore forests essential for food security and resilience to the climate emergency. More than 489 million hectares of forests have been lost, and the agency says large-scale restoration is urgently needed to protect water supplies, agriculture and biodiversity before climate impacts close off recovery options.

The United States and Russia watered down key safeguards in landmark United Nations negotiations aimed at regulating lethal autonomous weapons, according to The Washington Post. The talks earlier this month marked the furthest progress yet toward a potential global treaty, but both powers successfully pushed to strip requirements for human oversight of the weapons. Critics warn the weakened pact leaves dangerous latitude for machines to make lethal decisions without human control.

Bangkok is under waist-deep floodwater after Thailand received a month's worth of rain in just a few days. Streets across the Thai capital are inundated, disrupting travel and daily life for residents. The extreme rainfall and rapid flooding have drawn widespread attention and concern.

Posts are circulating claiming that Israeli bombing of Gaza's water infrastructure, followed by cuts to the remaining water supply, has left Palestinians — including children — spending their days seeking access to safe drinking water. Commenters are criticising Western governments for what they see as inaction, and describing the search for water as now central to daily survival in Gaza.

Ukrainian officials report that Russian forces are detaining about 2,000 people in the occupied town of Oleshky in the Kherson region, holding them without food or water. Nearly 50 of those being held are said to be children. The claim, reported by Ukrinform, adds to a pattern of allegations about the treatment of civilians under Russian occupation, and has prompted calls for international attention to the situation.

Russia's attacks on Ukraine are increasingly aimed at the country's digital infrastructure, hitting data storage centres and internet service providers alongside the well-documented strikes on power and water supplies. Commentators describe this as an assault on Ukraine's 'digital soul', warning that destroying data centres and connectivity threatens the state's ability to function and to preserve records, administration and communication during the war.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has issued a threat against United States warships operating in the Indian Ocean, according to a report by The Telegraph. The warning underscores continuing friction between Tehran and Washington over naval presence in the region. Details about the specific nature of the threat and any US response have not been disclosed, but the statement adds to tensions already heightened across Middle Eastern waters.

Thailand's government has declared Bangkok a disaster zone after heavy flooding, forcing thousands of residents into temporary shelters. Rain is easing in the capital, but water continues to inundate several low-lying areas, and at least eight deaths have been reported. Authorities are working to move people out of the worst-affected neighbourhoods as conditions remain difficult.

Egypt has issued a fresh warning to Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, vowing to protect its Nile water security as tensions flare anew. The dispute pits Egypt, which depends on the Nile for most of its fresh water, against the U.S.-backed Ethiopian dam project on the Blue Nile. Egypt's military, ranked among Africa's most powerful, has framed water access as a red line, reigniting regional debate over the long-running standoff.

Civilians in Oleshky, a Ukrainian city in Kherson region occupied by Russia, are reportedly eating garden weeds to survive after being cut off from food and water. Ukrainian drones have managed to bring in some food supplies, according to updates shared alongside BBC reporting. The situation has drawn attention to the humanitarian crisis in occupied territories.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, speaking at the United Nations, warned that any attempt by India to divert or block the waters of the Indus river system would be treated by Pakistan as an act of war. The statement underscores how central the Indus Waters Treaty has become to tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Pakistan's Prime Minister has declared that any diversion of the Indus river system's waters by India would constitute an act of war. The warning escalates a long-running dispute over shared river resources between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, whose Indus Waters Treaty arrangements have come under increasing strain amid ongoing bilateral tensions.

Flooding in Bangkok, Thailand is beginning to ease, with water levels receding across affected parts of the city. However, officials and commentators warn the disaster is not over, as lingering floodwater continues to pose health, infrastructure and safety risks. The event is being widely discussed in the context of climate change and extreme weather affecting major urban centres.

Climate change and the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence are jointly placing unprecedented pressure on global water systems. Rising temperatures disrupt rainfall and supplies, while AI data centers consume vast amounts of water for cooling, intensifying competition for an increasingly scarce resource worldwide.