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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

AI data centers are drawing scrutiny for their environmental footprint, including heavy electricity and water consumption, growing e-waste, and carbon emissions tied to expanding cloud infrastructure. As artificial intelligence adoption accelerates, governments, companies, and communities are increasingly debating how to balance the technology's benefits against its energy demands and impact on local resources.

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.

The United States and Russia weakened a global agreement on autonomous weapons, removing requirements for human oversight of lethal AI systems, according to a Washington Post investigation. The report has drawn attention across global news and discussion forums, renewing debate over international regulation of so-called killer robots and the risks of delegating lethal decisions to machines.

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.

Severe flooding has hit Bangkok, with water levels described as reaching disaster level. Residents are reportedly using boats instead of cars to move around the city as streets become submerged. The situation has drawn attention online, with people sharing footage and discussing the scale of the flooding in the Thai capital.

Sudanese families returning to Khartoum are finding the capital barely habitable, according to a Cape Argus report. Years of war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces have destroyed homes, water and power networks, leaving neighborhoods in ruins and basic services unavailable. Those coming back face ruined infrastructure, scarce jobs and continuing insecurity despite the army's recapture of parts of the city.

Alberta's rapid push to attract AI data centres is running into environmental and practical realities, with questions mounting over water use, energy demand and reliance on natural gas. The growth is drawing scrutiny in rural communities and among utility watchers, as the province weighs economic gains against climate costs.

Warnings are mounting that Palestinian children in Gaza are fast running out of time as the territory endures ongoing bombardment, displacement and severe shortages of food, water and medical care. Humanitarian organisations say children are dying from malnutrition and untreated injuries, and are urging an immediate ceasefire, unimpeded aid deliveries and international action to protect the civilian population, especially minors.

Russian forces attacked critical and social infrastructure in Ukraine's Kherson region over the past day, damaging an apartment building and nine private homes, according to Ukrinform. At least one person was reported injured in the strikes. The attacks are part of ongoing Russian shelling of southern Ukrainian territory, which has repeatedly targeted power, water and other essential services relied on by civilians.

American and Russian diplomats jointly removed key provisions on safety and human control from the draft UN global treaty regulating artificial intelligence in weapons, Ukrainian media report. The deleted text covered ethical norms and human oversight of autonomous weapons. The move raises concerns that major military powers are weakening international rules on lethal AI before any binding agreement is reached.