water

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.

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.

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.

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.

Conservation groups warn that the strong El Niño event is pushing ocean temperatures to levels that threaten coral reefs worldwide, with warming waters causing mass bleaching that corals may not survive. Environmental commentators describe the situation as an existential threat to reef ecosystems, which support roughly a quarter of marine life and protect coastlines.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A powerful nor'easter is battering the US Northeast, bringing coastal flooding, heavy rain and strong winds. More than 130,000 customers have lost power, and forecasters warn that high tides could push water further into coastal communities. Utilities are working to restore service while residents in flood-prone areas brace for the next tidal cycles.

Datacenter developers in the United States are facing accusations that they are circumventing key federal pollution regulations. The report has drawn attention to the environmental footprint of the rapidly expanding datacenter industry, which powers cloud computing and artificial intelligence services. Critics say regulatory loopholes are allowing projects to avoid scrutiny over emissions, water use and local pollution impacts, intensifying debate over the sector's growth.

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.

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.

World Rivers Day is drawing attention to the alarming state of the world's rivers, with many waterways running low or drying up entirely. Coverage focuses on the pressures behind shrinking rivers, including drought, climate change, water extraction and pollution, and what their decline means for ecosystems and the billions of people who depend on them.

Sea level rise is transforming a California beach town and putting a key rail line at risk, according to ABC News reporting. Coastal erosion and encroaching water are forcing the community to confront long-term questions about housing, infrastructure and the future of the threatened rail corridor, which serves as an important regional transport link.

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.

Palestinians in Masafer Yatta, in the occupied West Bank, are surviving without water after Israeli settlers cut off their supply line, according to a report in Mondoweiss. The item is being shared alongside sharply critical language, with users condemning Israeli settler activity in the area and invoking accusations of apartheid and calls for accountability at the International Criminal Court.

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.