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• RAYE and Ari Lennox have been added to the performance lineup for the 2026 BET Awards, which will be hosted by comedian Druski. • The ceremony is scheduled to air live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 28, at 8 p.m. ET. • High-profile stars including Keke Palmer and Kelly Rowland are confirmed to appear as presenters during the event.

• Nebius, Azur Datacenters, and Inflect are collaborating to develop "AI factories" to enhance digital infrastructure in Northern France. • The project marks a shift from multi-billion dollar investment announcements and sovereign AI planning toward the actual execution of high-capacity data centers. • This initiative is critical for establishing European AI sovereignty by providing the necessary compute power to support large-scale AI model training and deployment.

• Global spending on AI data centers surpassed $300 billion in 2025, marking a significant 60% increase compared to the previous year. • Investment trends indicate that spending on these facilities is projected to reach $27.5 billion specifically in 2026. • This surge highlights the accelerating demand for computational infrastructure to support the rapid growth and deployment of artificial intelligence technologies.

Tenants push for tougher rules against unfair add-on charges. Industry players argue against policies that they say could limit the ‘effective use of fees’‘Extremely overwhelmed’: apartment renters face rising tide of feesAcross the US, many renters are calling for national action to stem add-on charges that spike their housing costs and increase their risk of eviction.“The rental housing market is one where consumers have little power,” Farah Momin, a renter in Seattle, told the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in April. “Landlords can impose fees through take-it-or-leave-it lease terms, and the cost/disruption of moving means that tenants may absorb unfair charges rather than leave. Federal baseline protections are needed to level this playing field.” Continue reading...

• AI data centers are projected to consume a staggering 1,580 TWh of energy by 2034, highlighting the immense power requirements of the AI revolution. • The training processes for Generative AI create massive carbon emissions, with some models producing footprints that exceed those of entire small nations. • This trend raises critical environmental concerns, particularly regarding the sustainability of rapid AI expansion and its impact on global climate goals.

• KBS reporters have filed a constitutional petition seeking to overturn final defamation judgments and damages awarded after they reported on a businessperson's prior convictions. • The Constitutional Court of Korea has decided to conduct a full review of the case to determine if the rulings violated the reporters' freedom of the press. • This case tests the boundaries of journalistic accountability versus the right to report on public interest information, specifically regarding the disclosure of criminal records.

Study warns AI datacenters are vulnerable to the climate hazards that their global greenhouse gas emissions bolsterAmid rising concern that the artificial intelligence boom is fueling the climate crisis, a new report has found that nearly 80% of datacenters are also exposed to extreme climate hazards, including flooding, extreme winds and wildfires.Those impacts are leaving the infrastructure vulnerable to disrupted operations, increased time offline and inflated insurance and repair costs, the research from climate risk analytics firm First Street shows. Continue reading...

• Mukesh Ambani, the 69-year-old chairman of Reliance Industries (RIL), announced that the transfer of day-to-day management to his successors is "almost complete." • His three children—Akash, Isha, and Anant Ambani—have each served three years on the RIL board and currently lead key business verticals. • This transition is critical for ensuring leadership stability and continuity within the energy-to-education conglomerate as it scales its operations.

As datacenters’ connections to electric grids are held up, big tech is forced to throw money at producing its own powerDatacenters are driving unprecedented growth in the US clean energy industry, paradoxically boosting a sector that was sputtering before the artificial intelligence boom even as AI’s rollout creates immense environmental challenges.However, observers caution that while the centers are propelling wind, solar, and other clean energy companies, datacenters remain a climate nightmare. Continue reading...

• MedPage Today reports on several critical health trends, including a progesterone supply shortage affecting patients, clinicians, and pharmacists. • Experts warn that extreme heat, rather than infectious diseases, may represent the primary health risk for attendees at the upcoming World Cup. • The news digest also highlights systemic shifts, such as a proposed overhaul of the CDC under Donald Trump and a journal editor's resignation over AI policies.

• The European Union has officially implemented a historic overhaul of its migration and asylum policies. • The update includes exclusive insights from European Commissioner for Migration Magnus Brunner and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. • This legislative shift aims to streamline the processing of asylum seekers and manage migration flows more effectively across member states.

Frederic Priestley, 32, falsely advertised property he did not own for rent on Facebook, obtaining payments and depositsA man has been jailed after defrauding more than 30 people out of more than £77,000 in a rental scam, police said.Frederic Priestley, 34, from Southwark, south-east London, falsely advertised a property for rent on Facebook between April and September last year. Continue reading...

• NOAA has officially transitioned the Space weather Observations at L1 to Advance Readiness – 1 (SOLAR-1) observatory into operational service. • As the first U.S. satellite dedicated exclusively to continuous space weather observations, SOLAR-1 provides critical data from the L1 Lagrange point. • This milestone enhances national resilience by improving the ability to monitor and predict solar events that can disrupt communications and power grids.

• OpenAI identified a suspected China-linked influence operation that attempted to manipulate public discourse regarding the development of U.S. data centers. • The campaign specifically aimed to exploit and amplify existing community anxieties concerning rising energy prices and the local environmental or social impacts of these facilities. • OpenAI reported that the effort failed to gain significant traction, stating there was no evidence of "meaningful breakout" beyond the operation's own coordinated activity.

• OpenAI reported that China launched a coordinated influence campaign designed to shape U.S. public attitudes regarding the development of AI data centers. • The campaign targeted a specific large-scale AI data center project in Utah, with a wave of misinformation emerging after the project's announcement in May. • These findings are expected to bolster claims from Republicans and pro-AI advocates that foreign entities are actively attempting to meddle in domestic AI infrastructure debates.

Home city of Amazon and Microsoft passes moratorium as backlash against energy-guzzling AI infrastructure growsSeattle has passed a year-long moratorium on the construction of new datacenters. The city council voted unanimously in favor of the temporary ban on Tuesday.A major tech hub whose metro area is home to Amazon and Microsoft, Seattle is the largest US city to have passed such a moratorium as the backlash against AI infrastructure grows across the country. Continue reading...

Guardian analysis finds facilities to be built in some of the driest areas as outcry grows over water needed to power AIA record-shattering drought has racked much of the US. But the artificial intelligence industry is pushing ahead regardless, with the majority of planned datacenters set to be built in drought-ridden locations, a Guardian analysis has found.About two-thirds of upcoming datacenters, which typically require a large amount of water to operate, are set to be built in places that have been among the driest in the country over the past year. Continue reading...

Kristen Gonzalez, a state senator who authored the bill, said moratorium would target ‘hyperscale’ datacenters over 20MWNew York moved closer toward becoming the first US state to enact a moratorium on large datacenters this week. On Thursday, the state legislature approved a one-year ban on the facilities powering the AI boom.The measure now heads to Kathy Hochul, the governor, who will decide whether to sign it into law. The Guardian spoke to a state senator in the wake of the historic vote about authoring the bill and the wider US backlash against datacenters. Continue reading...

• UK scientists from the University of Oxford and biotechnology firm Basecamp Research have launched human trials for the world's first AI-designed vaccine. • The vaccine targets Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF), a potentially fatal viral disease primarily transmitted to humans via tick bites. • This milestone represents a significant shift in medical research, demonstrating how artificial intelligence can accelerate the design and development of complex drugs.

Downing Street responded after Andy Burnham publicly admitted that he would consider launching a bid to become Labour leader‘I wouldn’t flinch’: Burnham on social care, markets, Brexit – and the prospect of a general electionHello and welcome to our UK politics blog.David Lammy has come out in support of the prime minister, saying Keir Starmer would fight in a leadership contest after Andy Burnham said he would join one if elected an MP. Continue reading...

Measure expected to pass next week represents major rebuke to big tech as local disquiet over AI boom growsSeattle’s city government is on the verge of passing a year-long ban on the construction of new datacenters, the largest city yet in the US to consider such a moratorium as nationwide backlash grows.Four companies sought to build five large datacenters in areas serviced by Seattle’s public utility; if approved, they would have consumed approximately a third of the city’s current daily demand for electricity. Continue reading...

While many US city councils have passed moratoriums, Monterey Park is first where residents have voted on a banSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailResidents in Monterey Park, California, became the first in the US to vote on a permanent ban on datacenters on Tuesday, and early results indicate a resounding victory for the prohibition.While many cities and counties have already passed temporary or indefinite moratoriums via their local governments, Monterey Park would be the first to do so through a ballot initiative. Continue reading...

• The European Union has approved an overhaul of its migration policy focused on increasing deportations and establishing detention centers in non-EU countries. • At least five nations, including Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Greece, are currently negotiating "return hubs" in Africa based on Italy's existing model with Albania. • The policy allows member states to form bilateral agreements with third countries to host these centers, a move critics have compared to the Trump administration's immigration strategies.

• SoftBank is investing billions of dollars to construct multiple AI data centers in France, targeting a total capacity of up to five gigawatts. • The initiative leverages France's existing technology ecosystem, accelerated government approval processes, and strategic access to the European electricity grid. • This move is significant as it aligns SoftBank with Mistral, a leading European AI company developing its own powerful foundation models.

• SoftBank plans to invest up to $87 billion to develop AI data centers in France, leveraging the country's robust nuclear energy grid. • The initial phase involves a $52 billion investment to establish 3.1 GW of capacity in the Hauts-de-France region by 2031. • This move highlights a growing global trend of AI infrastructure shifting toward regions with stable, low-carbon power, contrasting with energy shortages in the US.

• SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son announced plans to invest $87.5 billion to develop AI data centers in France. • The decision follows a meeting between Son and French President Emmanuel Macron during the leader's visit to Tokyo in April. • France was selected as the primary location due to its status as an energy exporter, which is critical for powering energy-intensive data centers.

• YouTuber Kane Parsons is adapting his eerie, liminal-space web series "The Backrooms" into a feature-length Hollywood film. • The project highlights a growing trend where Hollywood executives seek out internet-native creators and viral digital cultures to attract new audiences. • This transition marks a significant leap from independent YouTube production to major studio filmmaking for Parsons.

• President Donald Trump held a White House Situation Room meeting on Friday as advisers pushed toward a “final determination” on Iran, according to live updates from U.S. outlets. • Trump said Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon and publicly tied any deal to reopening the Strait of Hormuz immediately, while Vice President JD Vance said the U.S. and Iran were “very close.” • The outcome matters because it could shape U.S. military posture, sanctions policy, and regional energy flows, with oil-market and security implications beyond the Middle East.