Weather tracker: US and Mexico brace for heatwave as...

Introduction

Looking for in-depth world news? Here are the top 10 stories from The Guardian as of May 12, 2026. The Guardian is a leading British international news organization known for investigative reporting and global coverage.

📌 Previously: Fugitive former Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro... — catch up on yesterday's world news.

Today's Top 10 Stories on The Guardian

#1 — Weather tracker: US and Mexico brace for heatwave as deadly floods hit South Africa

Temperatures soar in California and Arizona, while deluge continues across Western and Northern Cape Heat is expected to intensify across western parts of the US and Mexico this week as a ridge of high pressure pushes temperatures well above the seasonal norm. Daytime highs are forecast to reach 10-15C above average in some areas. The US National Weather Service has issued heat advisories for parts of California and Arizona, with extreme heat warnings in force on Monday and Tuesday in places such as Palm Springs, where temperatures could reach 40-43C (104-110F). More broadly, temperatures are expected to climb into the high 30s celsius before the heat shifts eastwards towards the midwest later this week.

Read full article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/11/weather-tracker-us-mexico-heatwave-floods-south-africa

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#2 — Body of missing US soldier recovered off coast of Morocco

1st Lt Kendrick Lamont Key Jr was participating in military exercise among US, Nato allies and African countries A search team recovered the body of a US soldier who went missing near a cliff during a training exercise in Cap Draa, Morocco, the US army said on Sunday. Moroccan searchers found the remains on Saturday in the water within a mile (1.6km) of where the soldier went missing on 2 May, the army said in a statement. ...

Read full article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/10/missing-soldier-body-recovered-morocco

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#3 — ‘Watching us is like watching a cousin’: the online creators reshaping Africa’s news ecosphere

Africa is leading a change in news consumption habits – and transforming the lives of current affairs enthusiasts Last year Amahle-Imvelo Jaxa posted a TikTok video about South African peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She explained an argument that had erupted between the South African and Rwandan presidents, then listed roles different South African groups would play in a war with Rwanda: the Sotho strategists, the Xhosa negotiators, the Afrikaner muscle. The video went viral and she racked up 100,000 followers in three days. This breakout video enabled Jaxa to pivot from being a marketing and restaurant entrepreneur to a “professional yapper and current affairs enthusiast”, part of a group of content creators explaining the news to young South Africans who, like many of their global peers, are eschewing traditional news in favour of social media.

Read full article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/09/africa-influencers-news-consumption-social-media

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#4 — Guardian reporter and colleagues detained and beaten by Somali police

Mohamed Bulbul arrested in Mogadishu after covering case of woman allegedly being tortured in prison A journalist who covered the case of a woman who said she was being tortured in prison was detained and beaten with pistols by Somali authorities, along with two others, for his reporting for the Guardian. Mohamed Bulbul was arrested with the journalists Abdihafid Nor Barre and Abdishakur Mohamed Mohamud on Friday evening while in a restaurant in the centre of the Somali capital, Mogadishu. They said they were assaulted by members of Somalia’s US-trained counter-terrorism police unit and taken to be questioned by police. All three were released in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Read full article: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/may/09/guardian-reporter-and-colleagues-detained-and-beaten-by-somali-police

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#5 — Two Britons evacuated from hantavirus-hit ship ‘improving’ in hospital

Man, 69, is in intensive care in Johannesburg, while expedition guide Martin Anstee, 56, receiving care in Netherlands

Read full article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/07/two-britons-evacuated-hantavirus-hit-ship-improving-hospital

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#6 — Drug gang attacks ‘force hundreds of Indigenous families to flee’ in Mexico

Violence in Guerrero state has driven as many as 1,000 households from their homes, rights group says Hundreds of Indigenous families have been forced to flee their homes in the mountains of central Mexico by intense attacks from a local criminal group, including drone bombings, an Indigenous rights organisation said on Monday . A gang known as Los Ardillos has been carrying out attacks in Guerrero state for years, but they started to intensify last week. Villages were subjected to eight hours of bombings on Saturday, the National Indigenous Congress said, forcing between 800 to 1,000 families to flee to other towns. ...

Read full article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/11/drug-gang-attacks-force-hundreds-of-indigenous-families-to-flee-in-mexico

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#7 — Six people found dead inside train car at rail yard near Texas-Mexico border

Discovery was made by Union Pacific employee inspecting stopped train at the yard in Laredo before it continued its journey north

Read full article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/11/six-people-found-dead-train-car-texas-mexico-border

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#8 — Chicago teen who pushed for parents’ release from ICE custody dies of cancer

Kevin González, 18-year-old who had terminal colon cancer, died shortly after reuniting with his parents in Mexico A Chicago-born teen who advocated for his parents’ release from US immigration authorities’ custody while fighting terminal cancer has died shortly after reuniting with them in Mexico, his family has told media outlets. The parents of 18-year-old Kevin González had been taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) custody in Arizona in mid-April after they crossed the US border from Mexico without permission in an attempt to see him in Chicago as his health waned. González since then traveled to be with relatives in Mexico, and in recent days he had publicly pleaded for them to be released from ICE custody so they could be with him as he battled metastatic stage four colon cancer. ...

Read full article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/11/chicago-teen-kevin-gonzalez-ice-cancer

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#9 — Sharp drop in ‘forever chemicals’ in seabird eggs hailed as win for regulation

Levels of Pfas in northern gannet eggs in Canada fell up to 74% over 55-year period of study Levels of some of the most dangerous Pfas compounds have dramatically fallen in Canadian seabird eggs, which the authors of a new peer-reviewed study say illustrates how regulations are effective. Researchers looked at Pfas levels in the eggs of northern gannets in the St Lawrence Seaway basin over a 55-year period. Pfas levels shot up from the 1960s through the peak of the chemicals’ use in the late 1990s and early aughts, then fell. ...

Read full article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/11/pfas-seabird-eggs-forever-chemicals

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#10 — ‘Truly terrifying’: Alberta voter data breach raises fears for Canada’s electoral integrity

Debates over secession overshadowed by revelations separatist-linked group gained access to list of electors The illegal use of voter information by rightwing separatists in the province of Alberta has raised fresh fears over Canada’s electoral integrity by making valuable and “incredibly confidential” personal data easily accessible to malicious actors, security experts have warned. The data breach, one of the largest in Canadian history, has prompted warnings of a “truly terrifying” new battleground over information, persuasion and foreign interference in already weakened democratic systems. ...

Read full article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/11/alberta-voter-data-breach-separatists-referendum

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Why These World News Stories Matter

The Guardian's global newsroom covers politics, environment, technology, and culture from a distinctly international perspective. Today's headlines highlight the issues driving public conversation worldwide.

About The Guardian

The Guardian (theguardian.com) is a British daily newspaper founded in 1821. It is owned by the Scott Trust and known for its independent journalism and global news coverage.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world
Updated: May 12, 2026