Lead Story
Flash floods and avalanche-triggered mudslides kill more than 160 in Nepal and China, hundreds still missing
A magnitude 4.4 earthquake in Tibet on August 26, 2026 triggered an avalanche into the Lhende Khola river that sent a wall of water and debris down the Trishuli River basin, devastating villages, roads, bridges and power infrastructure across Nepal's Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts and across the border in China. Officials reported at least 95 confirmed deaths in Nepal and dozens more in China, with the overall toll surpassing 160 and rising. Roughly 826 people remained missing in Nepal, including at least 300 foreign nationals, as rescue teams struggled to reach cut-off communities amid damaged roads and disrupted electricity supplies.
Read more →Lead Story
Flash floods and avalanche-triggered mudslides kill more than 160 in Nepal and China, hundreds still missing
A magnitude 4.4 earthquake in Tibet on August 26, 2026 triggered an avalanche into the Lhende Khola river that sent a wall of water and debris down the Trishuli River basin, devastating villages, roads, bridges and power infrastructure across Nepal's Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts and across the border in China. Officials reported at least 95 confirmed deaths in Nepal and dozens more in China, with the overall toll surpassing 160 and rising. Roughly 826 people remained missing in Nepal, including at least 300 foreign nationals, as rescue teams struggled to reach cut-off communities amid damaged roads and disrupted electricity supplies.
Meta agrees to pay roughly $18 billion to settle state lawsuits over harm to children
Meta said on August 26, 2026 that it would pay about $18 billion to resolve claims brought by a coalition of state attorneys general alleging the company knowingly designed Instagram and Facebook to be addictive to children and teens and improperly collected data from young users. Just over $17 billion settles a lawsuit filed jointly by 29 states in 2023, with the remainder resolving claims from other states and territories. Meta agreed to changes including daily time limits for teen accounts and funding for youth mental health programs, crisis intervention and after-school activities, but did not admit wrongdoing.
Read more →Meta agrees to pay roughly $18 billion to settle state lawsuits over harm to children
Meta said on August 26, 2026 that it would pay about $18 billion to resolve claims brought by a coalition of state attorneys general alleging the company knowingly designed Instagram and Facebook to be addictive to children and teens and improperly collected data from young users. Just over $17 billion settles a lawsuit filed jointly by 29 states in 2023, with the remainder resolving claims from other states and territories. Meta agreed to changes including daily time limits for teen accounts and funding for youth mental health programs, crisis intervention and after-school activities, but did not admit wrongdoing.
Canada slaps up to 50% retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion of US goods as trade war escalates
Canada announced on August 25, 2026 that it would impose counter-tariffs of 15%, 25% and 50% on more than 700 American products worth about $20 billion, matching dollar-for-dollar the 50% duties President Trump imposed on Canadian goods after trade talks collapsed last week over a dispute involving relief for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. The new Canadian tariffs, covering steel, dairy, appliances and farm equipment, take effect September 8. Trump has separately threatened a further 50% tariff on Canadian automotive and steel imports starting in January, and floated renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America" as the dispute deepened.
Read more →Canada slaps up to 50% retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion of US goods as trade war escalates
Canada announced on August 25, 2026 that it would impose counter-tariffs of 15%, 25% and 50% on more than 700 American products worth about $20 billion, matching dollar-for-dollar the 50% duties President Trump imposed on Canadian goods after trade talks collapsed last week over a dispute involving relief for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. The new Canadian tariffs, covering steel, dairy, appliances and farm equipment, take effect September 8. Trump has separately threatened a further 50% tariff on Canadian automotive and steel imports starting in January, and floated renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America" as the dispute deepened.
Trump administration widens "economic asphyxiation" campaign against Iran, pressing allies to cut ties
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this week unveiled a sweeping new round of sanctions dubbed "Operation Economic Outcast," targeting Iranian aviation, shipping, technology, gold and cryptocurrency dealings, while President Trump personally called unspecified world leaders demanding they help isolate Tehran economically. The campaign follows Trump's promise of an "economic D-Day" against Iran and comes as the UAE suspended all trade and financial transactions with the country. China criticized the sanctions sharply while Iran vowed defiance; Trump separately said the US Navy had cleared mines from the main shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz.
Read more →Trump administration widens "economic asphyxiation" campaign against Iran, pressing allies to cut ties
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this week unveiled a sweeping new round of sanctions dubbed "Operation Economic Outcast," targeting Iranian aviation, shipping, technology, gold and cryptocurrency dealings, while President Trump personally called unspecified world leaders demanding they help isolate Tehran economically. The campaign follows Trump's promise of an "economic D-Day" against Iran and comes as the UAE suspended all trade and financial transactions with the country. China criticized the sanctions sharply while Iran vowed defiance; Trump separately said the US Navy had cleared mines from the main shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz.
Ukraine strikes major Russian oil refinery in Nizhny Novgorod as Russian drones and bombs kill and wound civilians
Ukraine's Defense Forces struck the Lukoil-owned NORSI refinery in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod region — Russia's fourth-largest — early on August 26, 2026, continuing a campaign against facilities that fuel Moscow's war effort. Russian forces meanwhile carried out an airstrike on Sloviansk and struck gas workers repairing shelling damage in Derhachi, Kharkiv region, with a Kherson power plant also left severely damaged by a Russian attack. Kyiv still had not received a briefing from Washington on the substance of CIA Director John Ratcliffe's recent trip to Moscow, which Trump described as "semi-routine."
Read more →Ukraine strikes major Russian oil refinery in Nizhny Novgorod as Russian drones and bombs kill and wound civilians
Ukraine's Defense Forces struck the Lukoil-owned NORSI refinery in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod region — Russia's fourth-largest — early on August 26, 2026, continuing a campaign against facilities that fuel Moscow's war effort. Russian forces meanwhile carried out an airstrike on Sloviansk and struck gas workers repairing shelling damage in Derhachi, Kharkiv region, with a Kherson power plant also left severely damaged by a Russian attack. Kyiv still had not received a briefing from Washington on the substance of CIA Director John Ratcliffe's recent trip to Moscow, which Trump described as "semi-routine."