Nepal and China continue arduous search and rescue operations in flood-hit HimalayasVisual guide: how the deadly flooding unfoldedNepal-Tibet flash flood – latest updatesA Chinese rescue team has reached the all-but-obliterated Gyirong border crossing complex for the first time and found “nothing but ruins” as Nepal and China continue their arduous rescue operations in the flood-hit Himalayas.Surveillance camera footage from the worst-hit Gyirong border crossing complex showed huge torrents of water and debris on Wednesday engulfing buildings and people trying to flee. Only on Friday were rescuers able to reach the area. Continue reading...
• Catastrophic flash flooding struck the border region of China and Nepal on Wednesday, wiping out entire villages.
• More than 1,300 people are currently reported missing, including at least 700 foreign nationals from approximately two dozen different countries.
• The scale of the disaster highlights the extreme vulnerability of border settlements to sudden environmental crises and flash floods.
• Flash floods have devastated communities in Nepal near the Tibet border, resulting in more than 150 deaths.
• The disaster caused widespread destruction across the region, triggering large-scale emergency rescue operations to locate survivors.
• This event highlights the extreme vulnerability of border communities to sudden climate-driven weather events and geological instability.
• A new Verasight poll conducted from August 14–19, 2026, reveals a significant decline in President Trump's approval ratings across key policy areas.
• Trump has hit new lows regarding prices and foreign policy, and has now become net negative on border security, which was previously his last positive issue.
• The data shows a stark divide in public sentiment, with strong disapproval now outweighing strong approval by nearly 3-to-1 (50% vs 17%).
At least 160 people have died, while officials believe 340 foreign nationals from India, the US, UK, Australia, Malaysia and Ukraine among those missing. Follow the latest newsFlash floods on Nepal-Tibet border leave scores dead and hundreds missingTell us: have you been affected by the flash floods?Authorities in Nepal and Tibet have said they fear the death toll from catastrophic flooding could be much higher than 160 people already killed, as search and rescue efforts to locate the hundreds missing continue.A huge wall of mud and rock collapsed into a river on the Himalayan border of Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday, triggering the flash flood which washed away houses, roads and border crossings.Rescue teams are rushing on Thursday to find hundreds of people missing after the flood and landslides killed at least 160 people. Many of the missing were foreign tourists, officials said.Nepali police said they had recovered 157 bodies after “devastating floods”, with officers working to move families in flood-risk areas to safety. Chinese state media reported “major casualties” from a mudslide at a Tibet border hub, reporting three dead and another 265 missing. The overall death toll appears likely to rise.Tibet government officials mobilised nearly 800 emergency workers and 150 vehicles as well as sniffer dogs and speed boats to help the rescue efforts, China’s official Xinhua news agency said.At least 403 tourists – 341 of them foreigners – were unaccounted for several hours after the disaster struck on Wednesday morning, according to Nepal’s tourism ministry. The missing foreigners included 142 Indians, 33 from the UK, 47 from the US, 34 from Australia and 24 from Canada as well as others from South Korea, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Portugal and South Africa, the tourism board said. Nine South Koreans were missing, the country’s foreign ministry said.At least 28 Nepal police officials were missing, a police spokesperson said.Entire villages and markets were “wiped out”, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said. It was dispatching emergency supplies including blankets, first aid kits, stretchers and body bags.United Nations chief António Guterres said UN teams and partners were mobilising supplies and personnel in Nepal to support affected communities.Surveillance video from the Chinese side of the border showed a raging wall of mud and debris crashing over a building several storeys high, engulfing it as dozens of people flee for their lives below. The surge sweeps away buses and cars.Experts warned that a lingering blockage upstream on the Nepal-China border river could produce a second flood.The cause of the flooding was not immediately clear. Nepalese foreign minister Shishir Khanal said an earthquake likely triggered a landslide, which in turn blocked a river, sending water gushing downstream. Nepal’s disaster authority said satellite data indicated a “snow-rock landslide” on the Nepal-China border may have caused the flood. Scientists say climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the region.Chinese leader Xi Jinping said “the most urgent task is doing everything possible to search for and rescue the missing people”, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.The US Geological Survey first reported a magnitude-4.4 earthquake early on Wednesday, about 66km (41 miles) north of Kathmandu, near the border. It later updated to call the shaking a 5.2-magnitude landslide. Continue reading...
• A massive flash flood has swept through villages along the Nepal-China border, leaving hundreds of people missing.
• Police have confirmed at least 17 deaths, though officials fear the casualty count will rise significantly as search efforts continue.
• The disaster strikes a region known for pilgrimage routes to Mount Kailash, where access has already been unstable due to pandemic restrictions and geopolitical disputes.
Death toll of nine likely to rise as floods and mudslide sweep away houses, roads, bridges and power projectsTorrential floods in the Himalayan border areas of Nepal and in Tibet in China have killed at least nine people and destroyed roads, bridges and power projects, as authorities in both countries braced for more casualties.Houses and roads were swept away in Nepal while officials in Tibet said they feared “major casualties” with some missing in the county of Gyirong after a mudslide hit a land crossing between the neighbours. Continue reading...
Pima county figures show highest number of monthly migrant deaths in two years as critics condemn US policyAccording to newly released data from the medical examiner’s office in Pima county, Arizona, the remains of 19 migrants, including children, were recovered along the Arizona-Mexico border last month.The figure accounts for the highest number of monthly deaths in that area since 2024 and brings the number of total remains found to 73 this year, 14 more than the same time period last year. Continue reading...
• European governments in Berlin and Rome initially attempted to block cross-border bank mergers, specifically targeting UniCredit's efforts to acquire Commerzbank.
• The European Commission issued a 56-page preliminary opinion arguing that national security justifications were insufficient and breached EU rules on the free movement of capital.
• In response to regulatory pressure, Italy rewrote its laws for January 2026 to subordinate "Golden Power" reviews to prior decisions made by the ECB and the Commission.
Heavy machinery seen operating in famous Santa Elena Canyon amid outcry over new wall infrastructure in beloved Texas parkBulldozers have begun plowing up ground at the mouth of Big Bend national park’s famed Santa Elena Canyon as part of the Trump administration’s multibillion-dollar “smart wall” expansion on the US-Mexico border, according to new footage taken by activists who have been monitoring the site.Tensions have run high since the Trump administration announced plans to erect new border security infrastructure in the roughly 500-mile Big Bend region of south-west Texas, which includes the Lone Star State’s largest and most-visited national park. Continue reading...