Global Express | August 27, 2026 Nepal and Tibet floods kill 353 with over 1,300 missing

1. Floods kill 353 in Nepal and Tibet, over 1,300 missing

Source: AP News

Police in Nepal said Thursday that the death toll from flash floods that struck communities along the Nepal-Tibet border a day earlier had risen to 353, with more than 1,300 still missing. The disaster was triggered by a glacier collapse that sent a wall of water and mud several stories high tearing through communities.

Nepalese officials said dozens of bridges were destroyed and nearly 40 kilometers of roads damaged, complicating search efforts. The army has rescued more than 100 people by helicopter, and dozens of injured have been taken to Kathmandu for advanced care.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Gyirong on Thursday to direct rescue efforts. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher announced the release of $2 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund for medical care, shelter and water. Nepal's Tourism Board said 517 of the missing were foreigners, including 178 from India.

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2. Regional powers seek off-ramp from Iran war as tanker hit in Hormuz

Source: AP News

Regional powers sought an off-ramp from the war with Iran as another tanker attack was reported in the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran dismissed the Trump administration's latest sanctions. The conflict reaches the six-month mark on Friday.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations said Thursday it had received a report of an oil tanker hit by an unknown projectile Tuesday in the waters between Oman and Iran, causing it to catch fire; the crew was reported safe. Oman and Iran are reportedly in the final stages of talks on managing shipping through the strait.

Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani is expected in Tehran Thursday for talks on de-escalation. U.S. President Donald Trump told Al Jazeera on Wednesday he has "no time schedule" to wrap up the conflict.

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3. Car explosion in St. Petersburg kills Russian military officer

Source: The Moscow Times

A Russian military lieutenant colonel was killed in a car explosion in St. Petersburg, local outlet Fontanka reported Thursday. The blast occurred around 10 a.m. local time near a supermarket in the Shushary neighborhood; the officer's wife, also in the car, was badly injured.

Investigators confirmed one death and one hospitalization but described the incident only as a "vehicle fire" rather than an explosion, adding that a criminal probe was underway.

Russia has accused Ukraine of carrying out several assassinations of military officers since the full-scale invasion. There was no immediate comment from Kyiv on Thursday's reported blast.

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4. World's largest container shipper suspends Novorossiysk bookings

Source: The Kyiv Independent

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co., the world's largest container shipping company, has halted new bookings to and from Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk after one of its vessels was hit by a drone, Bloomberg reported. The suspension took effect immediately.

MSC operates a fleet with a total capacity of 7 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), the first shipping line in history to reach that threshold. The company said it was monitoring security conditions and advised customers to contact its Russian office about alternative arrangements.

MSC is still operating through other Russian ports, including St. Petersburg. Shipping in the Black Sea has faced growing disruption amid an increase in attacks on ports and commercial vessels since July.

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5. Envoy warns Israel-Hamas truce failure would be 'point of no return'

Source: Al Jazeera

Hamas has pledged to hand over its weapons as part of the U.S. plan for Gaza, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected. The failure of the Gaza ceasefire process would be a "point of no return," the lead official for the enclave on President Donald Trump's Board of Peace warned.

Nickolay Mladenov, the board's high representative for Gaza, told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that a resumption of fighting would mean "no roadmap to return to, no administration to deploy and nothing left on the ground to rebuild."

Gaza's Health Ministry said at least 1,288 Palestinians have been killed and 4,290 wounded since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect in October. Hamas agreed on July 30 to the roadmap, under which weapons decommissioning would be supervised by an International Stabilization Force led by U.S. Major General Jasper Jeffers.

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6. Best Buy tops quarterly estimates and raises outlook

Source: CNBC

Best Buy on Thursday reported better-than-expected fiscal second-quarter results and raised its full-year outlook. Comparable sales grew 4.1%, well above its prior outlook of 1%, driven by a surge in computing.

The retailer raised its full-year revenue guidance to between $42.3 billion and $42.8 billion, and now expects comparable sales to climb 1.9% to 3%. Adjusted earnings per share are projected at $6.70 to $6.90.

The quarter marked the last under current CEO Corie Barry, with Jason Bonfig set to take over on Nov. 1. The company noted customers continue to spend but remain focused on value, while navigating tariffs and soaring memory chip prices.

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7. Nvidia earnings lift Nasdaq futures and chip stocks

Source: CNBC

Nasdaq-100 futures rose Thursday as Nvidia's latest earnings boosted sentiment. Nvidia shares jumped about 6% in premarket trading after the company beat expectations and projected 70% revenue growth in fiscal 2028, far above the 44% analysts expected; its fiscal second-quarter revenue more than doubled.

Semiconductor stocks rallied broadly, with Marvell, Micron and Arm each up more than 4%. Software names also gained, including Salesforce and Okta.

CFO Colette Kress said the 70% growth forecast applies to fiscal 2028 (February 2027 to January 2028), while CEO Jensen Huang said demand is "much greater than 70%" but constrained by supply. Nvidia has also reportedly agreed to buy open-source AI platform Hugging Face for $12.9 billion.

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8. Wildfires kill at least 12 in northern Algeria

Source: BBC

At least 12 people have been killed and dozens injured as wildfires burn through northern Algeria. Interior Minister Said Sayoud said on Wednesday night that at least 54 people had suffered burns, with at least six in intensive care.

Five people were killed in Jijel province, four in Bejaia and three in Tizi Ouzou. Many homes in Bejaia and Jijel have been evacuated, and firefighters were battling 69 blazes across the country.

Northern Africa is sweltering under a severe heatwave. The World Meteorological Organization said North Africa has warmed 0.43C per decade between 1991 and 2025, the fastest of Africa's six subregions, with climate change intensifying the fires.

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9. FDA approves landmark pancreatic cancer drug

Source: NPR

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved a groundbreaking new drug for advanced pancreatic cancer. The first-of-a-kind pill, called daraxonrasib, blocks a mutated protein that fuels tumor growth in more than 90% of pancreatic cancer cases, an approach that had eluded drugmakers for decades.

In a company-funded study of 500 patients, those taking the drug lived a median of 13.2 months compared with 6.7 months for chemotherapy recipients, nearly doubling survival time with fewer severe side effects. The drug, sold by Revolution Medicines as Rasonque, costs about $39,800 per month.

The American Cancer Society estimates about 67,000 new pancreatic cancer cases and more than 52,000 deaths in the U.S. this year, with a five-year survival rate of 13%. The FDA said it approved the drug more than six months ahead of its target date.

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10. Iran and Oman still discussing Hormuz deal details, source says

Source: Beijing Daily (Xinhua)

An Iranian senior source said on Aug. 26 that Iran and Oman are "still discussing the details" of an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz, Xinhua reported. Earlier, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman Hossein Mohebbi said the two countries had reached agreement on their shares of controlled waters and revenue distribution.

Iran has accused the U.S. of persistently obstructing the talks. Mohebbi said the strait "will not open under any circumstances" if the U.S. does not accept Iran's conditions, which include ending the blockade of Iranian ports, providing compensation and lifting sanctions.

Meanwhile, Axios reported on Aug. 25 that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told allies Washington does not currently plan a new round of strikes on Iran and will focus on other means of pressure.

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