HT Morning Brief Aug 27: Ice-mud wall collapse in Nepal kills 160; Yash's Toxic explodes at box office

Good morning! Here's your quick five-minute catch-up on today's biggest stories — from politics and India to the world, entertainment, and sports.

A wall of ice, mud and rock collapsed into a Himalayan river at the Nepal-China border near Tibet on Wednesday, triggering catastrophic floods that swallowed roads, bridges, houses, and power projects across at least six districts, killing 160 people and leaving at least 750 others unaccounted for. Indians formed the largest chunk of foreigners unaccounted for – 133 Indians and 37 non-resident Indians – and most of them were Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrims. Click here to read more .

Nepal was ravaged by the devastating flood, leaving a trail of death, destruction and missing persons in its wake. The Bhote Koshi River, swollen by a wall of ice, mud and rock collapsing near the Tibet border, tore through villages, roads, bridges and hydropower plants — with Rasuwa and neighbouring districts bearing the brunt. Before-and-after satellite images captured by Planet Labs reveal the staggering scale of the devastation, showing how entire landscapes were transformed in a matter of hours. Click here to see the images .

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said on Wednesday that the Supreme Court collegium was already working on the appointment of chief justices to the remaining high courts, amid the controversy triggered by Supreme Court judge Justice Sandeep Mehta’s letters alleging maladministration and other serious irregularities by Rajasthan High Court acting chief justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma. CJI Kant said he and other senior judges of the collegium have taken note of the concerns raised by Justice Mehta but stressed that allegations against a sitting judge had to be dealt with strictly through the established institutional mechanism. Read full story here .

Europe's biggest clubs find out who they'll face on Thursday, as the UEFA Champions League holds one of the most anticipated draws of its calendar. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, PSG, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Inter Milan are among the heavyweights waiting to learn their path through the 2026-27 league phase. Click here to read more .

Geetu Mohandas's Yash-starrer Toxic blew past every prediction to script a stunning opening day at the box office on Wednesday. Trade pundits had pegged the A-rated film's start at around ₹ 80-85 crore net in India and ₹ 110 crore gross worldwide — but Toxic had other plans. By the end of day one, it had powered past the ₹ 100 crore mark domestically and sailed beyond ₹ 140 crore globally, leaving projections in the dust. Click here to know more .

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