The week in photos: August 22-28, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — A wall of ice, mud and rock collapsed into a mountain river on the Himalayan border of Nepal and China’s Tibet on August 26, triggering catastrophic flooding on the Nepali side that killed scores of people and left hundreds of tourists missing.

A Filipino is among those who are missing based on a list by the Nepal Tourism Board on August 27. The list only provided the numbers and countries of origin of the missing but not their identities. Other countries with missing nationals are Malaysia, Ukraine, Australia, Britain, Canada, South Korea, Singapore, Germany, Russia, South Africa, Latvia, Japan, and New Zealand.

On August 26, Meta Platforms agreed to pay a maximum $16.68 billion and make major changes to Facebook and Instagram to resolve claims by states across the US that the company designed those platforms to addict children, misled consumers about their safety and improperly collected children’s personal data.

The settlement resolves claims brought by 29 US states, and will end a federal trial that had been one of the highest-profile tests yet. Meta will impose daily usage limits and restrict nighttime usage by children who use Facebook and Instagram, and enhance measures to prevent children from accessing age-restricted content. But whistleblower Arturo Bejar and other experts say that the measures aren’t enough.

Meanwhile, the prosecution flagged Vice President Sara Duterte’s request for P125 million in confidential funds in 2022, made before her office even came up with a written plan. This was confirmed by Lemuel Ortonio, assistant chief of staff at the Office of the Vice President, during private prosecutor Mae Divinagracia’s direct examination of the hostile witness on August 25.

Catch more stories in these photos from the week that was:

People wait for Pope Leo at the port of Rimini, during his pastoral trip in Rimini, Italy, on August 22, 2026. PHOTO BY CLAUDIA GRECO/REUTERS

Re-enactors take part in an event to mark the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn during the War for US independence, in Brooklyn, New York, on August 22, 2026. PHOTO BY ANGELINA KATSANIS/REUTERS

A portrait of a woman wearing traditional clothes lies on the ground in the aftermath of a fire at Sade, a traditional Sasak village that caught fire overnight in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, on August 23, 2026. STRINGER PHOTO VIA REUTERS

A man tries to pull his opponent over the table during the traditional German finger-pulling (Fingerhakeln) championships in Pflug, Germany, on August 23, 2026. PHOTO BY ANGELIKA WARMUTH/REUTERS

A humanoid robot gets back up after falling during a kickboxing 40kg class match, at the second World Humanoid Robot Games at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, China, on August 23, 2026. PHOTO BY FLORENCE LO/REUTERS

People perform a ritual to Pachamama in the snowfall, as low temperatures affect several regions of the country, in La Cumbre, on the outskirts of La Paz, Bolivia, on August 24, 2026. PHOTO BY CLAUDIA MORALES/REUTERS

A woman places her hand over her heart during the Ukrainian national anthem at an event marking Ukraine’s Independence Day in Castle Square, Warsaw, Poland, on August 24, 2026. PHOTO BY MATEUSZ/KACZMAREK/REUTERS

Counsels for the prosecution and defense examine documents that will be presented to the witness on Day 18 of the impeachment trial of Sara Duterte on August 25, 2026. PHOTO FROM THE SENATE SOCIAL MEDIA UNIT

Flowers lie at the star of Dolly Parton on the Hollywood Walk of Fame after it was announced that the country music icon dies at 80, in Los Angeles, California, on August 25, 2026. PHOTO BY MARIO ANZUONI/REUTERS

New Zealand players perform the haka before the Rugby Union tour of South Africa at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, on August 25, 2026. PHOTO BY SIPHIWE/SIBEKO/REUTERS

Vendors, workers, and consumers, led by the Save Carbon Public Market Movement, ride carts during a protest march calling for the termination or rescission of the Carbon Market Joint Venture Agreement between the Cebu City Government and Megawide/Cebu2World, on August 25, 2026. PHOTO BY JACQUELINE HERNANDEZ/RAPPLER

Revellers play in tomato pulp during the annual ‘La Tomatina’ food fight festival in Bunol, Spain, August 26, 2026. PHOTO BY THOMAS PETER/REUTERS

A resident watches members of the Tenement Visual Artists put the finishing touches on a mural of Philippines tennis ace Alex Eala at the Taguig City Tenement Complex on August 26, 2026. PHOTO BY JIRE CARREON/RAPPLER

States’ attorneys and Meta lawyers speak with US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers after Meta Platforms agreed to pay up to US$18 billion over the next decade and strictly limit how teenagers use Facebook and Instagram under an agreement with nearly all states to resolve claims it designed those social media platforms to addict children, in Oakland, California, on August 26, 2026. COURTROOM SKETCH PHOTO BY VICKI BEHRINGER/REUTERS

A thick cloud of dust hovers over the vicinity of the Manila Bay reclamation project during a gust front, in Pasay City on August 26, 2026. PHOTO BY ANGIE DE SILVA/RAPPLER

A survivor is transported to a safer place in heavy machinery following a flash flood at Trishuli in Nuwakot district, Nepal, on August 26, 2026. PHOTO BY NAVESH CHITRAKAR/REUTERS

A commercial aircraft takes off during the start of a blood-red lunar eclipse as the moon rises in San Diego, California, on August 27, 2026. PHOTO BY MIKE BLAKE/REUTERS

A woman covered in fake blood and holding the scales of Justice demonstrates against political violence during the ‘March on Washington 2026: Defend the Vote’ protest march for voting rights, in Washington DC on August 28, 2026. PHOTO BY EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/REUTERS

A boy receives a Rakhi bracelet during the Raksha Bandhan festival, as donations in support of the relief efforts for victims of the flashflood that struck Nepal on August 26, at Shree Pashupatinath Temple and community center in southeast London, Britain, on August 28, 2026. PHOTO BY TOBY MELVILLE/REUTERS

Mourners gather to pay their respects outside the Royal Palace, following the death of Norway’s King Harald, in Oslo, Norway, on August 28, 2026. PHOTO BY CORNELIUS POPPE/NTB VIA REUTERS