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American singer-songwriter and actress Dolly Parton dies at the age of 80.
- Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean (née Parton; January 19, 1946 – August 25, 2026) was an American singer-songwriter, actress and businesswoman. Dubbed the "Queen of Country", Parton was one of the most successful country music performers in history. She was also known for her cultural influence and philanthropy via Dollywood and the Dollywood Foundation. With more than 100 million records sold, Parton is among the best-selling music artists of all time.
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King Harald V of Norway dies at the age of 89 and is succeeded by Haakon VIII.
- Harald V (21 February 1937 – 28 August 2026) was King of Norway from 17 January 1991 until his death in 2026.
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- Harald V, King of Norway since 1991, died on the morning of 28 August 2026 at the Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, at the age of 89. He had been admitted to the hospital since 17 August. He was succeeded by his son Haakon VIII.
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- Haakon VIII (Haakon Magnus, Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈhôːkʊn]; born 20 July 1973) is King of Norway, reigning since the death of his father, Harald V, in August 2026.
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More than 600 people are killed after flash flooding in the Rasuwa and Nuwakot Districts of Nepal and along the China–Nepal border.
- On the morning of 26 August 2026, a series of flash floods and mudslides along a 72 km (45 mi) stretch of the Trishuli River struck dozens of settlements in Nepal's Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, Tanahun, Nawalparasi, and Chitwan districts. It completely destroyed the Gyirong Port complex on the China–Nepal border, which was the major gateway for trade and tourism between the countries. The flood carried the bodies of some victims 240 km (150 mi) away in neighboring India.
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Bosnian Serb military officer and convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić dies in prison at the age of 84.
- Ratko Mladić (Serbian Cyrillic: Ратко Младић, pronounced [râtko mlǎːdit͡ɕ]; 12 March 1942 – 27 August 2026) was a Bosnian Serb military officer who led the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) during the Yugoslav Wars. Referred to as the "Butcher of Bosnia", he was found guilty in 2017 of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). He served a life sentence for these crimes in The Hague until his death in 2026.
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Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama dies at the age of 97.
- Yayoi Kusama (草間 彌生, Kusama Yayoi; 22 March 1929 – 14 August 2026) was a Japanese contemporary artist who worked primarily in sculpture and installation. She was also active in painting, performance, video art, fashion, poetry, fiction, and other arts. Her work was based in conceptual art and shows some attributes of feminism, minimalism, surrealism, art brut, pop art, and abstract expressionism, and is infused with autobiographical, psychological, and sexual content. She has been acknowledged as one of the most important artists to have come out of Japan, was one of the world's top-selling female artists and ranked #19 in Sotheby's 2023 list of the top 50 artists. Her work influenced her contemporaries, including Andy Warhol and Claes Oldenburg.
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The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria ends its autonomous rule following its full integration into Syria.
- The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), also known as Rojava, was a de facto autonomous region in northeastern Syria from 2012 until its integration into the Syrian state in 2026. At various points during its existence, it consisted of the self-governing sub-regions of Afrin, Jazira, Euphrates, Raqqa, Tabqa, Manbij, and Deir ez-Zor. The region conducted some foreign relations, but was not officially recognized as autonomous by the Syrian government or any other state, although the Parliament of Catalonia recognized it.
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President Hakainde Hichilema wins the Zambian general election for a second consecutive term.
- General elections were held in Zambia on 13 August 2026 to elect a president, members of the National Assembly, councillors and council chairs.
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Iran war (ongoing)
- Since 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel have been at war with Iran and its regional allies. Hostilities broke out after US–Israeli airstrikes killed several Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The strikes were launched amid ongoing US–Iran negotiations regarding Iran's nuclear program.
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Lebanon war (ongoing)
- Since 2 March 2026, there has been an ongoing war in Lebanon between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah, with Israel invading parts of Lebanon. It is a resumption of major fighting in the Hezbollah–Israel conflict, and part of the wider conflict in the Middle East. The war has precipitated a humanitarian crisis, resulted in the deaths of more than 4,000 people from Israeli strikes in Lebanon, and seen the forced displacement of over 1 million.
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Russo-Ukrainian war (ongoing)
- On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the existing war between the two countries that began when Russia attacked Ukraine in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thousands of military casualties and tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilian casualties. Russian troops
occupy roughly 20% of Ukraine. From a population of 41 million, about 8 million Ukrainians have been internally displaced and 6–7 million have fled the country, creating Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II.
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