Hula is a Hawaiian dance that combines movement with chanted poetry, and it is tied to the goddess Laka. Hawaiian legends place its origin in different places, including Molokai and the Puna district on the Big Island, where the volcano goddess Pele danced after finding her home. Hula was performed as ritual and prayer, and teachers and students honored Laka. American Protestant missionaries arrived in 1820 and denounced it, and in 1830 Queen Ka'ahumanu banned public performances. Under King David Kalākaua in the late 1800s, the arts revived, and performers blended old chants with new forms called hula kuʻi. Hula grew more commercial in the early 20th century, and it was revived again from the 1970s during the Hawaiian Renaissance.

Indonesian Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka handed his resignation to parliament after questions were raised about his eligibility for office and his academic credentials. Gibran is the son of former president Joko Widodo, and his resignation came as Widodo publicly backed the president, Prabowo Subianto. Gibran had been elected vice president in 2024 as Prabowo's running mate. His candidacy was made possible by a 2023 Constitutional Court ruling on the minimum age for candidates, which was itself controversial. Parliament will now consider the resignation.

Angkor, near Siem Reap in northern Cambodia, was the capital of the Khmer Empire, which ruled much of mainland Southeast Asia between roughly the 9th and 15th centuries. At its height the city spread across about 3,000 square kilometres, making it the largest pre-industrial city on Earth by area. Its growth depended on water: huge reservoirs called barays, along with canals and embankments, stored monsoon rain and carried it to rice fields. That system let farmers harvest more than once a year and fed a very large population through the dry season. The temple complex of Angkor Wat, built in the early 12th century, is the best-known monument and still stands at the heart of the park.