The Ramavataram, popularly called the Kamba Ramayanam, is a Tamil epic written by the poet Kambar in the 12th century. Based on Valmiki's Sanskrit Ramayana, it tells the legend of King Rama of Ayodhya, but differs from the Sanskrit version in many ways, in its spiritual concepts as well as in details of the story. Kambar wrote with the patronage of the chieftain Thiruvennai Nallur Sadayappa Vallal, and in gratitude he names his patron once in every thousand verses. The story of Rama was already familiar in the Tamil lands long before: it is referred to in the Sangam anthologies Akananuru and Purananuru, in the epics Silappatikaram and Manimekalai, and in the poems of the Alvars. The epic has six chapters, or Kandams, from the Bala Kandam to the Yuddha Kandam, divided into 113 sections and about 10,569 verses; the poet Ottakoothar wrote the seventh, the Uttara Kandam. A committee of scholars, the Kamban Kazhagam, prepared the edition published in 1976 that is the standard today. Kambar's use of the virutham and santham verse forms brings out the emotion and mood of each scene.

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.