On 11 November 1942 the Turkish parliament passed the Varlık Vergisi, a capital tax levied mostly on non-Muslim citizens. Its unofficial aim was to ruin them financially and end their prominence in the country's economy. Tax assessments were made by local commissions, and non-Muslims were typically given much higher rates than Muslims with comparable wealth, with little right of appeal. People who could not pay saw their property sold at auction, and some were sent to labour camps. The tax was abolished in 1944.

Israeli reports also say the cabinet directed the military to prepare for a possible new attack on Iran.

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.