A strong El Niño is set to overlap with the 2026-27 South Pacific cyclone season, putting small island nations such as Samoa under heavy pressure. In Samoa 70% of the population and infrastructure sit in low-lying coastal areas, and sea level has risen by as much as 31cm over three decades, raising the risk of flooding, stronger cyclones and saltwater damage to crops. El Niño can also drop sea levels temporarily, exposing shallow reefs and killing coral. Samoa is one of 39 small island developing states, which together hold under 1% of the world's people but need climate funding that often arrives slowly, tangled in red tape.

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.