Baobabs are medium-to-large deciduous trees in the genus Adansonia, with eight species native to Africa, Australia and Madagascar. Their trunks store water in pulpy wood, and they are among the longest-lived flowering plants. Their flowers open at dusk and last only about fifteen hours. Early in the 21st century, baobabs in southern Africa began dying rapidly and mysteriously. Blight or pests seem unlikely to have killed so many trees so fast, so some researchers have suggested mass dehydration as a possible cause, though the cause is still not settled. The genus itself seems to have originated in Madagascar.

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.