Pickaxe Mountain, called Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La in Persian, is a roughly 1,600-metre granite peak south of Iran's Natanz nuclear complex. After a 2020 explosion damaged a centrifuge assembly workshop at Natanz, Iran's atomic energy chief said its replacement would be built in the heart of this mountain. The US administration fears the underground complex could house centrifuges able to enrich uranium to weapons grade. Satellite images show continuing construction and reinforced entrances, and a US think tank reported more activity in 2026, but nobody outside Iran has confirmed what is inside, and inspectors have never been allowed in. The complex is estimated to lie 80-100 metres down.

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.