After Star Wars became a huge hit, George Lucas wanted a bigger sequel but felt his effects company was too small. He funded The Empire Strikes Back mainly with his own profits from Star Wars, using them to expand Industrial Light and Magic and build a ranch, and he took out a bank loan for the $8 million budget. Lucas then created a company to absorb the risk, so that his own fortune was exposed if the film failed. He hired writer Leigh Brackett, who died of cancer shortly after writing a draft, and then wrote a second draft himself. Irvin Kershner was hired as director, and Lawrence Kasdan refined the script.

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.