Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival of nine nights devoted to Shakti, the divine feminine power, through the worship of nine forms of the goddess Durga. It is celebrated in varying ways across the Indian cultural sphere. Traditionally there are four seasonal observances, in the months of Magha, Chaitra, Ashadha and Ashvin, but in practice the autumn festival in Ashvin, called Sharada Navaratri, is the most widely celebrated with great pomp. It falls in September and October, after the monsoon ends. The nine nights honour nine forms of the goddess, and the festival is one of the most visible expressions of Shakti worship in the Hindu calendar.

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.