Michel de Montaigne published his Essays in French in the 1580s, inventing a new literary form in which he wrote short, personal reflections on whatever came to mind. John Florio's 1603 translation made them available in English for the first time. The essays range across grief, friendship, drunkenness, death, smells and even the thumb, always testing ideas against his own experience. Montaigne's method was to doubt confidently and to say what he actually thought, which was unusual for his time. Florio's English version helped shape the language of later English prose, including the writing of Shakespeare's era.

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.