Molotov went to Berlin to discuss joining the Axis, months before Hitler invaded
the gist
On 12 November 1940 Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov arrived in Berlin for talks with Nazi leaders, including whether the Soviet Union might join the Axis Powers. The two states had signed the 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop non-aggression pact and divided Poland, but their interests were beginning to clash over Finland, the Balkans and the Turkish Straits. Germany wanted to point Soviet ambitions towards Asia, while Moscow wanted a larger sphere in Eastern Europe. The talks produced no agreement. Within weeks Hitler had ordered preparations for an invasion, and Germany attacked the Soviet Union in June 1941.
so what
The visit was the last major diplomatic meeting between the two states before the war. It shows how an alliance built on convenience can break down when neither side's aims fit the other's.
the bigger pattern
Short-lived pacts between rivals, such as this one, tend to break when their aims collide, as with the 1939 agreement and the invasion less than two years later.
fun fact
The Molotov cocktail was named for him, by Finnish soldiers mocking Soviet propaganda during the Winter War.
Adapted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Indonesia's vice president Gibran Rakabuming Raka resigns over eligibility and credentials questions
the gist
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.
so what
The vice presidency is the constitutional successor role to the presidency, so the vacancy matters for who would stand in if the president could not serve.
fun fact
Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic state, with more than 17,000 islands.
world cultures & travel·Wikivoyage·classic9th–15th century · Siem Reap, Cambodia
Angkor was the largest pre-industrial city on Earth, covering about 3,000 square kilometres
the gist
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.
how it works
The Khmer kings built enormous rectangular reservoirs that caught monsoon rain during the wet season. Earthen dykes and canals moved that water into rice paddies, so farmers could grow crops across much of the year. The surplus food supported craftsmen, builders and the workforce that raised the temples.
so what
Angkor shows how a society without industrial machinery could build a city on a scale that rivals modern metropolises, using engineering and water management instead. Some historians link its decline to drought, flooding and shifts in its water systems, which makes it a long-running case study in how cities depend on managing water. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most important archaeological landscapes in Southeast Asia.
fun fact
The outline of Angkor Wat appears on the national flag of Cambodia.
more on this
background
Angkor (Khmer: អង្គរ [ʔɑŋkɔː], lit. 'capital city'), also known as Yasodharapura (Khmer: យសោធរបុរៈ; Sanskrit: यशोधरपुर), was the capital city of the Khmer Empire, located in present-day Cambodia. The empire flourished from approximately the 9th to the 15th centuries. The site of Angkor has a variety of religious temples, libraries, moats, and other buildings. These other buildings could have been used by officials to the grand palace housing the Khmer king. Those constructed outside the main complex were not made of stone. One of the more visited places in Angkor is Angkor Wat, a temple complex that is one of Cambodia's tourist attractions.
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