On 12 November 2011 Silvio Berlusconi said he would resign as Italy's prime minister, effective 16 November, largely because of the euro area crisis. Italy, with one of the biggest government debts in the eurozone, faced rising borrowing costs as investors doubted it could manage. Berlusconi, a media tycoon who owned Mediaset and AC Milan, had been prime minister in three governments between 1994 and 2011. His departure cleared the way for a technocratic government led by Mario Monti, which pushed through budget cuts and economic reforms.

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.