On 9 November 2020 Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia signed an armistice that ended the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. The fighting began on 27 September along the line of contact left after the first war of 1988–1994, and Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, used drones, long-range artillery and missiles to take much of the territory. Under the deal, Azerbaijan kept the areas it had captured, Armenian forces withdrew from some adjoining districts, and Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the region and along the Lachin corridor. In Armenia, the defeat led to anti-government protests. Clashes continued after the war, and in 2023 Azerbaijan took full control of the region, after which most of its ethnic Armenian residents left.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.