The Final Cut began as a soundtrack for the 1982 film of Pink Floyd's The Wall, under the working title Spare Bricks. The Falklands War changed its direction: Roger Waters saw Margaret Thatcher's response as jingoistic, and he turned the album into a reflection on post-war Britain, dedicating it to his father, Eric Waters, who was killed in Italy in 1944 when Roger was five months old. Waters argued that the welfare state's promise had been eroded, while guitarist David Gilmour disliked the political focus and questioned whether the leftover songs were good enough. The album's title comes from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, where Antony calls the stabbing 'the most unkindest cut of all'.

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.