A popular story says Napoleon's troops shot off the nose of the Great Sphinx of Giza during their campaign in Egypt from 1798 to 1801, but the nose was already missing centuries earlier. Written records show it was gone by at least the 10th century, long before the French arrived. The Sphinx is a limestone monument on the Giza plateau that was carved from the bedrock, so the face was never assembled from separate blocks. Its damage likely came from centuries of weathering, human vandalism and the stone's natural erosion. The myth persists because it links a famous monument to a dramatic episode in European history.

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.