King abdicates
The week's news at a glance.
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
King Norodom Sihanouk gave up the Cambodian throne this week—through a posting on his Web site. The 81-year-old king has often threatened to resign, saying his lack of real power means he can do little for his poor and unstable country. His son Prince Norodom Ranariddh, speaker of the National Assembly, said, “We still hope that tomorrow or the day after tomorrow the king will agree to be the king again.” But Sihanouk, who was installed by the French during colonial rule in 1941, said he was tired. “Allow me, in waiting for my death, a tranquil life, in serenity, which I have not had since 1940,” he said on his Web site. The king is believed to prefer as successor his other son, Prince Norodom Sihamoni, a dancer in Paris.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Iran nukes program set back months, early intel suggests
Speed Read A Pentagon assessment says US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites only set the program back by months, not years. This contradicts President Donald Trump's claim.
-
June 25 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons include war on a loop, the New York City mayoral race, and one almighty F-bomb
-
How generative AI is changing the way we write and speak
In The Spotlight ChatGPT and other large language model tools are quietly influencing which words we use