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A previously unseen family archive offers a glimpse into the Indian Nobel prize winner’s artistic process and personal relationships in his final yearsDon’t get This is India delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereIt’s easy to run out of words to describe Rabindranath Tagore. The first non-European to win the Nobel prize in literature, Tagore was a Bengali poet, musician, novelist, philosopher, songwriter, painter, humanist and educator.Born in 1861, Tagore left an indelible mark on the subcontinent’s literature, music, education and art. Among his enduring legacies are the national anthems of India and Bangladesh. Continue reading...

President Donald Trump revealed Tuesday a potential escape plan he’s considering pursuing should Americans ever get “tired” of him.Calling into Fox News, Trump boasted about his popularity among Israelis, falsely claiming to have a “99% approval rating” in the Middle East nation. His supposed popularity there, Trump said, could provide him with a fresh political opportunity. “I’m at 99% approval rating in Israel, can you believe it?” Trump said. “In fact, if people ever got tired of me in the U.S., I’ll move to Israel and become prime minister. Think of it: I’m at 99%, I have the highest approval rating of anybody in history!”Trump’s claims regarding his popularity in Israel are undercut by several polls, including a recent poll from the Jewish People Policy Institute showing that just 10% of Israelis expressed having a great deal of confidence in Trump regarding U.S.-Israeli relations. A separate poll from the Jewish People Policy Institute published last month showed 69% of Israelis agreed that Trump was the friendliest U.S. president Israel had ever had.Back home, a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed Monday put Trump’s approval at just 32%, near the lowest of his career. Trump: "If people ever got tired of me in the US, I'll move to Israel and become prime minister" https://t.co/AfVG7YYoVe— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 3, 2026

President Donald Trump left Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade confused Tuesday after casually revealing that he had brokered a deal to end U.S. aid to Israel “by the end of this year.”Calling into Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” Trump boasted about his administration’s accomplishments on border security and accused former President Joe Biden of allowing noncitizens “who hate Israel” to come into the country “by the millions.” Trump then pivoted to reveal a supposed deal he had brokered with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.“As far as paying Israel, Bibi Netanyahu and I have made a deal… we give Israel $4 billion a year, and we made a deal months ago that we’re stopping [payments], and they’re fine with it, because they’ve become a very successful country, they don’t need it, and we won’t be paying anymore, Israel,” Trump said. “So it’s just a wasted thing because we’ve already agreed that by the end of this year, we won’t be paying Israel. Now, we’ll help Israel if they need it, you know, they’ve been a great ally and we’ve been the greatest of all allies — to many, many countries, we’ve been great to many countries!”Discussions about ending U.S. aid to Israel — the single largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid in history, having received more than $300 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars since its founding in 1948 — gained traction this year. However, discussions have centered on a plan to phase out aid over a decade, not by the end of this year.Netanyahu has backed the plan to phase out U.S. aid but has also championed a separate push to integrate the U.S. and Israeli militaries in an “unprecedented” fashion, one critics warn would be near-impossible to unwind.Trump’s remark immediately caught the attention of Kilmeade, who jumped in to clarify what the president meant.“So, Mr. President, you’re saying you’re not giving them $4 billion worth of weapons?” Kilmeade asked, likely referencing the roughly $4 billion in military assistance the United States gives to Israel every year.Trump brushed off the question and instead bragged that the U.S. had secured “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz — a claim undercut by U.S. strikes in the strait Monday — as Kilmeade tried, and failed, to pin him down.“You’re not — you’re no longer — you’re not — OK,” Kilmeade said, unsuccessfully trying to get Trump to answer his question.Later in the interview, Kilmeade pressed Trump on the matter again, to which the president finally responded.“Why? Because they don’t need it, Brian,” Trump said. "By the end of this year, we won't be paying Israel"- Trump just now on Fox News https://t.co/6vqTKEeIOm— Alexander Willis (@ReporterWillis) November 3, 2026

Guardian and Mongabay reveal approaches to officials and MPs on behalf of Vantara zoo ahead of UK-chaired Cites meeting on endangered animal importsBritish government ministers were told not to engage formally with Vantara, the controversial mega-zoo run by the Indian billionaire Anant Ambani, after lobbying efforts by the private animal sanctuary in the run-up to a UK-chaired meeting on the trade in endangered species, according to documents.This week, the UK heads a 32-country committee meeting in Geneva of Cites, the United Nations body that regulates trade in endangered species. The meeting will examine how India has responded to compliance concerns about imports of endangered animals. Continue reading...

A U.S. official warned that President Donald Trump may authorize a major military operation against Iran if he “feels embarrassed or disenfranchised” after the midterms, sparking panic among countless onlookers.“The mad King theory just might be the right theory. But so sad for our country,” wrote Yale University professor Howard Forman, referencing a political theory that suggests a political figure being perceived as mad can help boost credibility.The initial warning was reported by Axios’ Barak Ravid, who claimed that the unnamed U.S. official warned that Trump “might be more inclined to order a major military operation if Republicans lose badly in the midterms.”“If he feels embarrassed or disenfranchised he will do something bold,” the U.S. official said, according to Ravid. “That’s what everyone are telling the Iranians. Their best shot to get a deal is right now.”Iran was sent a draft peace plan on Sunday by Qatari mediators, Reuters reported, as talks between Washington and Tehran continue. A senior Iranian official, however, has already “dismissed the proposals as unacceptable,” according to Reuters.With the midterms fast approaching on Tuesday, and with Republicans facing an increasingly dire midterm outlook, critics feared a deadly escalation could be imminent.“A slightly different/more accurate way to phrase this is Trump requires a kind of executive self-soothing,” wrote journalist Josh Marshall, editor-in-chief of Talking Points Memo. “His loss of power/popularity at home requires him to focus on areas of presidency where his power is essentially unlimited to try to reassert a sense of dominance.”Others, like Tommy Vietor, a former Obama administration official and Democratic political commentator, argued that the U.S. official’s warning was nothing more than an attempt to manipulate Tehran into accepting the Trump administration’s terms for ending the deeply unpopular conflict.“Give me a f------ break with this spin. You don’t need to regurgitate this bull----,” Vietor wrote in a social media post on X.Trump official says Trump might bomb Iran because his feelings are hurt.— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) October 31, 2026

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) warned this week that the Trump administration plans to resume its war on Iran after the midterms — an “insane” scheme he said he learned of in confidential briefings. By Saturday night, he was still the only lawmaker to speak out about those briefings, leaving one independent journalist furious.“In one of these briefings, we did get the chance to have a fairly detailed conversation about what the war plan would be if we restarted military operations,” Murphy said, speaking at the Middle East Institute. “You’ve heard a preview that it would be a short-duration plan. I will just say this: their plan is insane. It will lead to devastating escalation and the likely destruction of our commitment to the rule of law. The plan that they have developed will lead, in my view, to a prolongment and escalation of this war that will be devastating for our security interest.”As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and ranking member of the Department of Defense Subcommittee, Murphy is often briefed on matters related to U.S. military operations and foreign policy. As noted by Murphy, however, he was not the only member of Congress to have been briefed on the Trump administration’s post-midterm plans for Iran.“How has literally no other member of Congress mentioned this briefing???” independent journalist Ken Klippenstein wrote in frustration Saturday evening, later calling the lack of interest in the briefings from other members of Congress “just pathetic.”Murphy’s warning came after reports that the U.S. told Gulf nations to prepare for a short-lived, high-intensity campaign after the Nov. 3 election. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was weighing strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites and civilian infrastructure. Trump has said he won’t launch any attacks on Iran until after the election.How has literally no other member of Congress mentioned this briefing ???— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) October 31, 2026

President Donald Trump sparked a wave of outrage with a new social media image many read as a blunt warning to a U.S. ally.On Saturday, Trump shared an image on Truth Social showing Greenland transformed into a sprawling American air base, the island's entire surface paved over with runways, hangars and rows of military jets. A massive U.S. flag flies over the scene, with "WELCOME TO GREENLAND" splashed across the bottom in bold block letters.The image landed as Trump continues to push for American control of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark, despite repeated objections from leaders in Nuuk and Copenhagen.Independent journalist Aaron Rupar flagged the image, describing it as a depiction of Greenland "as a giant American military colony."Greenlander Orla Joelsen, a political activist and former parliamentary candidate, didn't hold back."Oh Donald, what on earth is this?" he asked. "An enormous American aircraft carrier parked on top of Greenland? Is this your latest fantasy of owning our country?"Joelsen pointed to U.S. plans for two new military facilities on the island, along with upgrades to Pituffik Space Base, and insisted, "That's military cooperation, NOT American ownership." He also reminded Trump that the U.S. and Denmark signed an agreement recognizing Greenland's right to self-determination."Did you forget what you signed, Donald?" Joelsen added. "Or are you just hoping your voters can't read either?"Anti-Trump influencer Lucas Sanders didn't mince words either. "He's Deranged Don," Sanders said.Progressive voice Joe Mikhaili called the image "the type of un-American s— that only a self obsessed dictator does."Hollywood Reporter editor-at-large Kim Masters turned her fire on Republicans. "Behold the GOP fealty to a lunatic," she remarked on Bluesky.British tech writer Tom Coates kept it short. "What a f— a—," he fumed.Social media personality Mario Nawfal mocked the image too, quipping that "Denmark is trying to have a diplomatic conversation while Trump is playing Battleship with an entire country."Popular anti-Trump commentator Molly Ploofkins summed up the mood with a single word. "Sigh," she replied.Oh Donald, what on earth is this? An enormous American aircraft carrier parked on top of Greenland? Is this your latest fantasy of owning our country?Here’s a reality check for you:The United States is planning two new military facilities in Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig, along with upgrades to Pituffik Space Base.That’s military cooperation, NOT American ownership.You signed an agreement recognizing Greenland’s right to self-determination and the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark.Did you forget what you signed, Donald? Or are you just hoping your voters can’t read either?— Orla Joelsen (@OJoelsen) October 31, 2026

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow warned Saturday of a “credible threat” of an attack that could cause mass casualties at a popular park in the Russian capital. Observers noted the warning was strikingly specific.“The U.S. Embassy in Moscow has learned of a credible threat of an incident that could result in mass casualties TODAY, October 31, on the grounds of the Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve in Moscow,” the embassy wrote on X. It said the U.S. government “is coordinating response measures with the relevant authorities of the Russian Federation.”The embassy told Americans to avoid the park Saturday, stay away from large crowds, keep their phones charged and carry identification. Tsaritsyno is a sprawling former royal estate in southern Moscow that draws large crowds.The alert quickly drew comparisons to the March 2024 Crocus City Hall attack outside Moscow. In that attack, gunmen linked to the Islamic State killed more than 140 people at a concert venue, weeks after the U.S. Embassy publicly warned that extremists were planning to target large gatherings in Moscow.“Last time I remember this kind of specific alert it was before the Crocus City concert hall ISIS-linked attack in 2024,” wrote ABC News international correspondent Patrick Reevell, calling the warning “unusual.”Sarah Adams, a former CIA targeting officer and author of “Benghazi: Know Thy Enemy,” shared the alert with a brief comment: “You don’t see this everyday.”Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and a Kremlin envoy who has taken part in talks with the Trump administration, cast the warning as a sign of improving relations.“In a spirit of goodwill, the US has informed Russian security services and issued a public alert about a possible terrorist attack in Tsaritsyno Park in Moscow,” Dmitriev wrote. “US-Russia security services cooperation is vital for global security.”The embassy did not say who was behind the threat or what kind of attack it anticipated. There were no reports of an attack as of publication.