A Christie’s exhibition in Mumbai is presenting material from a private family archive connected to Rabindranath Tagore’s visits to Maitreyi Devi’s home in Mungpoo between 1938 and 1940. The manuscripts, letters, artworks, photographs and personal items offer insight into Tagore’s creative work and his ideas about education in his final years.
Key Facts
Tagore was born in 1861 and died in 1941.
He became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
His collection Gitanjali won the Nobel Prize; its English translation appeared in London in March of the prize year.
The archive includes material from Tagore’s visits to Maitreyi Devi’s family home in Mungpoo between 1938 and 1940.
The exhibition includes artworks, manuscripts, letters, photographs and personal effects, including a kurta and lungi.
A 1940 manuscript appears to be a draft of Tagore’s memoir Chelebela, or My Boyhood Days.
Tagore founded Santiniketan, an experimental school that emphasized open-air learning.
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Russian strikes across Ukraine killed at least 31 people at an aid facility and shelter in Zaporizhzhia, and more than 45 residents remained missing as rescuers searched the rubble. Overnight attacks also damaged power plants and medical facilities in several regions, wounded dozens of people, and caused emergency power cuts.
Key Facts
The attack on the facility in Komyshuvakha killed at least 31 people, including four police officers and two rescue workers.
More than 45 residents were still missing, and at least five people were injured in the Zaporizhzhia attack.
Authorities declared three days of mourning in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Ukraine's president said Russia launched 289 attack drones, 17 ballistic missiles, and 59 cruise missiles across nine regions.
A Russian missile and drone attack in Kharkiv wounded at least 62 people and damaged a medical facility and nearby buildings.
Attacks in the Dnipro area killed one person and injured 17; rescuers pulled a woman alive from rubble.
Ukraine's energy ministry reported strikes in 10 regions, while utility DTEK said three power plants halted operations after damage.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Germany ahead of U.S.-mediated peace talks scheduled for Nov. 10–11 in Abu Dhabi.
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A France 24 program examines anger in France and the United States amid ongoing protests in France and the U.S. midterm elections. It links public frustration in both countries to rising living costs, declining trust in institutions and concerns about the social contract.
Key Facts
The program compares political anger in France and the United States.
France is experiencing ongoing protests, according to the article.
The United States is approaching midterm elections.
The program identifies rising living costs as a source of anger in both countries.
It also cites declining faith in institutions.
The article points to concerns about an eroding social contract.
The program is presented by Solange Mougin and runs for about seven minutes.
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Five people, including two children, were rescued Sunday near Fanning Island in Kiribati after drifting at sea for about three months in a small boat. Four others who were aboard remain missing, and authorities are working to confirm what happened to them.
Key Facts
The nine people were reported missing after their skiff failed to return to Ruo Island in Micronesia on July 30.
The group had been traveling between Murilo and Ruo, a crossing that usually takes about an hour.
A 10-day search covered 33,000 square miles but found no sign of the boat or its occupants.
The survivors drifted an estimated 3,355 miles east before villagers found them near Fanning Island.
A Kiribati nursing officer said the five survivors were severely dehydrated and malnourished and were receiving treatment.
The survivors requested privacy and had not spoken publicly about their ordeal.
Chuuk state Governor Alexander Narruhn said he had begun talks with Kiribati officials to bring the survivors home.
The U.S. Coast Guard said it was still gathering and confirming information about the four missing people.
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Russia and Ukraine exchanged strikes on energy infrastructure, a hospital, and an oil refinery hours after the U.S. announced new peace talks. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said Russian, Ukrainian, and U.S. officials would meet in Abu Dhabi beginning November 10 to discuss a peace deal and de-escalation.
Key Facts
Ukrainian officials said Russia attacked energy facilities in 10 regions with 17 ballistic missiles and nearly 300 drones.
Ukraine's DTEK said Russian strikes extensively damaged three of its thermal power plants, while power disruptions affected several regions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a Russian strike on a Kharkiv hospital injured 73 people.
Ukrainian officials said a Russian attack on a former school used to distribute aid in Zaporizhzhia killed at least 33 people and left more than 40 missing.
The governor of Russia's Yaroslavl region said Ukraine attacked an oil refinery with about 124 drones, injuring two workers and causing a fire.
The International Energy Agency said Ukraine had targeted at least 28 Russian refineries since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Steve Witkoff said three-way U.S., Russian, and Ukrainian talks would begin in Abu Dhabi on November 10.
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The United States carried out strikes on Iranian targets, a U.S. official said, days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged President Donald Trump to approve more attacks. The limited strikes came as diplomatic efforts continued and the U.S. maintained a naval blockade, with reports of explosions near the Strait of Hormuz and concern about a wider return to fighting.
Key Facts
A U.S. official said the strikes targeted Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against U.S. forces in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state media reported explosions on Qeshm and Hengam islands and near Bandar Abbas.
The strikes took place on the eve of U.S. midterm elections, despite Trump previously saying the United States would not strike Iran before the elections.
Vice President JD Vance said he and Trump felt positive about the prospects for a negotiated settlement.
Iran said it had a two-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear talks with the United States.
U.S. forces continued a naval blockade intended to prevent tankers carrying Iranian oil from reaching the global market.
Two regional officials and another person familiar with the matter said Netanyahu urged Trump in a weekend call to launch another wave of strikes after the U.S. elections.
Mediators were working on a framework under which Iran would stop attacks in the strait in return for the United States lifting its blockade on Iranian ports.
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Rio Tinto and Curtin University will help fund a five-year project to keep poisonous cane toads from reaching Western Australia’s Pilbara region. The A$28 million plan will restrict the toads’ access to water across a 7,500-square-kilometre area, aiming to protect native wildlife including the northern quoll, goanna and ghost bat.
Key Facts
Rio Tinto, Curtin University and other partners will spend A$28 million on the project.
The project is scheduled to begin in 2027 and run for five years.
The proposed containment zone covers 7,500 square kilometres between the Great Sandy Desert and the Indian Ocean.
The plan aims to prevent cane toads from reaching dams, storage tanks and other ground-level water sources.
Cane toads produce toxins that can kill native wildlife.
The Australian government says cane toads have moved west across northern Australia at about 40 to 60 kilometres per year.
Cane toads were introduced to Australia in 1935 to control beetles in the sugar cane industry.
Curtin University professor Ben Phillips said the toads could reach the Pilbara within two decades without intervention.
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Five Israeli opposition leaders agreed to recommend Gadi Eisenkot for prime minister and begin talks on replacing Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Their bloc lacks a majority on its own, and leaders remain divided over whether to seek support from Arab-led parties.
Key Facts
The five leaders met in Herzliya after an October 27 election that left no bloc with a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.
The opposition leaders said they would recommend Eisenkot, head of the Yashar party, to President Isaac Herzog.
The leaders said negotiating teams would begin drafting policy guidelines and coalition agreements.
The opposition bloc won 48 seats, Netanyahu’s bloc won 53, and Arab-led parties won 19; 61 seats are needed for a majority.
The Joint List won 11 seats and Ra’am won eight.
Eisenkot’s stated principles include recognizing Israel as a Jewish state and designating Hamas a terrorist group, conditions that could rule out some Arab-led parties.
Yair Golan supports working with Arab-led parties, while Avigdor Liberman opposes including them in a government.
Netanyahu called on Monday for a broad national government.
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Attacks on commercial ships and food-export infrastructure in the Black Sea are disrupting Ukraine’s grain trade and putting food supply routes at risk. Ukraine has shifted exports to the Danube, overland routes through the EU, and a maritime route near NATO coastlines, but the article says these routes have also faced attacks.
Key Facts
In October, drone attacks targeted at least nine commercial vessels off Romania and Bulgaria, according to the article.
Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea and Danube River.
Ukraine exports grain through the Danube, overland routes through EU countries, and a maritime corridor from the Odesa region.
Ambrey reported that attacks associated with the Danube corridor occurred at 3.7 times the monthly rate in July-September compared with the first half of 2026.
The Danube’s share of cargo handled at Ukrainian ports rose from about 10 percent in January-June to 74 percent in August 2026.
Grain and vegetable oil made up about 40 percent of Ukraine’s merchandise exports in the first half of 2026.
Ukraine’s agriculture minister estimates that closed ports would cost the country at least $8 billion from June 2026 to June 2027.
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Libya’s Tripoli-based Dar al-Ifta issued a fatwa against buying, selling or wearing clothing with the Nike logo. It said the logo is linked to the Greek goddess Nike and also accused the company of supporting Israel; the ruling is not a state ban and sets no penalties.
Key Facts
Libya’s Grand Mufti, Sadiq al-Gharyani, approved the religious ruling.
Dar al-Ifta said the Nike name and swoosh are linked to the Greek goddess of victory.
The institution said wearing the logo promotes symbols associated with polytheism.
The ruling repeated the committee’s call to boycott companies it considers supportive of Israel.
The fatwa does not establish a legally enforceable ban or specify penalties.
Nike has no official store in Libya, but local retailers sell Nike-branded products, including counterfeit goods.
Dar al-Ifta issued a similar ruling against Van Cleef & Arpels designs last year.
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A UK High Court judge rejected an anonymous claimant’s bid to prevent the Guardian and ITN from publishing allegations of inappropriate sexual activity, which the claimant denies. The judge said publication would substantially increase the claimant’s suicide risk but ruled that health services, rather than a publication ban, were responsible for protecting him; the claimant remains anonymous while he appeals.
Key Facts
The claimant is identified in court only as PPT.
PPT denies the allegations the Guardian and ITN may publish.
PPT argued that publication could lead him to attempt suicide and sought an injunction under rights protected by the European Convention on Human Rights.
Mr Justice Nicklin found that publication and its anticipation would substantially increase the claimant’s suicide risk.
The judge ruled that the hospital and mental health services had assumed responsibility for the claimant’s immediate safety.
PPT is detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 and receives inpatient care, which the judge said reduces but does not eliminate the risk of suicide.
The judge granted PPT permission to appeal, and his anonymity remains in place.
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CBS News reported that the U.S. struck Iran’s Qeshm Island, which officials described as a defensive action. The report featured retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Robert Murrett and noted that the strikes came as Americans prepared to vote in the midterm elections.
Key Facts
The U.S. struck Iran’s Qeshm Island, according to the report.
Officials described the strikes as defensive.
Retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Robert Murrett discussed the strikes in the CBS News segment.
The report linked the timing of the strikes to the U.S. midterm election day.
The segment was listed as about two minutes long.
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A jury at Southwark Crown Court has begun considering verdicts in Russell Brand’s trial on seven charges of rape and sexual assault-related offences. Brand has pleaded not guilty, and the judge told the jury that any verdict must be unanimous.
Key Facts
The charges include three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of attempted indecent assault.
The allegations involve six women and events said to have occurred between 1999 and 2009.
Brand told the court that his past sexual behaviour was consensual and denied committing any crime.
Prosecutors said the women described incidents in which Brand ignored their refusals and used force.
Brand’s barrister argued that the sexual encounters were lawful and said the publicity surrounding earlier allegations affected the case.
Brand’s wife, Laura, testified for the defence and described him as caring and kind.
The criminal allegations concern women different from those in a 2023 television and newspaper investigation.
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Reform UK councillor George Madgwick has been charged with 35 offences, including 12 counts of rape, the Crown Prosecution Service said. The allegations concern four people who were aged 16 or 17 at the time; Madgwick is due in court on 25 November and has been suspended from the party.
Key Facts
Madgwick, 37, leads Reform UK on Hampshire County Council.
The charges include 12 counts of rape, two of sexual assault, two of assault by penetration, and three offences involving indecent images of a child.
He has also been charged with making a threat to kill, false imprisonment and stalking.
Police said the alleged offences took place between 2008 and 2021 in Portsmouth and Wales.
Hampshire Police said they began investigating on 24 July last year after receiving a report of a sexual offence.
Police arrested a man in Wandsworth, south-west London, on 6 January.
Madgwick is due to appear at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on 25 November.
The CPS said the case is active and reminded the public that Madgwick has the right to a fair trial.
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Philippe Jaenada won France’s Prix Goncourt for L’Inconnue du quai de Javel, a true-crime book about the unsolved 1949 murder of Louise Cansot. The book revisits the investigation and presents a more sympathetic portrait of Cansot, whose reputation was damaged by police conclusions and press reports at the time.
Key Facts
The Académie Goncourt announced Jaenada as this year’s winner on Tuesday.
Cansot, a 29-year-old from Brittany, was found dead on 7 September 1949.
Police never identified Cansot’s killer.
Cansot worked as a life model for artists in Paris’s Montparnasse district.
The original police report described Cansot as a woman of “ill repute,” and newspaper reports speculated she was a sex worker or drug addict.
Jaenada’s 530-page book suggests a possible murderer and seeks to correct the earlier portrayal of Cansot.
The prize’s longlist had been overshadowed by allegations that a different book was almost entirely written by AI; its author denied the allegation.
Jaenada had previously been shortlisted for the Prix Goncourt four times.
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Palestine Action-inspired groups have spread from the United Kingdom to countries including Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Ireland, Spain and France. They use direct action against arms manufacturers and other sites they say support Israel’s military operations, while police in Italy and elsewhere have detained activists during protests.
Key Facts
In November 2023, protesters spray-painted Leonardo’s headquarters in Rome after a Palestine Action protest shut down the company’s Edinburgh factory.
Palestine Action is a proscribed group in the United Kingdom.
Groups using the Palestine Action name operate in several countries, including Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Ireland, Spain and France.
Palestine Action Canada activists raided and spray-painted a subsidiary of Israeli arms maker Elbit, the article says.
Palestine Action Italy has staged occupations at Leonardo facilities and runs direct-action training with other European groups.
Stop Arming Israel France targets French arms producers, while Global Sumud Flotilla Italy seeks to intercept ships carrying arms-related cargo.
Activists associated with Global Sumud Flotilla Italy used three small ships to intercept the Sundaid X, which they said carried military cargo.
Italian police detained activists over the interception, accusing them of disrupting public order.
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George Madgwick, leader of Reform UK's group on Hampshire County Council, has been charged with 35 offences involving four victims. The Crown Prosecution Service says the alleged offences took place between 2008 and 2021 in Portsmouth and Wales; Madgwick is due to appear at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court on 25 November.
Key Facts
The Crown Prosecution Service announced the charges on Tuesday.
Madgwick is 37 years old.
He faces 35 charges involving four victims.
The charges include rape, sexual assault, controlling or coercive behaviour, and making indecent images of a child.
The alleged offences took place between 2008 and 2021 in Portsmouth and Wales.
Madgwick leads the Reform UK group on Hampshire County Council.
He is due to appear at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court on 25 November.
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Four planes landed safely after bomb threats across Europe, including flights from Copenhagen, London, Manchester and Israel. Authorities reported no explosives on the flights that landed in Warsaw, Murcia and Modlin; the article did not give the results of checks on the flight that landed in Sofia.
Key Facts
Polish officials received threats involving two Warsaw-bound flights on Tuesday.
A Scandinavian Airlines flight from Copenhagen landed at Warsaw Chopin Airport, where a security check found no explosives.
A LOT flight from London Heathrow diverted to Warsaw Modlin Airport and landed without incident; authorities found no explosives.
Modlin Airport temporarily closed after the threat, then reopened and resumed normal operations.
A Ryanair flight from Manchester made an emergency landing in Murcia, Spain; a regional official said no explosives were found.
A flight from Israel landed in Sofia, Bulgaria, after a separate bomb threat.
The previous day, a Wizz Air flight from London Luton to Sofia diverted to Budapest after a threat received during the flight.
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French writer Philippe Jaenada won the 2026 Prix Goncourt, France’s prestigious literary prize. The award carries a symbolic prize of 10 euros but can bring the winner wider recognition and increased book sales.
Key Facts
The Prix Goncourt jury awarded the 2026 prize to Philippe Jaenada.
The jury announced its decision on Monday.
The jury made the decision at a Paris restaurant.
The prize’s cash award is 10 euros.
Winning the prize can boost an author’s recognition and book sales.
FRANCE 24 culture reporter Olivia Salazar-Winspear reported from the restaurant.
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Two helicopters carrying trekkers collided near Pheriche village, below Mount Everest base camp in Nepal. The crash killed a 47-year-old tourist from India and injured a passenger from New Zealand and a Nepali pilot, officials said.
Key Facts
The helicopters collided while trying to land at Pheriche, which sits 13,780 feet above sea level.
Officials said the injured New Zealand passenger was being taken to Kathmandu for treatment.
The Nepali pilot was treated locally.
Authorities did not know how many people were aboard the two helicopters.
Helicopters help evacuate sick or exhausted trekkers because there are no roads in the Everest area.
The trek from Lukla to Everest base camp can take up to two weeks; the base camp sits at 17,380 feet.
A hotel fire in nearby Dingboche on Oct. 30 caused no reported injuries or deaths.
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