Month: October 2025

• I love my home city, but it was hard to move back after experiencing the excitement of life abroad.
• To feel better, I made an effort to explore my hometown of Delhi the way I would a new place.
• I embraced a tourist attitude, fell in love with Delhi, and grew a new appreciation for home.

When I packed up my apartment in Dublin to move back to Delhi, I thought the hardest part would be saying goodbye to friends, the café that had become my go-to for breakfast, and my favorite museums.

Instead, the hardest part was arriving back home.

A year in Dublin wasn’t a lifetime, but it was long enough to change me. Although my experience wasn’t perfect, I got to study at my dream university and travel to places in Ireland I had only ever seen in movies.

Still, the housing crisis, high rent, and uncertain job market made staying feel impossible. So, in 2024, I headed back to the Indian city where I’d spent most of my childhood.

I expected Delhi to feel loud, comforting, familiar — basically, the way it always had. Instead, I felt disconnected from my surroundings. Part of this was because I couldn’t stop comparing it to Dublin.

Returning made me reflect on how Delhi had shaped me

Delhi has always been a part of me, even when I wasn’t living there. I spent most of my teenage years and early 20s in Mumbai and Bangalore, but I still visited Delhi often.

Finally, at 24, I moved back to Delhi for four years. It felt like home, but I rarely felt the same sense of excitement and awe that comes with living in a new place. By the time I left for Dublin at 28, I was excited to try somewhere new.

In Dublin, I walked everywhere, got lost on purpose, and discovered things I never would’ve noticed if I were rushing through. Every day felt like a mini adventure.

Living like that made me realize how much I craved novelty — and I wondered if maybe, my home city could surprise me if I learned to look at it differently.

So, I decided to try an experiment. I’d get to know Delhi the way I had once gotten to know Dublin: like a tourist.

Rediscovering Delhi’s historic sites revealed the city in an entirely new light

First up, I decided to revisit India Gate. As a kid, it had been the backdrop for school picnics, family outings, and those unhurried summer days.

I thought I might sit on the lawns and have a picnic, a habit I’d picked up again in Dublin. So much had changed since my childhood — the lawns were empty, picnics were no longer allowed, and a food court had taken their place.

Beneath those changes, though, India Gate carried the same warmth I remembered.

Still, I wandered through the monument, and when a photographer offered to take my picture, I couldn’t resist. It felt oddly fun to do something so touristy in my own city.

After India Gate, I headed to Lodhi Garden, a park I’ve always loved and one that also holds memories of some of my earliest dates with my boyfriend.

This time, a friend suggested I visit the garden during golden hour. I walked slowly, watching the light shift across the centuries-old tombs and stone arches, and the garden felt more beautiful than I’d ever remembered.

A hidden bookstore in Khan Market reminded me that there’s always more to discover

In Dublin, I made a point to explore every new-to-me corner of the city. If I happened to walk by a cute café, a bookstore, or a little shop, I went inside and let small discoveries unfold around me.

Because I was new to the city, I didn’t worry about schedules or routines — I just followed my curiosity, and loved how even tiny finds could feel exciting.

Meanwhile, in Delhi, there were many places I’d passed countless times and never visited. One of these was Faqir Chand and Sons, the city’s oldest bookstore, tucked inside the bustling Khan Market.

This time, I decided to go in. The walls were stacked with books in that charmingly chaotic way only old bookstores seem to manage, and walking in felt like discovering another layer of Delhi.

Exploring my home city like a tourist slowly made it feel like home again

My dream had been to stay longer in Dublin, so leaving wasn’t easy — but the harder part was learning to feel at home again in Delhi.

Slowly reconnecting with the city made the transition easier.

Delhi will always be my home, but having moved around so much, I know I’m not done exploring. I still dream of living in smaller cities, ones that mix my favorite parts of Dublin with the lively, slightly chaotic energy I’ve always known at home.

I learned that Delhi hadn’t changed much in the year I was away, but I had. Exploring the city with a new lens helped me find a version of it that was both fresh and home.

It taught me that every place holds surprises if you’re open to noticing them, and I’m excited to carry that curiosity into the next city I call home.

President Donald Trump on Monday took aim at Russia’s announcement that it has tested a nuclear-powered missile that can go more than 8,000 miles, telling President Vladimir Putin that he “ought to get the war ended” instead.

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When asked on Air Force One whether he saw the missile test as “saber-rattling,” Trump—who is currently visiting Japan—told reporters that the U.S. is in possession of the “greatest” nuclear submarine in the world, before going on to rebuke Putin.

“They know we have a nuclear submarine, the greatest in the world, right off their shore. So it doesn’t have to go 8,000 miles. They’re not playing games with us, we’re not playing games with them either,” Trump said. “We test missiles all the time… we don’t need to go 8,000 miles. And I don’t think it’s an appropriate thing for Putin to be saying, by the way.”

“You ought to get the war ended,” Trump said, seemingly addressing the Russian President directly. “The war that should have taken one week is now in its soon fourth year. That’s what you ought to do, instead of testing missiles.”

Trump was then asked his opinion on whether the E.U. should allow the use of Russian central bank’s frozen assets to fund Ukraine’s defense efforts.

Brushing off the question, Trump replied: “You’d have to ask the E.U. I’m not involved in that.”

European leaders met on Friday and agreed, for now, to hold off on using the frozen Russian assets. The issue is set to be discussed once more at the next meeting of the European Council in December.

Trump’s remarks come after Putin provided details of the missile testing, which was conducted on Oct. 21, during a visit to Russia’s Joint Force command post with Army Chief Valery Gerasimov on Sunday.

“This is indeed a unique weapon that no other country possesses,” said Putin in regard to the Burevestnik nuclear-powered missile, which he claims has an “unlimited” range. 

Chief Gerasimov said that the tests saw the missile in the air for 15 hours, travelling up to 14,000km (8700 miles), both of which he said were not the limits of Burevestnik’s capabilities.

“During the flight, the missile completed all prescribed vertical and horizontal manoeuvres, showcasing a high capability to evade missile-defence and air-defence systems,” said Gerasimov.

Yars and Sineva intercontinental ballistic missiles, and two Kh-102 air-launched cruise missiles, were also tested as part of Russia’s strategic nuclear force training, Gerasimov stated.

The Kremlin has since reportedly said that the missile tests should not affect relations between the U.S and Russia.

Read More: Trump and E.U. Impose New Sanctions on Russia: ‘Now Is the Time to Stop the Killing’

“There is nothing here that could or should further strain relations between Moscow and Washington, especially since they are already at a minimum,” spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday, according to Russian state news TASS.

The relationship between Washington, D.C., and Moscow appears to be increasingly strained, as the U.S. announced significant sanctions against Russia last week, targeting the country’s main two oil firms and their subsidiaries.

​​“I just felt it was time. We waited a long time. I thought that we’d go long before the Middle East,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Oct. 23.

“The actions increase pressure on Russia’s energy sector and degrade the Kremlin’s ability to raise revenue for its war machine and support its weakened economy,” added Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova referred to the sanctions as “counterproductive” and insisted Russia has “developed strong immunity to Western restrictions.”

On Monday morning, when asked if the U.S. might place further restrictions on Russia, Trump said: “You’ll find out.”

The European Union followed the U.S. sanctions last week with its own elevated package, the 19th of its kind, to impose measures against the energy, military, and financial sectors of Russia, as well as specific targets against those believed to be involved in the abduction of Ukrainian children.

Trump was set to meet with Putin in Budapest, Hungary, after an hours-long phone call with the Russian President on Oct. 16, but the sit-down has since been postponed, with no future date confirmed.

“It didn’t feel right to me, I didn’t feel like we were going to get to the place we have to get,” said Trump in the Oval Office on Oct. 23.

In August, Trump and Putin shared their first in-person meeting since 2019, joining forces for a high-stakes summit in Alaska. But they failed to reach a deal during the sit-down, which ended earlier than expected.

• Larry Page and Sergey Brin are the biggest wealth gainers this year after Oracle’s Larry Ellison.
• Alphabet’s cofounders have added over $50 billion to their respective fortunes in just three months.
• The “Google Guys” are worth a combined $439 billion — more than Costco or Bank of America.

The “Google Guys” have got their groove back.

Larry Page and Sergey Brin are the world’s second- and third-biggest wealth gainers this year as of Friday’s close, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index shows.

The Alphabet cofounders have respectively grown $58.5 billion and $53.8 billion richer in just under 10 months, outpacing Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s $52.5 billion gain and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s $47.4 billion gain. The pair only trail Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison’s $151 billion increase.

Page and Brin are now worth $227 billion and $212 billion each, ranking them fifth and sixth on Bloomberg’s rich list — not far behind Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in fourth with a $247 billion fortune.

They hold significant leads over the rest of the top 10: LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Huang, and PC pioneer Michael Dell have net worths between $150 billion and $200 billion.

Page and Brin are worth a combined $439 billion, a figure that rivals the $451 billion fortune of the planet’s richest person, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Their joint fortune also exceeds the market capitalizations of some of America’s biggest and best-known companies, including Costco at $413 billion and Bank of America at $385 billion.

Google‘s creators have seen a sharp upturn in their fortunes since the summer. In late July, Page and Brin had gained less than $5 billion each since the start of the year, putting their net worths at around $170 billion and $160 billion respectively.

They’ve both grown over $50 billion richer since then, thanks to Alphabet stock surging 35% in the past three months to record highs of above $260 a share. Page and Brin each own around 6% of the $3.1 trillion conglomerate, which counts Google, YouTube, Waymo, and DeepMind among its businesses.

Alphabet shares surged in September after a federal judge ruled in an antitrust case that Google wouldn’t have to sell its Chrome browser or Android operating system, removing a major overhang from the stock. Alphabet shares also jumped last week after the company struck a huge deal with Anthropic, assuaging fears it could become an also-ran in the AI race.

Buzzy partnerships, multibillion-dollar contracts, and forecasts of rapid growth have spurred investors to bet big on AI giants such as Oracle and Nvidia, driving up their stock prices and enriching their largest shareholders. Alphabet’s Page and Brin are the latest beneficiaries of the boom.

• Tesla chair Robyn Denholm has asked shareholders to approve Elon Musk’s $1 trillion pay package.
• Denhold warned in a letter that Musk could leave if he doesn’t get the package.
• Shareholders will vote next month on the proposal.

Tesla’s board is warning shareholders they risk losing Elon Musk as CEO if they don’t pass his $1 trillion pay package.

In a letter to shareholders sent on Monday, Tesla chair Robyn Denholm said that Musk could unlock the EV giant’s “full potential,” adding that failing to pass the compensation package could lead to Musk stepping away and Tesla losing “significant value.”

“The fundamental question for shareholders at this year’s Annual Meeting is simple: Do you want to retain Elon as Tesla’s CEO and motivate him to drive Tesla to become the leading provider of autonomous solutions and the most valuable company in the world?” wrote Denholm.

This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.