Most Recent

The Acting Inspector General (IG) of the US Department of Defence (Pentagon) will investigate Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth’s use of Signal in a group chat with other national security officials to discuss military actions against the Houthis in Yemen last month, according to a letter from the IG’s office on Thursday, CNN reported.

In a letter to Hegseth, Acting Inspector General Steven Stebbins notified him of an upcoming evaluation following a request from the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Stebbins said that the evaluation is in response to recent public reports regarding Hegseth’s use of an “unclassified commercial messaging application” to discuss military actions in Yemen in March.

“The purpose of this memorandum is to notify you that we are initiating the subject evaluation. We are conducting this evaluation in response to a March 26, 2025, letter I received from the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, requesting that I conduct an inquiry into recent public reporting on the Secretary of Defense’s use of an unclassified commercially available messaging application to discuss information pertaining to military actions in Yemen in March 2025,” the letter stated.

The letter further stated, “The objective of this evaluation is to determine the extent to which the Secretary of Defense and other DoD personnel complied with DoD policies and procedures for the use of a commercial messaging application for official business. Additionally, we will review compliance with classification and records retention requirements.”

Notably, a leaked Signal chat had revealed that senior Trump administration officials, including Hegseth, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe, shared details about an upcoming military strike on Yemen, The Atlantic reported.

The messages, inadvertently sent to The Atlantic’s editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, have raised serious concerns over operational security.

The administration downplayed the incident, with officials insisting that no classified information was shared. At a Senate hearing, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated that the messages contained no classified material. President Donald Trump echoed this claim, dismissing concerns over the security breach.

The chat, named “Houthi PC small group,” contained specific details about attack timing and logistics. A message from Hegseth at 11:44 a.m. Eastern Time on March 15 provided a real-time update on mission status, stating that weather conditions were favourable and confirming with Central Command (CENTCOM) that the operation was proceeding. He then detailed launch times for F-18 fighter jets and MQ-9 drones, along with a timeline of expected strikes. According to the message, the first bombs were set to drop at 2:15 p.m. Eastern Time.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

KOLKATA: Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee refused to accept SC’s ruling Thursday that upheld the cancellation of over 25,000 teaching and non-teaching jobs due to fraud in the state’s school recruitment process. She said transferring the affected staff would have been a more just solution.
“I have a question here. If the only consequence after crores are recovered from a judge’s house is a transfer, they could have just transferred these 25,000 brothers and sisters as well,” she said, referring to a recent controversy.
“We have no complaint against any judge. But, as a citizen, I have every right to say – with respect to the judiciary – that I cannot accept the judgment,” Banerjee said. “We cannot criticise a judge, but we can express our views on humanitarian grounds.”
She accused BJP and CPM of trying to destabilise Bengal’s education system and questioned why other recruitment scandals, such as MP’s Vyapam scam, had not faced similar consequences. “Over 11,000 of these teachers were teaching students of classes IX and X and 5,596 of them were teaching classes XI and XII… Many have been checking Madhyamik and higher secondary answer scripts,” Banerjee said. “Who will now teach these kids? Is BJP-CPM trying to trigger a collapse of the state’s education system?”
SC upheld an earlier Calcutta HC order cancelling the appointments made by state’s School Service Commission between 2016 and 2021, citing irregularities in the hiring process. The “bribe-for-jobs” controversy had led to the 2022 arrest of former state education minister Partha Chatterjee, who was charged by ED with money laundering. Authorities seized more than Rs 49 crore in cash from two flats of Chatterjee’s aide, actor-producer Arpita Mukherjee.
“The former education minister has been in jail for years. How many times must there be punishment for same crime? How many people will be punished for a single person’s crime?” Banerjee said.
She also took aim at former Calcutta HC judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who had ruled against the recruitment process in 2022 before resigning to join BJP and winning the Tamluk seat. “Calcutta HC verdict was first given by (someone who is now) a BJP MP. It is some Ganguly, Danguly, I do not know his name,” she said.
The CM announced plans to meet affected teachers to explore legal options. She sought to reassure them, urging patience & vowing state support.
Banerjee said Bengal would implement SC’s ruling and complete fresh recruitment within three months, as directed. However, she stressed that those removed from their positions would not be required to return salaries.

The Pasmandas, which constitute 73% of the total Muslim population of Bihar, will get representation in the Waqf Board for the first time once the law comes into force, JD(U) member Sanjay Kumar Jha said.

During a discussion on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, in the Rajya Sabha, Jha said canards were being spread in the Muslim community about their mosques, Eidgahs, and burial grounds coming under threat due to the Bill. However, the discussion has cleared the air, he added.

He said most disputes related to the Bill are over selling land and self-consumption of 90 per cent of the rent.

“They (Pasmandas) feel that once this law is implemented, work will be done for poor Muslims in the true sense,” Jha said He said Bihar is the only state that has carried out a caste census and highlighted that 73 per cent of the total Muslim population in Bihar is Pasmanda.

“We have scientific data. There are people from the Raeen community, Ansari community, and Mansuri community… to date, they have not been given representation in Waqf. This is the first time that they will get their representatives in the Waqf Board,” Jha said.

Image credit: Red Bull Racing/Twitter

Max Verstappen has once again opened up about the difficulties he and Red Bull are facing with their car at present. The reigning world champion discussed the “main issue” Red Bull is dealing with amid the driver swap. While Liam Lawson has been sent back to the junior team after struggling to deliver results in the first two races of the season, Yuki Tsunoda has been brought in from the sister team as a replacement at Red Bull.

Max Verstappen on Red Bull F1 car

Max Verstappen mentioned that the RB21 is “a bit more unstable in different corner phases.” Blaming the car and not the driver, he told Motorsport.com, “I think our main issue is that our car is not where we want it to be. Everyone knows that within the team as well, and that’s what I focus on, to be honest. As soon as the car becomes more competitive and more drivable in general, I think even the second car will perform better naturally.”

Max Verstappen on Liam Lawson’s replacement with Yuki Tsunoda

Max Verstappen seems unhappy about Liam Lawson being replaced by Yuki Tsunoda. Commenting on Lawson’s exit from the team, he said, “Liam did around 11 races, but over a different period of time. I think for rookies, the beginning of the season is very tough because most of these tracks are new to them, or they’ve only experienced a sprint weekend. So all these factors don’t help.”
On the other hand, Verstappen hasn’t been particularly warm towards his new teammate. The two have hardly had a proper meeting. Even Tsunoda has mentioned that he doesn’t expect Verstappen to offer any specific insights about the car. Speaking about his new teammate, Verstappen said, as reported by RacingNews365.com, “At the end of the day, it’s not really up to me. He has to figure it out for himself because my experience might not be his experience.”

Max Verstappen can win in Japan

Max Verstappen has yet to secure a win this season. He finished in second place at the Australian Grand Prix, earning 18 points. Yuki Tsunoda finished in 12th and earned no points. At the Chinese Grand Prix, Verstappen came fourth with 12 points, while both Lawson and Tsunoda failed to score.
Also Read: Yuki Tsunoda says Max Verstappen won’t tell him “the truth” about Red Bull car, bids farewell to Racing Bulls in heartfelt note
However, Verstappen has a strong chance of securing his first win of the season at the Suzuka Circuit. He has won the race for the last three years, and no one has been able to beat him at Suzuka during this period.

Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal has apparently had a change of heart about the Waqf Amendment Bill. After categorically saying it was against the bill ahead of its presentation in the Lok Sabha, the party, shortly before the voting in the Upper House, has tweaked its stand.

In a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, senior party leader Sasmit Patra announced that there would be no party whip this time. 

“The Biju Janata Dal has always upheld the principles of secularism and inclusivity, ensuring the rights of all communities. We deeply respect the diverse sentiments expressed by different sections of the Minority communities regarding the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024,” his post read.

“Our Party, having taken these views into careful consideration, has entrusted our Hon’ble Members in the Rajya Sabha with the responsibility of exercising their conscience in the best interest of justice, harmony and the rights of all communities, should the Bill come up for voting. There is no Party Whip,” he added.

The Biju Janata Dal has always upheld the principles of secularism and inclusivity, ensuring the rights of all communities. We deeply respect the diverse sentiments expressed by different sections of the Minority communities regarding the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. Our Party,…

— ଡ଼ଃ ସସ୍ମିତ ପାତ୍ର I Dr. Sasmit Patra (@sasmitpatra) April 3, 2025

This is the first instance of a non-aligned party breaking ranks with the parties opposed to the bill. Tamil Nadu’s opposition AIADMK and YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s YSR Congress are so far standing firm.

But even including them, the government has an edge in terms of numbers in the Rajya Sabha.  Of the current strength of 245 MPs, the NDA has 125 – five more than the other side. 

Opening the gates for “voting on conscience” can only add to the government’s strength. The BJD has seven members in the Rajya Sabha. 

The BJD has always maintained what it called “equal distance” from the BJP and the Congress, but was known for providing “issue-based support” to the BJP in case of contentious bills in parliament. 

The situation, though, changed after last year’s general and state elections. 

Mr Patnaik’s party, which had been ruling the state for three decades was decimated in the hands of the BJP and failed to win any seat in the Lok Sabha. The BJP won 20 of 21 Lok Sabha seats and 78 of 147 assembly seats in Odisha.

Shortly after, Mr Patnaik made it clear that the BJP can no longer count on their support in parliament. 

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address during the inaugural session of parliament after the election, the BJD’s nine MPs joined the Opposition walkout over his remarks on Congress’s Sonia Gandhi. 

The party also tweaked its stand on the “One Nation One Election” – which it once supported – called for the “fine print” of the proposal of the Kovind Committee adopted by the Union cabinet and suggested that the matter not be rushed like the farm laws.

Donald Trump and Laura Loomer (R)

The White House has dismissed at least three National Security Council (NSC) staffers after a meeting between President Donald Trump and far-right activist Laura Loomer, CNN reported.
Loomer, who has previously promoted conspiracy theories, urged Trump to remove several NSC members, including principal deputy national security advisor Alex Wong, alleging they were disloyal. One source told CNN the firings were “a direct result of the meeting with Loomer.”
The three dismissed officials are Brian Walsh, director for intelligence and a former top aide to Secretary of State Marco Rubio; Thomas Boodry, senior director for legislative affairs and a former staffer for National Security Adviser Michael Waltz; and David Feith, senior director for technology and national security, who served in Trump’s first administration.
“NSC doesn’t comment on personnel matters,” NSC spokesman Brian Hughes said in a statement.
It remains unclear if Wong was among those dismissed. One source speculated that Waltz may have been hesitant to fire him, given his involvement in the controversy over leaked Signal messages related to US military strikes in Yemen.
Loomer has publicly questioned Wong’s loyalty, labelling him a “Never Trumper.” Following her Oval Office meeting, she declined to share details, saying, “Out of respect for President Trump and the privacy of the Oval Office, I’m going to decline on divulging any details about my Oval Office meeting with President Trump. It was an honor to meet with President Trump and present him with my findings.” She added that she would “continue working hard to support his agenda” and push for “strong vetting” to protect national security.
The meeting, first reported by The New York Times, took place while Trump was preparing to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden. White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and presidential personnel head Sergio Gor were present, signalling it was a sanctioned discussion.
Gor, a close Trump aide, has been fielding concerns from MAGA allies about Waltz, adding to speculation about the motives behind the personnel shake-up.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday announced that a statue of German philosopher and socialist leader Karl Marx will be installed in Chennai – a city that has served as a hub for the labour movement for over a century.

Making a suo motu announcement under Rule 110 in the Assembly, MK Stalin said: “The Dravidian model government wishes to honour and pay tribute to the great global leader Karl Marx – a visionary thinker and revolutionary who formulated the philosophy of communism and gave the call: ‘Workers of the world, unite!'”

The announcement comes against the backdrop of the ongoing 24th National Congress of the Communist Party of India-Marxist in the state’s Madurai, which MK Stalin is scheduled to attend.

MK Stalin hailed Karl Marx as one of the most influential thinkers in world history, whose ideas laid the foundation for numerous revolutions and societal changes across the globe.

“At a time when no one wrote about India, it was Karl Marx who accurately analysed and documented the realities of the country,” he said.

The Chief Minister also recalled that in 1931, social reformer Periyar (E.V. Ramasamy) translated and published “The Communist Manifesto”, authored by Marx and Friedrich Engels, into Tamil.

The announcement was widely welcomed by several political parties.

CPI-M state Secretary P. Shanmugam revealed that the party’s executive committee had formally requested the installation of a Marx statue and thanked MK Stalin for fulfilling their request. Dravidar Kazhagam President K. Veeramani described the decision as a “significant achievement of the Dravidian model government”. CPI State Secretary R. Mutharasan said the government’s move would be remembered as a landmark in history. PMK founder Dr. S. Ramadoss called it a fitting tribute to Marx, “a comrade of labourers” and one of the world’s most respected leaders.

In the same announcement, Stalin also revealed that the state government would construct a memorial building for the late All India Forward Bloc leader P.K. Mookiah Thevar at Usilampatti in Madurai district.

The Chief Minister praised Mookiah Thevar for his early entry into politics and his close association with Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar. MK Stalin recounted that Thevar was elected from the Periyakulam Assembly seat in 1952 and continued to win elections from the Usilampatti constituency in 1957, 1962, 1967, 1971, and 1977. In 1971, he also won the Ramanathapuram Lok Sabha seat. MK Stalin highlighted Thevar’s role during the 1967 political transition in Tamil Nadu, where he served as the pro-tem Speaker and administered the oath to newly elected MLAs. He also lauded Thevar’s efforts in establishing educational institutions for the Thevar community, which resulted in government colleges being set up in Kamuthi, Usilampatti, and Melaneelithanallur during the DMK regime.

Mookiah Thevar’s strong opposition in Parliament to the Katchatheevu agreement was also remembered by MK Stalin. All parties in the Assembly, including the principal opposition AIADMK, welcomed the Chief Minister’s announcements.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

It was a sight to behold when K. Annamalai, the Tamil Nadu president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), flogged himself with a rope in Coimbatore last December. The self-flagellation was an act of protest—prompted by the sexual assault of a student at Anna University—even if it left people wondering whether Annamalai was trying to catch the attention of his national leadership. For, he had let the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) down, failing to win a single seat from the state in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls even after mounting a high-decibel campaign.

Whatever the motive behind Annamalai’s act of ‘penance’, it grabbed enough eyeballs, given as it came after his three-month absence from the state owing to a fellowship he was pursuing in the UK. It was rumoured that the central leadership of the BJP was disappointed with zero returns in the Lok Sabha polls, especially after Prime Minister Modi made as many as seven visits to Tamil Nadu in the run-up to the elections.

Lost Opportunities

True, the BJP did make incremental gains in the state last year, with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) cumulatively registering 18.28% votes. But a post-poll analysis showed that an alliance with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) could have fetched the combine as many as 13 out of the 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The break also brought about a crucial change in Annamalai’s attitude towards its once-ally AIADMK, the primary opposition party that he had relentlessly attacked in the past.

A visibly transformed Annamalai has of late been training his guns on the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), along with the fledgling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), floated by superstar Vijay. During Annamalai’s sabbatical, the TVK held its first political conference in Villupuram. More importantly, Udhayanidhi Stalin was made the deputy chief minister during his absence too. 

In fact, Tamil Nadu’s political firmament underwent so much change that it may not be wrong to argue that Annamalai’s novelty may have worn off.

Hints Of Rapprochement?

There is an apparent political realignment on the cards in Tamil Nadu, with the BJP likely to resume its partnership with the AIADMK in the run-up to the assembly polls in 2026. Just last week, AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) visited Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. Whereas EPS tried to play down the meeting, Shah acknowledged that talks for a formal alliance were indeed on. 
For both the AIADMK and the BJP, an alliance is necessary to stand a fighting chance in 2026.

Moreover, it should be remembered that in the previous assembly polls in 2021, the NDA led by the AIADMK had polled only 4.5% fewer votes than the DMK front despite two-term anti-incumbency and the passing of the talismanic J. Jayalalitha. Since then, the AIADMK has expelled rebels led by former chief minister O. Pannerselvam (OPS), but it still very much remains a force to reckon with in Tamil Nadu, both on account of its organisational heft and the ‘Two leaves’ election symbol.

To be sure, the BJP has grown stronger in the interim, with a markedly improved showing in the Lok Sabha election, although the saffron party would find it tough to replicate that success in a state election. As for the AIADMK, which is undergoing an existential crisis, going back to the BJP wasn’t a straightforward choice either. According to some reports, the Dravidian party was apparently exploring an alliance with Vijay’s TVK, though the talks fell through.

A New Kid On The Block

Vijay’s TVK was unveiled in February 2024, but it did not contest the Lok Sabha polls that followed a few months later. Now, with Vijay all set to wrap up his last film—his sixty-ninth—the superstar has given up on a lucrative acting career, while still in his prime, and turned to politics. It would indeed be far-fetched to assume that Vijay could replicate the success of matinee idol MG Ramachandran, but even so, he is the strongest lateral entrant to have come from Kollywood in recent years.

Unlike Vijaykanth in 2006 or Kamal Haasan in 2021—not to forget Rajnikanth’s political plunge that was not to be—Vijay seems to have a more methodical approach to his political debut. Whether the Vijay Makkal Iyakkam—the fan association that the actor converted into a social outfit in 2009, before metamorphosing into the TVK—could shape-shift into an out-and-out political party is a moot question. The actor had even said that he was willing to do business with other political parties and form a coalition under his leadership.

In fact, the AIADMK’s talks with the TVK fell apart solely over this issue—of projecting Vijay as the chief ministerial candidate in 2026. For a party that has ruled the state for over three decades, playing second fiddle to a new kid on the block wasn’t exactly proper. 

A Difficult Friendship

An alliance between the AIADMK and the BJP isn’t an easy thing to achieve, even with Annamalai finally taming his aggression. Moreover, the ruling DMK has been playing up emotive issues such as the Centre’s three-language policy and the pending delimitation exercise in an effort to combat anti-incumbency. The AIADMK broadly subscribes to the same political ideology as the DMK, and thus, it cannot really afford to take a position completely at variance on these issues.

This is why an AIADMK-BJP alliance, if it does come to fruition, will have to be justified as a pragmatic political formation, one that focuses on more typical issues such as law-and-order and corruption. In any case, EPS is not keen to deal with Annamalai in an alliance, and it is assumed that the BJP would indulge the AIADMK at least on that count. Here’s how…

Caste Equations

Historically, both the Gounder and the Thevar communities in Tamil Nadu have aligned with the AIADMK. Jayalalitha’s former aide, VK Sasikala, as well as former chief minister O. Palaniswami—now estranged from the AIADMK—hail from the Thevar community. It is expected that the BJP will promote a Thevar leader such as Nagendran, now the leader of the party in the state legislative assembly, to replace Annamalai (Nagendran’s base lies in the southern district of Tirunelveli). Of course, this would be rationalised as a move necessitated by social engineering, with both EPS and Annamalai hailing from the Gounder community.

Conversely, the BJP may push to get AIADMK rebels back into the NDA fold if the effort to unite the splinter factions with the mothership comes to naught. The saffron party will also try to build a grand NDA coalition beyond the AIADMK and the Vanniar outfit, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK). As things stand, an alliance of the AIADMK and the BJP would dominate the DMK in western Tamil Nadu or the Kongu belt, where the Congress once had the upper hand. 

But, this wouldn’t suffice. The alliance would have to shore up its base in southern and northern Tamil Nadu to combat the DMK and the TVK. There is a fourth player too: the Tamil Nationalist Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), led by actor Seeman.

Ideological Tightrope

For the alliance to stand any chance at winning, the BJP will have to wait until the 2026 election before it takes up the issue of delimitation. 

The DMK, meanwhile, is expected to double down on the ‘Hindi imposition’ plank as well, but how much it will resonate remains to be seen. The ruling party is hoping that its welfare schemes for women—the free bus rides and monthly monetary allowance of Rs 1000—as well as its pitch for Tamil pride will see it through. 

Be that as it may, there are some crucial chinks in the DMK’s arsenal, which a formidable alliance can tap into if it acts effectively. There is visible anti-government sentiment among the state’s urban middle class over a hike in power tariff and property taxes. Moreover, the roughly two million state government employees and pensioners are also miffed with the ruling government for not honouring its manifesto promise of hiking salaries and reverting to the old pension scheme.

If the AIADMK-BJP combine can mount a foolproof campaign anchored on bread-and-butter issues, victory may not be so unimaginable after all in Tamil Nadu.

(Anand Kochukudy is a senior journalist and columnist)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author