The leaders of the US Senate Armed Services Committee confirmed on Thursday that they had asked the Defense Department for an inquiry into Trump administration officials’ discussion of sensitive attack plans on the Signal messaging app, including recommendations to address any issues.
Türkiye said on Thursday it rejected “prejudiced” foreign statements over the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and the protests it triggered, following the detention of nearly 1,900 people since the nationwide demonstrations began eight days ago.
European leaders reaffirmed their long-term support for Ukraine during a summit in Paris on Thursday but appeared to make little progress on what role they might play in providing security guarantees if a peace deal is struck with Moscow.
US senators confirm call for formal probe of 'attack plan' on Signal chat
The leaders of the US Senate Armed Services Committee confirmed on Thursday that they had asked the Defense Department for an inquiry into Trump administration officials’ discussion of sensitive attack plans on the Signal messaging app, including recommendations to address any issues.
In a letter to Steven Stebbins, the acting inspector-general at the department, Republican Senator Roger Wicker, the panel’s chairperson, and Senator Jack Reed, its ranking Democrat, asked for an inquiry and assessment of the facts surrounding the Signal chat and department policies “and adherence to policies” about sharing sensitive information.
Stebbins’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Wicker had said on Wednesday he and Reed planned a letter, after critics said US troops could have died if the information in the chat had fallen into the wrong hands.
Wicker and Reed also asked for an assessment of Defense Department classification and declassification policies, and how the policies of the White House, Pentagon and intelligence and other agencies differed, if at all, as well as “An assessment of whether any individuals transferred classified information, including operational details, from classified systems to unclassified systems, and if so, how.”
After the review is finished, they said in the letter, dated Wednesday, that the Armed Services Committee would work with Stebbins to schedule a briefing.
Although no Republican member of Congress has called for any official to resign, a few members of Trump’s party have joined Democrats in expressing concern about the chat on Signal, an encrypted commercial messaging app, about the planned killing of a Houthi militant in Yemen on 15 March.
The chat included National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Vice-President JD Vance, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who did not know that Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of the Atlantic, was inadvertently included.
A wide range of Democrats have called for the resignations of Hegseth and others who participated in the chat.
As administration officials have discussed, and at times sought to downplay, the incident, they have focused on the question of whether any of the information was classified and which agency might have classified it.
They also have insisted it did not include “war plans”, although the messages listed the time of the planned attack and equipment — including aircraft — that would be involved.
“I am appalled by the egregious security breach from top administration officials,” said Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski on X.
Türkiye detains nearly 1,900 in protests over jailed mayor
Türkiye said on Thursday it rejected “prejudiced” foreign statements over the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and the protests it triggered, following the detention of nearly 1,900 people since the nationwide demonstrations began eight days ago.
After the arrest and subsequent release of seven local journalists covering the rallies, the BBC separately said that its correspondent, Mark Lowen, had been deported by authorities after being taken from his hotel in Istanbul, where he was covering the protests.
Lowen was told he was “being a threat to public order”, it added, raising concerns by rights groups over press freedoms.
Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdoğan’s biggest political rival who leads him in some polls, was jailed pending trial for graft on Sunday. His arrest prompted the largest anti-government protests in a decade and led to mass arrests across the country.
Imamoglu’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), other opposition parties, rights groups and Western powers have all said the case against the mayor — dismissed from his job due to the case — was a politicised effort to eliminate a potential electoral threat to Erdoğan.
The government denies any influence over the judiciary and says the courts are independent.
The CHP has called on Turks to continue protesting, saying it would organise rallies and gatherings at different locations in Istanbul and elsewhere. Erdoğan has dismissed the protests as a "show" and warned of legal consequences for protesters.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said 1,879 people had been detained since the protests erupted last Wednesday, adding that courts jailed 260 of them pending trial. He added that 489 were released and 662 others were still being processed, while 150 police officers were injured.
Rights groups called on Türkiye to probe what they termed excessive force by police in dispersing crowds and urged the government to allow the protests, which have been largely peaceful. Western leaders have said the case marked democratic backsliding.
Imamoglu’s 19 March detention came a day after a university annulled his diploma, required for eligibility in a presidential candidacy. It was also days ahead of his anointing as the CHP’s presidential candidate in the next election, following a months-long legal crackdown on the opposition, particularly Imamoglu.
Asked about the timing of Imamoglu’s arrest, Tunc said the judiciary only looked at criminal reports. The minister added that being an elected official did not mean impunity.
Elections are set for 2028, and if Erdoğan, who has dominated Turkish politics for more than two decades but reached his term limit, wishes to run again, parliament will either need to call for early elections, or he will need to change the constitution.
European leaders reaffirm support for Ukraine
European leaders reaffirmed their long-term support for Ukraine during a summit in Paris on Thursday but appeared to make little progress on what role they might play in providing security guarantees if a peace deal is struck with Moscow.
It was the third summit of what France and Britain have called the “coalition of the willing”, reflecting concern among Europeans that the US no longer represents a firm bulwark of support for Ukraine in its three-year-old fight against Russia.
US President Donald Trump, in office since 20 January, has said he wants to broker a swift end to the war. But a series of bilateral talks between the US and the warring sides has yet to yield a significant diminution of hostilities.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said leaders had agreed on the need for more support for Ukraine to ensure it was in the strongest possible position for any peace process, without elaborating. He also said he would like to see a peace deal developing “in days and weeks, not months”.
European efforts to create security arrangements for Ukraine have been shifting away from sending troops to other alternatives as they face political and logistical constraints, and the prospect of Russia and the US opposing their plans.
Even so, co-host French President Emmanuel Macron said several countries had agreed to pursue a Franco-British idea for what he called a “reassurance force” that would be deployed in the event of a peace deal to deter future Russian aggression.
“It was not unanimous today, as we all know, and we don’t need unanimity,” Macron told a press conference.
Military delegations will travel to Ukraine in the coming days to start work on how the contours of a strong Ukrainian army in the long term would look, he added.
There was broad agreement at the summit that it would be a strategic error to prematurely ease sanctions on Russia — a condition Moscow has made for a Black Sea ceasefire deal to take effect.
“There was absolute clarity that Russia is trying to delay, is playing games, and we have to be absolutely clear about that,” said Starmer after the meeting, standing alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
There was “complete clarity that now is not the time for lifting of sanctions, quite the contrary”, added Starmer.
Zelensky, who agreed earlier this month to proceed with ceasefire talks to ensure a resumption of US aid and intelligence sharing that were briefly suspended by Trump, said heavier sanctions on Russia were required.
France pledged €2-billion in new military aid to Ukraine ahead of the gathering of some 30 leaders.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused France and Britain on Thursday of hatching plans for “military intervention in Ukraine” under the guise of a peacekeeping mission, adding that such an intervention could lead to a direct military clash between Russia and Nato.
Highlighting different views among Ukraine’s partners, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani reiterated late on Wednesday his country’s opposition to any such force.
India denies entry to ship carrying Russian oil
Indian port authorities denied entry to an ageing tanker loaded with Russian crude on Thursday due to inadequate documentation, said sources familiar with the matter, an unusual move that indicates tightened scrutiny of vessels carrying Russian oil.
India is the biggest buyer of seaborne Russian crude. Russian oil accounted for about 35% of overall crude imports in 2024 by India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer and consumer.
The Tanzania-flagged Andaman Skies, carrying about 100,000 tonnes (or some 800,000 barrels) of Varandey Russian oil sold by Lukoil from the northern port of Murmansk, shipping data showed, was on course for the Vadinar Port for delivery to state refiner Indian Oil Corp before being turned away, said sources.
The sources declined to be named as they are not authorised to speak with the media.
Indian port entry rules require tankers that are more than 20 years old to have seaworthiness certification by a member of the International Association of Classification Societies or an entity authorised by India’s maritime administration.
Andaman Skies, which was built in 2004 and had previously visited India as recently as December, was carrying certification by Dakar Class, which is based in India but not recognised by Indian shipping authorities, said the sources.
Argentina targets $20bn IMF deal to bolster markets, FX
Argentina was targeting a $20-billion deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said Economy Minister Luis Caputo on Thursday, formally putting a figure on the long-mooted programme for the first time as he looked to calm local market jitters.
The South American grains-producing nation, which has been battling triple-digit inflation, depleted reserves and rising debt, has been in talks with the IMF for months, though neither side had previously put a number on the planned deal.
A new programme would be the country’s 23rd with the IMF if approved, and is seen helping bolster the central bank’s reserve levels, strengthening the government of libertarian Javier Milei and defusing debt repayment risks in the years ahead.
“What we are looking for with this agreement is that people can rest assured that the pesos that exist are backed by the central bank,” said Caputo. “That will make us have a healthier currency, with less inflation, with less poverty.”
He added that the “amount we agreed upon with [IMF] staff — which ultimately the board will decide if it’s approved or not — is $20-billion.”
Argentina’s markets have wobbled in the last week amid question marks over the IMF deal and fears over a potential faster devaluation of the peso currency, currently held in check by strict capital controls and a so-called crawling peg.
Argentina’s central bank has been forced to sell record amounts of dollars to support the peso over the last fortnight, a worry with net foreign currency reserves already at least $4-billion in the red.
The government says a new deal will bolster the central bank’s accounts and allow the country to start undoing years-old capital controls it says stymie business and investment.
Milei cut the peso’s value by more than half soon after taking office in late 2023 and rolled out strict austerity measures to counteract years of overspending.
On Thursday, he said that the timeline for undoing currency controls would depend on how fast the country received new IMF funds and signalled that there would probably be “no room” for a sharp devaluation in the wake of an eventual deal.
Argentina is the IMF’s largest borrower by far and is still paying back a $44-billion deal from 2022 that replaced a failed 2018 programme.
China’s economy tsar invites EU trade chief to jointly resist tariff threats
China was willing to work with the European Union (EU) to resist protectionism, the country’s economy tsar told the bloc’s trade chief, in an invitation to join forces in pushing back against mounting threats of trade tariffs from the US.
China was also willing to work with the EU to safeguard the global multilateral trading system, Vice-Premier He Lifeng told Maros Sefcovic, the European Commissioner for trade, as they met in Beijing, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.
Both China and the EU have seen their relations with the US sour over Trump’s tariff policies. Since taking office in January, Trump has imposed 20% additional tariffs on all Chinese imports.
On Wednesday, Trump said he would impose new tariffs on imported vehicles in a move that would batter European automakers, particularly German car producers, which count on the US for almost 25% of their auto exports.
“We have mutual interest in addressing our bilateral and global issues as well as our differences,” Sefcovic wrote in an X post about his meeting with He.
The EU should safeguard its interests and make the “rational choice” of turning further towards China, given the uncertainty generated by the new administration in the US, China’s state-run Global Times wrote in an editorial published late on Wednesday.
“As the uncertainty of US policy increases, China, as a major global power, is becoming increasingly prominent for its stability and reliability,” wrote the nationalist tabloid.
But the EU also has concerns about its economic ties with China, its second-largest trading partner, including EU complaints about a lack of reciprocal access to procurement opportunities, market access barriers and issues related to cross-border data transfers.
US Justice Department considers merging DEA, ATF
The US Justice Department is considering merging the lead agencies enforcing drug and gun laws in a major shakeup as it follows Trump’s instructions to sharply streamline the government, according to a memo seen by Reuters.
In addition to potentially merging the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), department leaders are considering eliminating field offices that handle antitrust, environmental and civil cases, according to the 25 March memo.
A possible merger of the ATF and DEA into a single agency would “achieve efficiencies in resources, case deconfliction and regulatory efforts”, says the memo.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche ordered department officials in the memo to provide feedback to the proposed restructuring by 2 April.
The campaign by Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk to shrink the federal government has so far targeted more than 100,000 jobs across all federal agencies.
Militants warn against helping Israel with Gaza protests
Palestinian militant groups threatened punishment on Thursday for “collaborators” furthering Israeli goals after the first substantial protests against the war in Gaza and Hamas’ rule.
Hundreds of Palestinians have rallied in recent days in north and central Gaza, some chanting “Hamas out”, in a rare show of opposition to the group whose October 2023 raid on Israel triggered a devastating offensive in the enclave.
A statement by the “Factions of the Resistance”, an umbrella group including Hamas, threatened punishment for leaders of the “suspicious movement”, which Palestinians took to mean the street marches.
“They persist in blaming the resistance and absolving the occupation, ignoring that the Zionist extermination machine operates nonstop,” it said.
“Therefore, these suspicious individuals are as responsible as the occupation for the bloodshed of our people and will be treated accordingly.”
Hamas officials have said people have the right to protest, but rallies should not be exploited for political ends or to exempt Israel from blame for decades of occupation, conflict and displacement in Palestinian territories.
Some protesters reached by Reuters said they took to the streets to voice rejection of continued war, adding that they were exhausted and lacked basics like food and water.
“We are not against the resistance. We are against war. Enough wars, we are tired,” a resident of Gaza City’s Shejaia neighbourhood, which saw protests on Wednesday, told Reuters.
“You can’t call people collaborators for speaking up against wars, for wanting to live without bombardment and hunger,” he added via a chat app.
More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli campaign in Gaza, say Palestinian officials.
It was launched after thousands of Hamas-led gunmen attacked communities in southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251 as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Much of the narrow coastal enclave has been reduced to rubble, leaving hundreds of thousands of people sheltering in tents or bombed-out buildings.
Egypt sees positive signals on Gaza ceasefire talks, say sources
Egypt, one of the mediators in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, had received positive indications from Israel over a new ceasefire proposal that would include a transitional phase, security sources told Reuters on Thursday.
The proposal suggests Hamas release five Israeli hostages each week, sources said.
A security delegation from Egypt had left for Qatar for talks, which would include increasing aid to the enclave and releasing remaining hostages, said state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV on Thursday.
Violence has escalated in Gaza since a January truce broke down on 18 March after two months of relative calm.
Asked about the latest proposal, a Palestinian official close to the mediation efforts said: “There are some offers that look better than the previous ones.”
When asked if he expected an announcement on a breakthrough on Thursday, he replied: “Maybe not yet.”
There was no immediate response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on the proposal, but a spokesperson said there was currently no Israeli delegation in Doha.
Israel and Hamas accused each other of breaching the truce, which had offered respite from war for the 2.3 million inhabitants of Gaza, which has been reduced to rubble.
Hamas, which still holds 59 of more than 250 hostages Israel says the group seized in its October 7, 2023 attack, accuses Israel of jeopardising efforts by mediators to negotiate a permanent deal to end the fighting.
Israel says it would be willing to extend the ceasefire temporarily if Hamas releases more hostages, but without moving yet to a second phase during which it would negotiate a permanent end to the war.
Israel also said it won’t accept Hamas’ presence in the enclave and added it wanted to extend the ceasefire’s temporary first phase, a proposal backed by US envoy Steve Witkoff.
Trump administration is pointing spy satellites at US border
The Trump administration has directed two intelligence agencies to train their satellite surveillance capabilities on the US-Mexico border region as part of a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration and drug cartels.
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which are part of the Department of Defense, oversee spy satellites and analyse imagery for the Pentagon and other intelligence organisations.
Their engagement, coupled with troop deployments, shows increasing militarisation of the southern border, where Trump has declared a national emergency.
Reuters could not determine whether the effort, which has not been previously reported, would gather imagery of US territory.
Asked by Reuters about their roles in border surveillance, the NGA said it had created a task force to coordinate its “support to the US border mission”, while the NRO said it was partnering with the intelligence community and Pentagon “to secure US borders”.
Their participation is in response to sweeping executive actions by Trump aimed at stopping unauthorised border trafficking and crossings, as well as deporting those in the US illegally — estimated to be up to 14 million people.
While the government has deployed artificial intelligence and drone surveillance at the border for years, the latest initiative seeks to expand the use of military capabilities generally built for conflict overseas.
Trump tariffs loom over Britain’s debt-laden economy
Trump emerged as one of the biggest threats hanging over the British economy on Wednesday, when the country’s fiscal watchdog said slow growth and a heavy debt burden made it especially vulnerable to his proposed tariffs.
Finance Minister Rachel Reeves delivered a politically unpopular cut to the welfare budget and other reductions in her spending plans, all to keep the economy on track for a key fiscal target that was designed to reassure investors after short-lived former prime minister Liz Truss’s market meltdown of 2022.
But the country’s independent fiscal watchdog said a global trade war could reduce economic output, while a rise in Bank of England interest rates and gilt yield expectations could wipe out her small headroom against that fiscal target.
“If you are going to have ‘iron-clad’ fiscal rules, then leaving yourself next to no headroom against them leaves you at the mercy of events,” said Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies think-tank.
Trump has said new reciprocal tariff rates will take effect on 2 April to punish countries that his administration deems to be blocking US exports.
Britain’s Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) watchdog said higher US import tariffs would dampen UK economic activity beyond any direct impact on the country’s exports.
The OBR said US tariffs on its trade partners in general could cut the size of Britain’s economy by as much as 1%.
UK climate protest group Just Stop Oil says it will stop direct action
British climate protest group Just Stop Oil, whose high-profile stunts have included throwing soup at a Van Gogh painting and disrupting sporting and theatre events, said on Thursday that it would end its campaign of direct action.
The group, which campaigns for Britain to end the extraction of oil and gas by 2030 and has become one of the country’s best-known protest organisations over the last few years, said it would be “hanging up the hi-vis” at the end of April.
In the last few months, its activists have poured liquid latex over a robot at a Tesla store, sprayed orange paint on a section of the US embassy building in London and painted over the grave of British naturalist Charles Darwin at London’s Westminster Abbey.
Previous stunts have included spraying paint on Stonehenge while two protesters were jailed for throwing tomato soup on Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” paintings in London’s National Gallery.
Many of its activists have been given long jail terms for their protests, and critics have derided their actions, saying the disruptions were pointless and just inconvenienced ordinary people.
“"So it is the end of soup on Van Goghs, cornstarch on Stonehenge and slow marching in the streets,” said" Just Stop Oil.
“As corporations and billionaires corrupt political systems across the world, we need a different approach,” it said, vowing it would hold a final protest outside parliament on 26 April.
The group said the decision came because the Labour Party, which came to power in Britain last year, had made ending new gas and oil projects a government policy.
However, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer rejected that suggestion.
The spokesperson said the group had created “a significant amount of disruption and public nuisance”, including spoiling a few oil paintings, but the government planned to continue using oil and gas in the coming decades.
Man stabs five people near central Amsterdam square
A man stabbed five people and was arrested near Amsterdam’s central Dam square on Thursday, said Dutch police.
“The suspect was overpowered with the help of a citizen. As his leg was injured, he was taken to a hospital,” said the police in a post on X. The motive of the assailant was unclear and under investigation, they added. DM