Elon Musk thinks he is Buddha, and his Department of Government Efficiency is Buddhism that can function and expand without the founder — as Elon Musk is minimizing his involvement with it and going back to his main business. Musk was asked who would lead the DOGE when he leaves the role. “Is Buddha needed for Buddhism?” Musk said.
“Was it not stronger after he passed away?” he said, as reported by the Washington Post.

Why is Elon Musk leaving DOGE?

As a special government employee, Elon Musk who is not a member of Donald Trump’s cabinet, his government stint can’t extend beyond 180 days and so his term would come to an end in May. This means he will be less involved in DOGE matters and more in Tesla, X, Starlink and all his other businesses. This came immediately after Tesla witnessed a massive protest in which Tesla vehicles were set on fire by protesters who opposed Musk’s involvement in the government.
Several Democratic leaders claimed Donald Trump was distancing himself from Elon Musk, and that’s why he is sending him away. But Trump maintained in public that he would want Elon Musk as long as possible. And even after Elon Musk steps away from DOGE, he will continue advising the president and the vice president.
“I’m willing to contribute on average, one to two days a week, which, you know, probably means coming to DC every other week for three days, type of thing. As indefinitely, as long as the president wants me to do it,” Musk said adding that his future involvement would be at the discretion of the president.
“Obviously, if the president or the Cabinet has an emergency that they want me to respond to then, I’ll do that. But otherwise, it’s just, I think it’s pretty manageable with one to two days on average,” Musk said. “Everybody’s not leaving,” he said. “No, some will stay on, some will not. So, it’s up to them. This is basically a volunteer organization.” “DOGE is kind of a way of life … we make converts all the time,” Musk said.

But what’s happening at Tesla?

While Elon Musk will be dedicating more time to Tesla, a Wall Street Journal report claimed that the company’s board is already looking for a potential successor. The report said Tesla is reeling under a crisis phase and the board members reached out to executive search firms about a month ago. Elon Musk said the article was “deliberately false” and an “extremely bad breach of ethics”.

NEW DELHI: The Indian Army and Air Force variants of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv have been cleared for operations following a detailed investigation into recent safety concerns, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) said in a statement on Wednesday.
The clearance comes after recommendations made by a Defect Investigation (DI) Committee, with a time-bound plan for phased resumption of operations already in place in coordination with the services.
This announcement follows weeks of grounding of over 330 ALH Dhruvs after a crash in Porbandar on January 5, which significantly impacted operational readiness across the armed forces. The incident prompted scrutiny of the indigenous 5.5-tonne helicopter, designed and manufactured by HAL.
Earlier this month, on April 11, HAL issued a sharply worded rebuttal to criticism from sections of the military, retired officers, defence commentators, and analysts, accusing them of pushing “malicious” and “speculative” narratives. “These stories are written without offering HAL’s perspective, and arguments are one-sided and biased,” the public sector aerospace major had said.
Defending the integrity of its platforms and its collaboration with the armed forces, HAL added, “HAL would like to reiterate it is working with all its customers including the IAF and is confident of handling the critical issues that are innate to the defence aeronautics and complex flying platforms.”
The backlash against HAL came not only from media circles but also from former military personnel. Among them was retired naval aviator and test pilot Commander K P Sanjeev Kumar, who called for greater transparency in addressing flight safety concerns. “The interests of your stakeholders are best served if you welcome criticism, work with greater transparency, stop shooting messengers and hallucinating about malafide intent. Your worst critic is not your enemy; just as a sycophant is not your best friend,” he said.
HAL has also been under pressure over delays in the production of the indigenous Tejas Mark-1A fighter jets, further intensifying scrutiny over the PSU’s performance in delivering critical defence platforms on schedule.

NEW DELHI: Union defence minister Rajnath Singh conducted discussions with US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, on Thursday, as confirmed by defence ministry officials.
The defence ministry later made a statement on X, confirming the meeting. The US Secretary of Defence @PeteHegseth
spoke to Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh earlier today and expressed his deepest sympathies for the tragic loss of innocent civilians in the dastardly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir. Secretary Hegseth said that the US stands in solidarity with India and supports India’s right to defend itself. He reiterated the strong support of the US government in India’s fight against terrorism,” said the ministry.
“During the conversation, RM told the @SecDef that Pakistan has a history of supporting, training and funding terrorist organisations. He further said that it is important for the global community to explicitly and unequivocally condemn and call out such heinous acts of terrorism,” it further added.
The dialogue occurred amid escalating tensions with Pakistan following the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in 26 casualties.
This comes after India’s and Pakistan’s directors general of military operations engaged in hotline communications on Tuesday regarding Pakistan’s unprovoked ceasefire breaches. Defence sources, quoted by ANI reported on Wednesday that India cautioned Pakistan about these violations along the Line of Control (LOC) and International Border.
The Indian Army provided an effective response to Pakistan Army’s unprovoked small arms fire across the Line of Control (LoC) during April 27-28 in regions opposite Kupwara and Poonch districts in Jammu and Kashmir (J-K), according to officials.
On Wednesday, external affairs minister S Jaishankar also conversed with US counterpart Marco Rubio, addressing the terrorist attack.
Jaishankar emphasised the necessity for justice saying, “Discussed the Pahalgam terrorist attack with US @SecRubio yesterday. Its perpetrators, backers and planners must be brought to justice.”
Rubio reaffirmed US commitment to anti-terrorism cooperation with India. US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated that Rubio expressed condolences for lives lost in the “horrific terrorist attack” in Pahalgam, whilst encouraging Indo-Pakistan dialogue to reduce tensions.
The bilateral discussions occurred as Pakistani ceasefire violations increased along the LoC following the April 22 Pahalgam attack. India has implemented several measures against Pakistan, including suspending the Indus Water Treaty, closing the Attari Integrated Check Post, and reducing High Commission staff numbers.
On April 29, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, CDS Gen. Anil Chauhan, service chiefs, and NSA Ajit Doval.
This followed a Cabinet Committee on Security meeting on April 23 post-Pahalgam attack. Reports revealed PM Modi granting Indian Armed Forces full operational autonomy regarding response methods, targets, and timing. The Tuesday meeting included Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, and Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh.

NEW DELHI: India’s star batter Virat Kohli marked his wife Anushka Sharma’s birthday with a heartfelt message and a warm photograph shared on social media. In the picture, Virat is seen wearing a light beige shirt with matching shorts, round glasses, a smartwatch, and his trademark beard, with tattoos visible on his left arm. Anushka complements him in a sleeveless white top and matching white shorts. The couple is seen smiling warmly at the camera.
“To my best friend, my life partner, my safe space, my best half, my everything. You’re the guiding light of all of our lives. We love you so much more everyday. Happy birthday my love @anushkasharma,” Virat wrote.
Anushka and Virat tied the knot in 2017 in a private ceremony in Tuscany, Italy, attended by close friends and family.
The couple welcomed their daughter, Vamika, in 2021, followed by the birth of their son, Akaay, in 2024.
Meanwhile, the couple is reportedly planning to relocate to London.
Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit’s husband, Sriram Nene, spoke about the move during a conversation with YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia. He noted the challenges the couple faces while raising children under constant public attention in India.

“They were thinking about moving to London because they can’t enjoy their success (here). Anything they do attracts attention. We almost become isolated,” Nene said during the podcast.
He added, “Anushka and Virat are lovely people who just want to raise their kids normally.”
On the work front, Anushka was last seen in the 2018 film Zero. She will return to the screen with Chakda Xpress, a biopic based on the life of former India cricketer Jhulan Goswami.

GST collections hit record high! The Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue reached a record-breaking Rs 2.37 lakh crore in April, showing a 12.6 per cent year-on-year increase, according to official government statistics released on Thursday.This surpassed the previous second-highest collection of Rs 2.10 lakh crore recorded in April 2024, since the implementation of the indirect tax system on July 1, 2017. The collection in March 2025 stood at Rs 1.96 lakh crore.
The GST earnings from domestic transactions increased by 10.7 per cent, amounting to approximately Rs 1.9 lakh crore, whilst revenue from imported goods witnessed a 20.8 per cent growth, reaching Rs 46,913 crore.
The government issued refunds worth Rs 27,341 crore in April, marking a 48.3 per cent increase.
The net GST collection, after accounting for refunds, demonstrated a 9.1 per cent growth, totalling more than Rs 2.09 lakh crore in April.
Commenting on the record collections, Abhishek Jain, Indirect Tax Head & Partner, KPMG said, “The all-time high GST collections are a strong indicator of robust economic activity. While this reflects ongoing recovery and growth, a significant contributor is also the year-end reconciliation process, which typically results in additional tax payments by businesses to align their returns during the year”
Saurabh Agarwal, Tax Partner, EY India believes that the record GST collections underscore the Indian economy’s underlying strength in the face of global economic uncertainties.
“This peak revenue indicates widespread economic progress across India, encompassing regions such as Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh. The government’s proactive measures to accelerate export and other GST refunds have eased the working capital burden on industries, a benefit likely to translate to consumers over the medium to long term,” he said.
“The notable GST figures for April may have also been positively influenced by substantial exports to the US market prior to the announcement of reciprocal tariffs. While a potential moderation in absolute GST collections is anticipated next month due to the current global economic climate, the overall outlook for the Indian economy remains optimistic. This positive sentiment is fueled by emerging manufacturing opportunities as businesses seek to establish alternative supply chains globally to mitigate future tariff-related disruptions,” he added.
The government’s Budget forecasts anticipate an 11% rise in GST revenue, with projected collections of Rs 11.78 lakh crore, encompassing both Central GST and compensation cess components.

NEW DELHI: A day after the Union Cabinet approved the inclusion of caste-based data collection in the upcoming national census, posters featuring Congress leader Rahul Gandhi were put up outside the party headquarters in Delhi, highlighting his persistent demand for a caste census.
One of the posters featuring Rahul Gandhi read, “Kaha tha na, Modi ji ko ‘jaati janganana’ karvani hi padegi, hum karva kar rahenge!”
(I had said it, didn’t I — Modi ji will have to conduct the caste census, and we will make sure it happens!)
“Jhukti hai duniya, jhukane wala chahiye”
“(The world bows—what it needs is someone who can make it bow.)
Posters were also seen outside the RJD office, congratulating party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and senior leader Tejashwi Yadav.
Reacting to the Cabinet’s move, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday welcomed the decision but pressed for a definitive schedule to complete the exercise, describing the development as merely the “first step” toward broader social reform.
“We welcome the decision, but we need to know how much time it will take to conclude the census,” Gandhi told reporters. He added that political and public pressure had played a significant role in forcing the government’s hand. “We have shown we can pressure the government,” he said.
Citing the Congress party’s consistent stand, Gandhi said, “We had said in the Parliament that we will make caste census happen. We had also said that we would scrap the 50% cap, the artificial wall that is in place. Narendra Modi used to say that there are just four cases. Don’t know what happened but suddenly after 11 years, caste census has been announced.”