TODAY NEWS ON March 31, 2026
Maoism almost ended in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar, Amit Shah says
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, speaking in the Lok Sabha during a discussion on Maoism, said that the movement has “almost finished” in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region. “Those who were advertising theory, a wrong narrative, a wrong dream was being presented in front of the innocent Tribal people that they are fighting for their rights, to bring justice to them... Today Naxalism is almost finished in Bastar, there was a movement to make school, ration shops at each village, 5 kg food grain is being distributed, we are making Aadhaar cards,” he said.
Trump threatens to strike Iran’s civilian infrastructure if no deal is reached
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday (March 30, 2026) threatened to strike Iran’s oil, power and water infrastructure if Tehran did not agree to a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz soon. “The United States of America is in serious discussions with a new and more reasonable regime to end our Military Operations in Iran,” Mr. Trump wrote in a social media post. “Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately “Open for Business,” we will conclude our lovely “stay” in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!).”
Iran confirms Revolutionary Guard navy chief Alireza Tangsiri’s death
Iran confirmed on Monday (March 30, 2026) that an Israeli strike had killed the commander of the naval force of the Revolutionary Guards, who Israel had said was responsible for the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz. A statement carried by the Guards’ Sepah News website said Alireza Tangsiri “succumbed to severe injuries” from the attack last week.
Lok Sabha passes insolvency law amendments; Sitharaman says Bill will help maximise value for stakeholders
The Lok Sabha on Monday (March 30, 2026) passed a Bill to amend the insolvency law to provide for strict timelines, an out-of-court settlement option and enable the framework for cross-border insolvency processes. Piloting the bill in the Lok Sabha, Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that 12 amendments are being made in the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), which came into force in 2016, that would help maximise the value for stakeholders and improve the governing process itself.
Transgender Amendment Bill gets President Murmu’s assent
President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, the Union Law Ministry said in a gazette notification on Monday (March 30, 2026). The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday (March 25, 2026) passed the Bill, a day after the Lok Sabha cleared the legislation. The Opposition had demanded the Bill should be sent to a select committee of the House for further scrutiny, as it had provisions that would have an impact on the dignity of third-gender people.
Israel passes law making death penalty default sentence for Palestinians convicted of lethal attacks
Israel’s Parliament passed a law on Monday (March 30, 2026) making the death penalty a default sentence for Palestinians convicted in military court of deadly attacks, seeing through a main pledge by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right allies. The legislation has drawn international criticism against Israel, which is already under scrutiny for increasing violence by settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Iranian Parliament mulls possible exit from nuclear treaty
Iran’s Parliament is reviewing a possible exit from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Monday (March 30, 2026), while insisting that Tehran has not and will not seek nuclear weapons. “What is the benefit of joining a treaty in which bullying parties at the international level not only do not allow us to benefit from its rights but also attack our nuclear facilities?” Mr. Baghaei said, adding that Tehran would respect the treaty as long as it is a member.
Spain denies U.S. permission to use its airspace for ‘illegal’ war on Iran
Spain has closed its airspace to U.S. planes involved in the Iran war, the country’s Defence Minister said on Monday (March 30, 2026), marking another step in the government’s opposition to U.S. and Israeli involvement in the conflict in West Asia. The country had already said that the U.S. could not use jointly-operated military bases in the Iran conflict, which Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has described as illegal, reckless and unjust.
Rain, storms kill 45 people in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Heavy rain and storms have killed at least 45 people over the past few days across Afghanistan and Pakistan, disaster officials in both countries said Monday (March 30, 2026). Rain sweeping across Afghanistan since Thursday (March 26, 2026) has caused floods and landslides in multiple provinces. “Twenty-eight people were martyred, and 49 people were injured,” Afghanistan’s disaster management authority (ANDMA) said, while more than 100 homes have been destroyed.
Russia ‘glad’ oil cargo reached its ally Cuba amid U.S. blockade
Russia is pleased that a shipment of its oil reached Cuba, the Kremlin said on Monday (March 30, 2026), after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was not bothered by the delivery despite Washington’s de facto blockade of the island. Russia sent the Anatoly Kolodkin, a sanctioned oil tanker carrying 7,30,000 barrels of crude, to Cuba earlier this month as the Communist-run island grappled with fuel shortages.
JioStar terminates Bangladesh IPL cricket broadcast deal, letter shows
Mukesh Ambani’s entertainment venture JioStar has terminated its broadcast deals in Bangladesh for the Indian Premier League cricket tournament, saying its local partner defaulted on payments, according to a document seen by Reuters. Bangladesh in January banned IPL broadcasts after one of its teams, Kolkata Knight Riders, dropped Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman on Indian cricket board’s instruction, just as tensions rose between the two countries following the killing of a Hindu man in Bangladesh.
Earliest Census data to be available in 2027; first phase to start from April 1: RGI
As the Population Census 2027 is being conducted digitally, most census data will be published in 2027, said Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RG&CCI) Mritunjay Kumar Narayan on Monday (March 30, 2026). He said that the caste enumeration methodology, which will be conducted in the second phase, is yet to be finalised and they are studying multiple suggestions received on the subject.
Earthquake of magnitude 7 strikes Vanuatu Islands
A magnitude 7 earthquake struck the Vanuatu Islands on Monday (March 30, 2026), the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said. The U.S. Tsunami Warning Center said there was no tsunami threat from the earthquake.
WTO meet concludes; no consensus on extension of e-commerce duty moratorium
The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) fourteenth Ministerial Conference (MC14) concluded on Monday (March 30, 2026) in Yaounde, Cameroon, with members failing to resolve the contentious issue of extending the moratorium on customs duties on electronic commerce, such as digital downloads and streaming. In May 1998, WTO members agreed for the first time not to impose customs duties on electronic transmissions for two years, a moratorium that has been extended biennially since then. Its expiry would open the door to imposing tariffs on e-commerce.
Rupee breaches 95/dollar level; settles at 94.78 against U.S. dollar
The rupee on Monday breached the 95/dollar-mark in intra-day trade on Monday (March 30, 2026) and settled at 94.78 (provisional) against the American currency after Iran war escalation jolted global markets, fuelling rupee volatility and risk-off sentiment. Forex traders said the USD/INR pair witnessed high volatility and swung 165 paise during intra-day trade as the West Asia crisis entered the 31st day keeping energy markets nervous.
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