News Dabba for 30 March 2026: Five stories for a balanced news diet

Indie Journal brings you the daily updates that the internet is talking about through various news websites. Here's a glance through some of the National and International news updates, from snakebite deaths in India, aftermath of KP sharma Oli's arrest in Nepal, to Trumps plans to attack Iran's Kharg Island.

431 snakebite deaths in India last year, Hindustan Times reports

There were 431 snakebite deaths in India last year, up from 370 in 2024 and 183 in 2023, the Union environment ministry has informed the Lok Sabha in a written response. Hindustan Times repors that Karnataka recorded the highest such deaths (157) in 2025 and 101 in 2024. Kirti Vardhan Singh, minister of state for environment, said the Union government has advised states and Union territories (UTs) to notify snakebite as a notifiable disease under the respective public health laws and other applicable legislation. Read the full report here.

India's first digital census to begin Wednesday, NDTV reports

India is set to roll out its first fully digital Census, marking a major shift in how demographic data is collected and managed, NDTV reports. The first phase, House Listing and Housing Census, will begin across eight states and Union Territories on April 1. Citizens will be asked to respond to 33 detailed questions about their households, living conditions and access to basic amenities, the report says. Read the full report here.

Trump says he is considering seizing Iran's Kharg Island, BBC reports

US President Donald Trump says he could "take the oil in Iran" and possibly seize its major fuel hub of Kharg Island. BBC reports that his comments come as US officials say troops are preparing for possible ground operations, but Trump added that a peace deal could be reached "fairly quickly". Overnight, the US president said the US hit "many long sought-after targets" in Iran on Sunday - while Israel says it's carrying out new attacks on Tehran, the report adds. Read the full report here.

Retired brigadier out on morning walk killed by ‘stray bullet’ in Dehradun, Indian Express

A retired brigadier out on a morning walk in Dehradun was killed on Monday by what police suspect was a stray bullet after the occupants of a car opened fire at another vehicle in an alleged road rage incident, Indian Express reports. According to police, the incident took place around 6.40 am, when a dispute between occupants of two cars over giving way led to an argument and a chase. Police said that during the chase, those inside one of the cars opened fire at the tyres of the other vehicle in an attempt to stop it. However, the report says that the bullet hit Brigadier M K Joshi (retired), who was out on a morning walk with his friends at Rajpur, police said. Although he was taken to a hospital, he died during treatment. Read the full report here.

Nepali protesters demand release of detained ex-PM: The Straits Times

Hundreds of Nepalis on March 30 demanded the release of former prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli, The Straits Times reports, arrested for his alleged role in a deadly crackdown on 2025 protests that ousted him. Oli, 74, and former home minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested in pre-dawn raids on Saturday, a day after Prime Minister Balendra Shah was sworn in following the first elections since the September uprising. Heavy police deployments on Monday barred the protesters as they neared the charred old Parliament building set on fire in the September violence in which at least 76 people were killed. Read the full report here.