News Dabba for 27 April 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 BJP’s numbers rising to 113 in Rajya Sabha, Odisha teachers' deaths due to heat stroke during Census, to measles epidemic in Sudan’s Darfur.

Odisha teachers die during Census work due to heatstroke

Two school teachers engaged in Census work died in two days allegedly due to sunstroke in separate incidents in Odisha, officials said on Monday. NDTV reports that the incidents occurred in Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh districts, where the temperature has reached over 37 degrees Celsius. This is the third such incident in the state. Read the full report here.

BJP’s numbers rise to 113 in Rajya Sabha, Indian Express reports

The latest Rajya Sabha party position, published on Monday morning, shows a sharp shift in numbers, with the Aam Aadmi Party’s strength reduced to three MPs and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s tally rising to 113, Indian Express reports, indicating Upper House Chairman C P Radhakrishnan’s acceptance of the merger of seven AAP members with the BJP. Earlier, the AAP had 10 members in the Upper House, while the BJP had 106. The report mentions that the NDA’s tally in Rajya Sabha is now 148: BJP 113, TDP 2, JD (U) 4, Shiv Sena 2, RLD 1, JD (S) 1, AGP 1, NCP 4, AIADMK 5, RPI (Athawale) 1, Rashtriya Lok Morcha (Upendra Kushwaha’s party) 1, and United People’s Party (Liberal) 2, apart from 7 nominated members who haven’t yet joined the BJP, Independent Rajya Sabha MP Kartikeya Sharma, and one each from the MNF, NPP and PMK. Read the full report here.

Pirates seize another vessel off Somali coast as threat level increased, BBC reports

Maritime authorities are warning of an increased threat to ships off the coast of Somalia after a cargo ship became the latest vessel to be seized in a suspected act of piracy, BBC reports. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) raised the threat level in the area to "substantial" as it reported "unauthorised persons" seized the vessel and re-directed it to Somalia's territorial waters on Sunday. At least four vessels have been targeted in suspected piracy incidents in the last week including a fishing vessel and oil tanker, the report adds. Read the full report here.

Supreme Court halts coercive measures against Asaram ashram land in Gujarat: Hindustan Times

Hindustan Times reports that the Supreme Court on Monday restrained the Gujarat government from taking any coercive measures against land and properties held by the ashram of self-styled godman Asaram Bapu in Ahmedabad, observing that the municipal authorities’ show-cause notice “prima facie lacked material particulars”. A bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta ordered maintenance of status quo, effectively putting on hold the April 17 judgment of the Gujarat high court that had cleared the way for the state to reclaim around 45,000 square metres of land occupied by the Sant Shri Asaram Ashram in Motera, near the Narendra Modi Stadium. Read the full report here.

Al Jazeera: War and neglect fuel deadly measles epidemic in Sudan’s Darfur

A measles outbreak has struck several Labado districts in Sudan since March, killing approximately 70 people and infecting about 1,000 others across 12 residential neighbourhoods, Al Jazeera reports. Those numbers were disputed by East Darfur’s health director, Dr Jabir al-Nadeef, who confirmed to Al Jazeera that measles has struck four districts of the state, but only reported 300 cases and 26 deaths. The first measles cases in Darfur in the current outbreak were recorded in January, according to UNICEF, the report says. Read the full report here.