India news: El Nino leading to driest monsoon in 17 years

A potential tropical cyclone in the Bay of Bengal could ease the shortfall in eastern and northeastern IndiaImage: Sahiba Chawdhary/REUTERSAdvertisementSkip next section What you need to knowWhat you need to know India looks to be heading towards its weakest monsoon since 2009 The new iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max have hit the Indian markets, leading to long queues outside stores The Election Commission has barred both factions of the Trinamool Congress from using the party name and symbol in upcoming bypolls Cricket's global governing body is eyeing new viewership, this time from China This blog is now closed. Read below for a roundup of some of the top headlines from across India on Friday, September 18:

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China is emerging as a key growth market for cricket as the International Cricket Council looks to expand the sport's global fanbase by 500 million, its chief executive told the AFP news agency. 

While South Asia currently accounts for roughly 90% of cricket's billion-plus fans, the ICC sees China's 1.4 billion people as a major untapped audience, aided by the steady rise of its women's national team. 

"The continued success of their women's team has provided a major boost to cricket in the country," ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta said.

China became a focus market after hosting cricket at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, and its women's team has climbed 10 places in the world T20 rankings over the past two years. It currently stands at the 36th spot, whereas the men's side stands 92nd. 

The ICC has invested $1.5 million (~1.3 million euros) in the country over the past five years, helping build three top-level venues, including a new 1,500-seat stadium in Taicang meant to host matches and serve as a training base. 

Moving beyond bigger teams like India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Asian cricket is expanding its influence. At their Asian Games 2026 fixture against India on Friday, Japan's women's team did not let their loss define the journey. 

Japan's Ahilya Chandel, who is half-Indian, told AFP that facing India in person after watching them on television was a special moment, adding that home crowds in Nagoya included newcomers to the sport: "That's what we want as a women's cricket team, to attract Japanese people who don't know cricket." 

India will now play Bangladesh in Sunday's semi-finals.

The Election Commission of India has barred both rival factions of the Trinamool Congress from using the party's name and its "flowers and grass" symbol ahead of byelections in West Bengal, assigning each faction a new interim identity instead.

The commission's order, issued late Thursday night, applies to the faction led by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, as well as a rival group led by expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee. 

On Friday, the commission allotted Mamata's faction the name "Mamata All India Trinamool Congress" with a football player as its symbol, while the rival group was named "Democratic Trinamool Congress" (or Ganatantrik Trinamool Congress) and given an envelope symbol. 

Both groups will be treated as recognized parties in the states of West Bengal, Meghalaya and Tripura on an interim basis while the commission decides the underlying leadership dispute.

The ruling affects two upcoming byelections, in Nandigram and Rejinagar, scheduled for October 6.

Soon after the new symbols were announced, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, the Mamata faction's candidate in Nandigram, withdrew her nomination after meeting West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Adhikari, who was once a close aide of Mamta Banerjee,joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2020.

As nominations had already been scrutinized, her faction cannot field a replacement. Instead, Mamata Banerjee said she would back the Congress candidate to strengthen the opposition INDIA bloc.

Local media reported Mamata Banerjee referring to the Election Commission's decision as a "black day for democracy."

Opposition Congress leadership also slammed the polling body, calling it the commission's "late night birthday gift to Modi ji." Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned 76 on Thursday.

From traditional indigenous spices in Kerala to the threatened Himalayan salamander, communities are finding ways to protect India's abundant natural heritage. 

India is expected to experience its weakest monsoon season since 2009, as a strengthening El Nino weather pattern curbs rainfall and raises concerns over crop yields and food inflation. 

Cumulative rainfall during the June-to-September monsoon season is currently running 15% below the long-term average, according to the India Meteorological Department, local media reported. The initial forecast was just a 10% shortfall back in May. 

If the deficit holds, this would be the weakest monsoon since 2009, when rainfall was 18% below normal.

A potential tropical cyclone could form in the Bay of Bengal in the final week of September, potentially easing the shortfall in eastern and northeastern India, Christian Werner of Global Weather Climate Analytics told Bloomberg.

He said the storm was unlikely to significantly shift the national picture, with the seasonal deficit expected to settle between 13% and 16%.

The lack of rain threatens both current harvests and the next planting cycle, adding pressure on food prices that have already risen for seven straight months, hitting 5.95% in August — the highest level this year, according to the Free Press Journal. 

Rice, sugarcane and corn planting are running behind last year's pace, and the government has responded by permitting duty-free sugar imports and selling subsidized onions in some states.

Five infant orangutans, a species found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and on Borneo, were found in a forest by rangers patrolling in the Balasore district of India's eastern Odisha state last week.

In recent years, orangutans, rare reptiles and other exotic animals are popping up in India, suggesting the country is becoming a major destination for trafficked wildlife.

Long lines formed outside Apple Stores across India on Friday as the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max went on sale — this year's most expensive Pro lineup to date, with prices roughly Rs 30,000 (€270, $310) higher than last year's equivalent models at launch.

The high prices were not a barrier for many buyers, whose wait began before dawn. In Bengaluru, a customer named Rahul told newswire ANI he arrived at the Apple Store around 5 a.m. local time and found people already in line. 

Rahul, who said he has bought every iPhone since the iPhone 7, described the ritual as something bigger than a purchase: "I've been purchasing iPhones for a very long time ... But it's like a festival for me. iPhone launch is like a festival. Every year, I try to buy an iPhone."

At the Apple Store in the northern city of Noida, one buyer said he had traveled from the nearby state of Punjab and began his wait at 6 a.m. local time, just to be first through the door: "Mine was the very first booking; I am the first one who has got the phone." 

This year's price increase — pushing the iPhone 18 Pro to Rs 164,900 (€1,500, $1,720) and the Pro Max to Rs 179,900 (€1,635, $1,900) at the base storage tier — breaks Apple's recent run of holding launch prices steady in India. 

India's GDP per capita stood at $2,702.5 in 2025, according to World Bank figures. The numbers do not account for income inequality. 

Hello! This is Seerat at DW's Studio Delhi, starting the day off on a relatively peaceful note, about 6 kilometers (four miles) from all the madness (read: the Apple store on launch day).

Long queues snaked around Apple stores across the country as the new iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max hit the market in India. These might be some of the most expensive phones in history, but that hasn't deterred die-hard fans. 

Meanwhile, in a move that opposition leaders have dubbed the Election Commission of India's "late night birthday gift to Modi ji," the electoral body has barred both factions of the Trinamool Congress from using the name "All India Trinamool Congress" and its symbol, flowers and grass, ahead of upcoming bypolls. 

Finally, if 1.4 billion Indians were not enough, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is seeking to create a new fanbase by tapping into Chinese potential. 

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