Why in News

• A Climate Impact Lab report estimates ~15,800 additional heat-related deaths in India between September 2026 and February 2027 due to a strong El Niño; globally, about 4.51 lakh additional heat-related deaths.
• India’s southwest monsoon recorded a ~15% rainfall deficit, while high temperatures raised electricity demand and left coal stocks low at several power plants.

What Is El Niño — Key Facts

• Unusual warming of sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific — the warm phase of ENSO (El Niño–Southern Oscillation).
• Usually occurs every 2–7 years and lasts 9–12 months. Identified in the Niño 3.4 region when SST is ≥0.5°C above normal for a sustained period.
• “Super El Niño” is an informal term for an exceptionally strong event — 1997–98 and 2015–16 are commonly cited examples, not a formal scientific category.

How It Works

• Trade winds weaken/reverse; warm water shifts eastward towards South America and upwelling off Peru weakens.
• The Walker Circulation weakens; rising moist air shifts from Indonesia towards the central Pacific.
• The Southern Oscillation is the air-pressure seesaw between Tahiti and Darwin, identified by Sir Gilbert Walker (who worked in India).

Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) — Related Concept

• Difference in sea-surface temperature between the western and eastern tropical Indian Ocean — sometimes called the “Indian Niño.” Identified as an independent system only in 1999.
• A positive IOD (western Indian Ocean warmer) usually helps Indian rainfall and can offset El Niño’s damage; a negative IOD can weaken the monsoon. Positive IOD often develops in El Niño years, but the link is not absolute.

Impact on India

• Below-normal monsoon rainfall in about 6 of 10 El Niño years, though not every El Niño year brings drought.
• Can reduce kharif crops (rice, pulses, oilseeds, sugarcane), push up food inflation, raise heatstroke/heat-death risk, increase cooling-driven electricity demand, and lower reservoir/groundwater levels.

Why in News

• Nauru has officially adopted the name Naoero, reflecting the name used by its own people. Announced at the 81st UN General Assembly session on 22 September 2026.
• Its international code changes from NRU to NRO, and its people will be called dei-Naoero.

About Naoero — Key Facts

• A small island just south of the Equator in the central Pacific, in the Micronesia region.
• About 21 sq km, population around 12,000 — the world’s smallest island nation and smallest republic, often called the third-smallest country after Vatican City and Monaco.
• No officially declared capital — Yaren is where government offices are based.
• A republic with a unicameral Parliament; President chosen by Parliament. Currency: Australian dollar. Languages: Nauruan and English.
• Historically dependent on phosphate mining, which damaged much of the island’s land; now relies on limited resources, fishing licences and outside support.
• Joined the UN in 1999.

Colonial History — Timeline

Why Countries Change Their Names

• To reject colonial legacy, match local language/pronunciation, modernise national image, or settle disputes with neighbours — every change must be notified to the UN.

Other Country Name Changes — Quick Revision