The 25th anniversary meeting of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation in the Kyrgyz capital may offer a glimmer of hope that international relations do not need to be defined by endless confrontation, writes KENNY COYLE
THE Andes rise high above the Atacama desert on the western coast of South America, higher in fact than a model based on basic plate tectonics would indicate. Their height is part of why the Atacama desert is so dry.
Unlike in Britain, where the west coast is wetter than the east, the prevailing winds from the oceans around southern South America come from the Atlantic, rather than the Pacific. These winds were called the “trade winds” by European nations who used them in their imperial and colonial expansions.
Just like on the island of Britain, but switching east for west, the prevailing winds pick up water over the ocean, and on hitting the mountains rise, cool and squeeze out their water load into rain clouds that keep the east coast of southern South America lush and fertile.
India’s monsoon is running below normal overall, yet extreme rainfall has already caused deadly flooding in Kerala, explains LIGIN JOSEPH
Climate extremes are becoming our new normal, says CHLOE BRIMICOMBE
As Ontario burns, campaigners are demanding action – not more pipelines, says DAVE McKEE
Extreme heat is now one of the defining public health challenges of a warming world, explains Prof IAN WILLIAMS



