WEATHER

In Latin America, policy is always up for grabs. At the moment, leftist candidates are ascending. This comes after the privatization of the 1990's, the austerity of the 1980's, the discipline promised by military dictatorships in the 1970's, and the protectionism of the 1960's. But every idea disappoints. A new report from the Inter-American Development Bank suggests that the constant search for the hot new idea may be focused on the wrong thing. Perhaps it's not what you do, but how you do it. The study found that countries that scored well on how policies are made and carried out are the places where life is improving. More

CARACAS - Venezuela, under the leftist government of President Hugo Chávez, has placed itself squarely in the center of the political debate in Latin America, which the World Social Forum (WSF) has recognised by moving one portion of its annual meeting to this South American nation. Up to now, the annual global civil society gathering was held three times in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre and once in Mumbai, India. While counting on the host government's strong interest and solidarity, the Jan. 24-29 World Social Forum in Venezuela is also determined not to be overly colored by "Chavismo", and to safeguard its identity as a pluralistic alternative global event that serves as a counterpoint to the World Economic Forum (WEF)held annually in the Swiss ski resort of Davos. More

The boom of thunder and crackle of lightning generally mean one thing: a storm is coming. Curiously, though, the biggest storms of all, hurricanes, are notoriously lacking in lightning. Hurricanes blow, they rain, they flood, but seldom do they crackle.
Surprise: During the record-setting hurricane season of 2005 three of the most powerful storms--Rita, Katrina, and Emily--did have lightning, lots of it. And researchers would like to know why. More

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