Unmasking the heat

W eather report 1997-98 : Fires engulf the bone-dry forests of Indonesia, tornadoes shred parts of the us , droughts sap the Australian outback, deadly storms lash China's coastal provinces, floods swamp the otherwise parched Ethopia, central Pacific islands receive a bumper harvest of seven cyclones, fires sweep across the fragile rainforests of South America and thousands of living beings the world over fall prey to the violent mood swings of the El Ni