MANILA: An American company providing commercial weather forecast services worldwide has predicted another tropical system will threaten the Philippines.
The unsettled weather between Guam and Palau can become a tropical cyclone, as the weather agency, AccuWeather, expects it to become “better organized” (stronger) by the end of this week. The development is predicted as early as Friday near Palau, with a general westward track taking it toward the Southern Philippines.
The Philippine authorities, in the wake of the devastation wreaked by deadly cyclones Kai-Tak and Tembin, which left more than 200 people dead and around the same number missing with more than 100,000 displaced, sought to allay fears that a “super typhoon” will hit the country in January 2018.
In a statement, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that while there is a possible formation of tropical cyclone, it is too soon to make a forecast whether it will strengthen into a super typhoon.
“The current weather analysis shows that there is a possible formation of tropical cyclone this coming January 2018,” the statement read. PAGASA pointed out that based on past patterns, it is normal for January to have at least one tropical cyclone. However, it stressed that “predicting the tropical cyclone intensity to reach super typhoon category for more than one week ahead has a very high uncertainty.
“The atmosphere is very dynamic, hence constant monitoring is necessary,” PAGASA added, as it advised the public “to be more careful, verify information and listen only to the right authority so as not to cause panic.”
The PAGASA issued the statement after a Facebook page, “Philippine Weather System/Pacific Storm Update,” published several posts about the potential cyclone which it claimed would be named “Wilma.”
In its latest advisory, PAGASA said, however, that moderate to heavy rains owing to thunderstorms are affecting parts of Leyte province and nearby areas in the Visayas.
It said the rains may persist within one to two hours and advised those in affected areas to take precautionary measures “against the impacts associated with these hazards which include flash floods and landslides.”
Meanwhile, in its latest update, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported an increase in the number of people affected by Tropical Storm Tembin.
In a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo, the NDRRMC placed the number of affected families at 143,188, or 673,429 persons, in eight regions. Of the total affected population, 23,775 families or 111,641 persons are still in evacuation centers.
The NDRRMC likewise placed the death toll, as of Dec. 27, at 164 and those still missing at 176. The figures, however, are still to be validated.
Senator Nancy Binay on Tuesday called for a full review of the DRRM protocols, especially in the wake of the high death toll left by Tembin. She said this is to find any loopholes in the system and address them.
Binay also called for a review of existing land use plans and geo-hazard maps to identify vulnerabilities and sensitivities, and minimize hazard exposures.
The NDRRMC has welcomed the call for the review of its disaster protocols. Spokesperson Romina Marasigan added: “We don’t have perfect laws or perfect plans.” She said it’s about time all these protocols were reviewed, some of which have been there since 1998 and are, therefore, no longer attuned to the times.
Philippine authorities seek to calm fears of another deadly cyclone
Philippine authorities seek to calm fears of another deadly cyclone
India hosts global leaders, tech moguls at AI Impact Summit
- 20 heads of state scheduled to attend event which runs until Feb. 20
- Summit expected to speed up adoption of AI in India’s governance, expert says
NEW DELHI: A global artificial intelligence summit opened in New Delhi on Monday, with representatives of more than 60 countries scheduled to discuss the use and regulation of AI with the industry’s leaders and investors.
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is hosted by the Indian government’s IndiaAI Mission — an initiative worth in excess of $1 billion and launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in 2024 to develop the AI ecosystem in the country.
After five days of sessions and an accompanying exhibition of 300 companies at Bharat Mandapam — the venue of the 2023 G20 summit — participating leaders are expected to sign a declaration which, according to the organizer, will outline a “shared road map for global AI governance and collaboration.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will attend the summit on Friday with French President Emmanuel Macron, said on X it was a “matter of great pride for us that people from around the world are coming to India” for the event, which is evidence that the country is “rapidly advancing in the fields of science and technology and is making a significant contribution to global development.”
Among the 20 heads of state that the Indian Ministry of External Affairs has announced as scheduled to attend are Macron, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, and Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Abu Dhabi’s crown prince.
Also expected are tech moguls such as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Google’s chief Sundar Pichai.
The summit will give India, the world’s most populous country, a platform to try to steer cooperation and AI regulation between the West and the Global South, and to present to the global audience its own technological development.
“India is leveraging its position as a bridge between emerging and developed economies to bring together not just country leaders and technologists, but also delegates, policy analysts, media, and others … to explore the facets of AI, multilateral collaborations, and the direction that large-scale development of AI should take,” said Anwesha Sen, assistant program manager for technology and policy at Takshashila Institution.
“India is trying to do three things through the AI Impact Summit. One, India is advocating for sovereign AI and the development of inclusive, population-scale solutions. Two, establishing international collaborations that prioritize AI diffusion in sectors like healthcare and agriculture. And three, showcasing how Indian startups and organizations are using frameworks such as that of digital public infrastructure as a model to bridge the two.”
It is the fourth such gathering dedicated to the development of AI. The first one was held in the UK in 2023, a year after the debut of ChatGPT; the 2024 meeting in South Korea; and last year’s event took place in France.
The summit is likely to help the Indian government in speeding up the adoption of AI, according to Nikhil Pahwa, digital rights activist and founder of MediaNama, a mobile and digital news portal, who likened it to the Digital India initiative launched in 2015 to provide digital government services.
“A summit like this, with this much bandwidth allocated to it by the government, even if the agenda is flat, ends up making AI a priority focus for ministries and state governments,” Pahwa told Arab News.
“It encourages diffusion of AI execution-specific thinking and ends up increasing adoption of AI in governance and by both central and state-level ministries. That reduces time for adoption of AI.
“We saw this play out with the government’s Digital India focus: it increased digitization and the adoption of digital technology. The agenda and India’s role in AI globally is less important than speeding up adoption.”
