China's MAZU meteorological early-warning system earns global praise

International organizations and meteorological agencies have praised MAZU, an AI-powered integrated early-warning meteorological system developed by the China Meteorological Administration, as a global public good that benefits people around the world.

Chinese President Xi Jinping highlighted MAZU in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World AI Conference (WAIC) and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance.

MAZU has been deployed in multiple climate-vulnerable developing countries, including Pakistan, Ethiopia, Mongolia and Djibouti.

Currently on display at the ongoing 2026 WAIC and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai, the system has helped these countries strengthen early-warning capabilities and reduce the economic and livelihood impacts of extreme weather.

"So now, this is a very concrete example of how AI can benefit all of humanity, and how international cooperation can help ensure that these benefits are spread more equitably. So it's an excellent example of the spirit that's been highlighted by President Xi ever since 2023, when he announced his Global AI Governance Plan, and then subsequently the Action Plan on AI Capacity Building," said Amandeep Singh Gill, UN under-secretary-general and special envoy for digital and emerging technologies.

"With MAZU, all the data that is from observation, from models, from satellites and from AI is integrated on one platform and it makes the job of meteorologists very convenient. So this initiative for Pakistan is like -- we appreciate it," said Furrukh Bashir, director of the Pakistan Meteorological Department.

MAZU is built on a cloud-based early-warning platform that provides customizable, easy-to-deploy services tailored to each country's needs while integrating international standards with local applications.

China's MAZU meteorological early-warning system earns global praise

The Iranian armed forces announced on Saturday that they hit U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan in waves of retaliatory missile and drone attacks launched earlier the day.

The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement that its ground forces targeted the gathering place of U.S. forces at a backup center at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, killing a number of them.

Iranian forces also launched a drone attack that destroyed a radar system, a weapons depot and a hangar of drones at the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, the IRGC added.

In a post on X, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday that two U.S. service members were killed and another remains missing after Iran's strikes on a base in Jordan on Friday.

The deaths bring the total number of U.S. military personnel killed to 16 since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb 28.

CENTCOM said on Friday that U.S. forces struck multiple military infrastructure targets and underground weapons storage facilities in Iran and were implementing a comprehensive naval blockade against Iran.

Iran said on Saturday that its armed forces destroyed a U.S. unmanned boat storage base in Bahrain and struck U.S. targets in Kuwait, Jordan and Syria.

The IRGC warned that if the United States continues to attack Iran's transportation infrastructure, Iran would launch larger-scale retaliation against U.S.-linked economic and technological assets.

As tensions between the two countries escalated, international crude oil futures closed up more than four percent on Friday, with New York crude oil futures returning above 80 U.S. dollars per barrel for the first time in a month.

Iran's armed forces claim hits on US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan in in retaliation