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Saudi Arabia Elected to Chair Panel on Tropical Cyclones in Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea

Flag of Saudi Arabia.
Flag of Saudi Arabia.
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Saudi Arabia Elected to Chair Panel on Tropical Cyclones in Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea

Flag of Saudi Arabia.
Flag of Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia was unanimously elected to chair the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)/United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Panel on Tropical Cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, SPA said on Thursday.
Ayman bin Salem Ghulam, CEO of the National Center for Meteorology (NCM), expressed his gratitude to the member states of the committee for selecting him as the chairman of the committee.
Ghulam said the Kingdom’s appointment as the committee chair is a testament to the country’s pioneering role and its commitment to addressing critical issues related to disasters and their significant impact on humanity, both regionally and internationally.
He further highlighted the increasing frequency of tropical cyclones in the region and the world, which requires all nations to play a larger role in addressing such challenges.
To effectively respond to these tropical conditions, Ghulam highlighted the importance of strengthening monitoring and forecasting systems to accurately predict cyclones and improving preparedness measures to minimize loss of life and property.
Additionally, Ghulam underlined the importance of supporting decision-making tools to enhance resilience and adaptation to climate change. He also highlighted the need to develop early warning systems to mitigate the risks associated with natural disasters.

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Pope Leo to Escape Rome’s Summer Heat with July Stay at Castel Gandolfo

Pope Leo XIV meets the members of the Rome's local church in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP)
Pope Leo XIV meets the members of the Rome's local church in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP)
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Pope Leo to Escape Rome’s Summer Heat with July Stay at Castel Gandolfo

Pope Leo XIV meets the members of the Rome's local church in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP)
Pope Leo XIV meets the members of the Rome's local church in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP)

As temperatures in Rome swelter this month, reaching more than 35 degrees Celsius (95°F) under the hot Mediterranean sun, Pope Leo has decided to leave town.

The pontiff will spend July 6 to 20 about an hour's drive south in Castel Gandolfo, a small hamlet on Lake Albano, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

Leo, elected pope on May 8 to replace the late Pope Francis, will also return to the lakeshore for at least one weekend in August, it said.

All of Leo's public and private audiences have been suspended from July 2 through July 23, the Vatican said, as was usual under Francis, to allow the pontiff a period of rest. They will restart on July 30.

By going to Castel Gandolfo, Leo is restarting a summer tradition that was broken by Francis.

Dozens of popes over centuries have spent the summer months at Lake Albano, where temperatures are usually about ten degrees cooler than Rome, but Francis preferred to stay in his air-conditioned Vatican residence.

The Vatican has owned a papal palace and surrounding grounds in Castel Gandolfo since 1596. Spanning 55 hectares, the property includes official apartments, elaborate Renaissance-style gardens, a forest and a working dairy farm.

Francis, who shunned most of the trappings of the papacy, had the official papal palace turned into a museum.

Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni told Reuters the pope would not stay at the palace, which will remain a museum, and will instead stay on another Vatican property.

Leo will return to Castel Gandolfo for the weekend of August 15 to 17.