UN report: Philippines is one of strongest performers in Southeast Asia

The United Nations (UN) Department of Economic and Social Affairs has predicted that the Philippines' economic growth is set to accelerate this year and in 2026, making it one of the strongest performers among Southeast Asian economies.

In its recently published flagship report, World Economic Situation and Prospects 2025, the UN projects Philippine economic growth to accelerate to 6.1% this year. Economic growth is forecast to further go up to 6.2% in 2026.

The anticipated sustained growth reflects robust domestic demand, ongoing public investments, and the positive effects of recent investment policy reforms, along with a vibrant labor market and a growing services sector.

However, geopolitical tensions and unfavorable weather conditions pose risks to the outlook.

Reference Sources

1. pnagov - UN report: PH one of strongest performers in Southeast Asia
2. philstar - UN: Philippines to post faster growth in 2025, 2026
3. marketmonitor - BDO analyst touts Philippines’ growth amid global economic challenges

Bill Gates’ nuclear company announces progress in the development of its first reactor

Terrapower, Bill Gates’ nuclear innovation company, has awarded critical contracts for the construction of the reactor enclosure system (RES), a key milestone in advancing the development of the revolutionary Natrium reactor.

The Natrium reactor, under construction in Kemmerer, Wyoming, combines a sodium-cooled fast reactor with an integrated salt-based energy storage system, providing a flexible, Dispatchable energy solution that can help stabilize the grid and supplement renewable energy sources.

The reactor is expected to be operational by 2030 and power PacifiCorp’s electricity grid.

Reference Sources

1. eurodayfr - Bill Gates’ nuclear company announces progress in the development of its first reactor

It’s getting harder to measure just how good AI is getting

(Source: Shutterstock)

OpenAI's latest large language model, O3, has put the lie to claims that the Scaling Laws used to define AI progress don't work quite that well anymore going forward.

This week in Time, Garrison Lovely argued that AI progress didn't "hit a wall" so much as become invisible, primarily improving by leaps and bounds in ways that people don't pay attention to.

The way AI is going to truly change our world is by automating an enormous amount of intellectual work that was once done by humans, and three things will drive its ability to do that.

One is getting cheaper. The second is improvements in how we interface with it. And the third is AI systems getting smarter — and for all the declarations about hitting walls, it looks like they are still doing that.

Reference Sources

1. vox - It’s getting harder to measure just how good AI is getting

The CommonWealth English daily news digest is a service curated by CommonWealth English team with the help of AI tools.

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