k

Loan No.46049-PRC: Akesu Integrated Urban Development and Environment Improvement Project[Contract No.: WRH-CW01]




k

Loan No. 3203-PAK: Power Transmission Enhancement Investment Program Tranche 4 [ADB-79-2015] EXTENDED




k

Loan No. 2972-PAK: Power Distribution Enhancement Investment Program - Tranche 3 [LESCO-10-2013]




k

Loan No. 2517-VIE: Renewable Energy Development and Network Expansion and Rehabilitation for Remote Communes Sector Project [G04]




k

Fiscal Sustainability and Financial Markets Development Program (Subprogram 2)




k

Women and Youth Skills, Empowerment, and Resilience Project

The proposed project will increase access to livelihood training opportunities and support services for women and at-risk youth in the Marshall Islands, including through new facilities and targeted quality skills and livelihood development and support programs.




k

Climate-Resilient Connectivity for the Eastern Economic Corridor Project: The Intercity Motorway No. 7 (Extension to Link with U-Tapao International Airport)

The U-Tapao International Airport is the core infrastructure of the EEC and its expansion project is to be implemented via Public-Private Partnership modality. Land transport network connecting the U-Tapao International Airport in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) to the rest of the Pattaya City and country cannot adapt to changing needs as a result of the expansion plan of the airport due to the limitations of the existing land transport network to cope with traffic increase.




k

Laguna Lakeshore Road Network Project

The investment project is aligned with the following impact: Adequate, quality, sustainable, resilient, and safe transport infrastructure provided in the Greater Capital Region for the economic transformation of the country. The investment project will have the following outcome: Efficiency of road travel improved and the following outputs: (i) Output 1: Climate-resilient expressway along Laguna Lakeshore built; and (ii) Output 2: Institutional capacity of the Department of Public Works and Highways strengthened.




k

Asialink Promoting Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Financing through Secured Vehicle Lending Project




k

Laguna Lakeshore Road Network Project Tranche 1

In the Laguna area, the government has prioritized improvement of public transport and is developing the South Commuter Rail Project, connecting Manila and Calamba. The government also released the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program in 2017 to improve the efficiency of road-based public transport operations, and started to establish bus terminals, such as the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange, for more efficient and convenient bus operations.




k

Muktagacha Solar Power Project




k

The Bond Market in the Republic of Korea: An ASEAN+3 Bond Market Guide Update

This edition of the ASEAN+3 Bond Market Guide series focuses on updates in the Republic of Korea’s (ROK) market since the publication of the previous guide for the ROK in 2018.




k

Asian Development Outlook (ADO) July 2024: Steady Growth, Slowing Inflation

Asia and the Pacific’s developing economies are projected to grow 5.0% this year on the back of resilient domestic demand and strong export growth, particularly in the electronics sector.




k

Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2024: Data for Climate Action

This publication provides updated statistics on a comprehensive set of economic, financial, social, and environmental measures as well as select indicators for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).




k

Almaty–Bishkek Economic Corridor Regional Improvement of Border Services Project

The project will build and equip 3 climate-resilient and energy-efficient border crossing points (BCP) between the Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan on the Kyrgyz side of the border and a training center for the Kyrgyz Border Service (the project EA). The project with the total loan and grant financing of $37 Million will help facilitate trade and tourism between the Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan and will contribute to the sustainable economic development along the Almaty-Bishkek Economic Corridor.




k

TransTurkmenistan Railway Modernization Project (Phase 1, Ashgabat-Dushak)

It is proposed to modernize the 1,147 km strategic railway line between Turkmenabat, Mary, Ashgabat, and Turkmenbashi (TMAT), which is located at the crossroads of major eastwest and northsouth international trade routes and accounts for over 50% of freight movements in Turkmenistan.




k

Secondary Cities Environment Improvement Project (Dak Nong)

The project is aligned with the following impact: Livability of Gia Nghia city in Dak Nong province enhanced. The project will have the following outcome: access to urban environmental infrastructure and services in Gia Nghia improved. The project is expected to benefit approximately 68,215 residents through an improved environment and the establishment of public green spaces around the lakes, and approximately 20,810 residents additionally through access to networked sewer services by 2028.




k

GMS Cross-Border Livestock Health and Value Chains Improvement Project

The project will reduce trans-boundary animal diseases (TAD), food safety and zoonotic disease risks and strengthen livestock value chains and COVID-19 responses through investments in infrastructure, capacity building and policy support. The project will have the following outcome: health, value chains, and formal trade of livestock and livestock products improved. The project will be aligned with the following impact: GMS vision as a leading supplier of safe and environmentally friendly agriculture products realized.




k

Oldest rocks on Earth may contain strange and ancient life forms

Fossils in rocks that are 3.8 billion years old have puzzled biologists as they look nothing like modern cells, but now it seems they may be an ancient precursor life form that was unable to control its structure




k

Are horses in equestrian sports being harmed by bending their necks?

Horses experience hyperflexion, or rollkur, when their necks bend far towards their chests – it could place the animal at a greater risk of physical discomfort and stress




k

Bird deaths from building strikes may be double past estimates

An estimate of annual bird fatalities due to building collisions in the US brings the figure to more than 1 billion – it is the first to include deaths from injuries after the strike




k

Intimate nature documentary is an ode to an oak

Lush and vibrant cinematography plus a "cast" of real animals make Heart of an Oak an enthralling celebration of the natural world




k

We now know how kestrels stay perfectly still while hovering

Two nankeen kestrels have been filmed flying in a wind tunnel to learn how the raptors keep their heads in a fixed position under turbulent conditions




k

Consumer insecticides are useless for fighting cockroach infestations

Lab-reared German cockroaches are susceptible to consumer insecticide sprays, allowing manufacturers to pass US regulatory tests, but insects taken from real-world infestations are able to shrug off the products




k

Endangered skates saved from extinction by hatching in captivity

The Maugean skate (Zearaja maugeana) is only found in one habitat in Australia, which is under threat from human activity. Now the species has been saved from extinction by hatching in captivity




k

If we could talk to whales, what might they say?

This week, we journey to the early 2030s, when machine learning first allowed us to communicate with sperm whales. Rowan Hooper tells us what they have to say




k

The surprising way sunflowers work together to get enough light

Scientists have known for centuries that sunflowers wobble in seemingly random ways as they grow – but it seems that those movements actually optimise how much light each plant gets




k

Has the mystery of life’s 'handedness' finally been cracked?

All living creatures use only the left or right-handed forms of certain molecules, and now we might understand why




k

We now know that life began on Earth much earlier than we thought

A big rethink of our planet’s early years adds to growing fossil, chemical and DNA evidence that Earth was only a few hundred million years old when life began




k

Backflipping springtails are the fastest spinners known in nature

High-speed camera recordings show that springtails spin at up to 368 rotations per second when they jump away from danger




k

Pregnant shark that disappeared may have been eaten by another shark

Tracking data from a pregnant porbeagle shark near Bermuda suggest it was eaten by a great white shark – a kind of predation that has never been seen before




k

Sharks leap out of the water more often than you might think

Breaching is a common behaviour in a wide range of sharks and rays, and it is thought to have functions related to courtship, birthing and hygiene




k

Air jacket helps 'scuba-diving' lizards stay underwater for longer

Some lizards dive into streams to escape predators, and a specialised bubble-breathing technique enables them to stay submerged for up to 18 minutes




k

Axolotls seem to pause their biological clocks and stop ageing

In most vertebrates, a pattern of chemical marks on the genome is a reliable indicator of age, but in axolotls this clock seems to stop after the first four years of life




k

Dinosaurs may have run like emus by keeping one foot on the ground

It seems to be more energy efficient for emus to keep one foot on the ground when running at a moderate pace, and the same may have been true for dinosaurs




k

Bacteria can work as a team to spot prime numbers and vowels

Bacteria that have been genetically engineered to work like computers can solve a range of problems, using a very simple type of artificial intelligence




k

A shark survived being stabbed through the head by a swordfish

Fishers in Albania caught a blue shark with an 18-centimetre fragment of swordfish bill embedded in its skull, in the first known case of a shark surviving such an injury




k

Ants can be used to make yogurt – and now we know how it works

A traditional yogurt-making practice from south-eastern Europe uses live ants as a starter, with the insects providing the bacteria and acid needed to initiate fermentation




k

Living microbes found deep inside 2-billion-year-old rock

Ancient volcanic rock from South Africa has been found to harbour primitive bacteria, which may shed light on some of the earliest forms of life on Earth




k

Richard Dawkins's latest crams gorgeous writing in an ill-fitting box

A new book from the science-writing legend is an Attenborough-esque romp through some of the wonders of the natural world. Just beware the title's misfiring metaphor




k

Beth Shapiro: The ancient DNA pioneer’s mission to bring back the dodo

Evolutionary molecular biologist Beth Shapiro on the hunt for ancient DNA and her groundbreaking de-extinction and environmental mission  




k

Seven newly named frog species make whistles that sound like Star Trek

A group of frogs from Madagascar have mating calls that sound like Star Trek sound effects – now their species names honour captains from the series




k

Puppies as young as 6 weeks old know to ask people for help

Puppies that are raised in someone's home seem to benefit from that extra human interaction, by asking for help at a younger age than those brought up in kennels




k

Invasive snake is surviving in Britain by living in attics and walls

Britain should be too cold for the invasive Aesculapian snake to survive, but it is thriving by exploiting the warmth of attics, wall cavities and compost heaps




k

Hornets can hold their alcohol like no other animal on Earth

The oriental hornet shows no ill effects – or behavioural changes – when it spends a week drinking an 80 per cent alcohol solution




k

Preserved tracks suggest non-avian dinosaurs used their wings to run

Not all winged dinosaurs were necessarily capable of full flight, but this anatomical feature may have enabled them to travel further by flapping or gliding




k

Oldest tadpole fossil known to science dates back 161 million years

A fossil of a tadpole from Argentina is 161 million years old - and isn't that different from some modern species




k

Watch elephants use a hose to shower themselves – and prank others

Asian elephants at Berlin Zoo show impressive skill when using a hose as a tool, and even appear to sabotage each other by stopping the flow of water




k

Chimps do better at difficult tasks when they have an audience

An analysis of thousands of cognitive tests carried out by chimpanzees finds that the number of spectators influenced their performance in different ways depending on the difficulty of the task




k

Lights on surfboards and wetsuits could deter shark attacks

Experiments show that illuminating the underside of a decoy seal reduces attacks by great white sharks, revealing a possible strategy to protect surfers and swimmers