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Aid for Trade in Asia and the Pacific: Navigating Climate Policy Dynamics for Sustainable Trade Competitiveness

This report emphasizes that open and fair trade is essential for Asia and the Pacific’s transition to low-carbon economies and outlines the important role of Aid for Trade in this transition.




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Innovative Finance Approaches for Addressing River Basin Pollution: Combating Aquatic Biodiversity Loss in Southeast Asia

This report outlines the cascading environmental, social, and economic impacts of aquatic biodiversity loss in Southeast Asia and recommends ways to develop scalable projects that tackle river pollution and support sustainable development.




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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.




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The Nexus of Peer-to-Peer Lending and Monetary Policy Transmission: Evidence from the People’s Republic of China

This paper examines how booms and busts in peer-to-peer (P2P) lending in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) affect monetary policy transmission to inflation and output.




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Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in Secondary Education Project

1. Output 1: Quality of STEM education with support of technology improved.




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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.




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Climate Resilient Urban Services Project – Tham Luong Ben Cat

The project will support Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and their government to finance sound wastewater and drainage system in the remaining catchments, thereby strengthening its foundation as the socioeconomic growth pole of southern Viet Nam. The impact of the project will be improved surface water quality and drainage capacity in HCMC. The outcome will be increased wastewater and drainage collection and treatment capacity in key catchments in HCMC.




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Supporting Renewable Energy Development

The project will support increased contributions of clean energy in Mongolia's energy mix while also supporting energy security, efficiency, and resilience. The project will finance the construction of a new 220 kilovolt (kV) transmission line to connect to the 90-megawatt (MW) Erdeneburen hydropower plant (HPP) to the existing grid network, which will increase supply in the Western Energy System (WES), eliminate costly and high-emission imports from the Russian Federation, and facilitate maximized utilization of wind and solar generating capacity.




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Fanga'uta Lagoon Bridge Project

The proposed project will build a bridge across the Fanga'uta Lagoon in Nuku'alofa, the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga (Tonga). The crossing will consist of an approximately 720 m long bridge and 4.96 km of approach roads from Nuku'alofa to Vaini, southern Tongatapu.




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Promoting Energy Exports Diversification Project

The TA is proposed to develop Bhutan's overall power dispatch options and strategies for domestic electricity consumption and international power trade. It will look into strategic views to maximize power export from various potential energy sources of hydropower, solar power, and wind power while meeting growing domestic electricity consumption.




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MFF: Green and Resilience Financing Facility Investment Program

The proposed program is a large-scale transformative and integrated initiative addressing the constraints. It aims to bridge the financing, capacity, institutional, and technical gaps in implementing the NAP and adaptation measures mentioned in the NDC and GRID while promoting mitigation, biodiversity, air pollution, and food security as co-benefits.




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Preparing the Babeldaob Island Urban Resilience Project (formerly Strengthening Urban Planning and Management)

For approval in 2023.




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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




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Charles Darwin’s frogs turn mating upside down

Turning around and backing up out of pools found in tree hollows may help mating Charles Darwin’s frogs find a safe place to lay their eggs while fending off competitive males




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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




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Sea lion cameras record amazing predator's view of the ocean

Eight Australian sea lions were fitted with cameras and trackers to capture unprecedented insights into their behaviour and the marine habitats where they hunt




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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




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A surprisingly wide range of bacteria live inside microwaves

Microwaves in homes, offices and laboratories have been found to host diverse microbiomes, highlighting the importance of regular cleaning




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The science is clear: repeatedly whipping a horse won't help it learn

After the release of a shocking video showing Olympic rider Charlotte Dujardin whipping a horse, it is time for equestrians to educate themselves on the science of horse training, says Christa Lesté-Lasserre




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The best livestream so far this year? A corpse flower slowly blooming

Forget videos by gamers or influencers. For a real online thrill, watch the world's biggest flower emerging in a former web designer's greenhouse, says Annalee Newitz




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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




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How crocodiles were taught to stop eating deadly toxic cane toads

Invasive cane toads have decimated native freshwater crocodile populations in northern Australia, as the predators don't know they should avoid the toxic amphibians




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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




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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




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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




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Listening to worms wriggle can help us monitor ecosystem health

The noises made by organisms like ants and worms as they move around in the soil can be used to assess whether an ecosystem is in good shape




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An engrossing history of teeth shows their complex role in evolution

From birds and bats to horses and great apes, Bill Schutt's seriously fun history of teeth, Bite, explains their role in both shaping evolution and our understanding of it




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Stunning photos of life above and below water

See the incredible shots that have won this year's BMC Ecology and Evolution and BMC Zoology Image Competition




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Spiders use fireflies as flashing lures to catch more prey

Male fireflies caught in an orb-weaver spider’s web start flashing in an unusual pattern, a deadly deception that seems to attract additional victims for the spider




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Why the underground home of the world’s weirdest wildlife is in danger

Up to 100,000 extraordinary species, from spiders and beetles to salamanders and fish, live in subterranean caves and cracks. They aren’t as safe down there as we thought




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David Attenborough's latest explores the lives of an orangutan family

The veteran presenter adds authority to Secret Lives of Orangutans, a film about a family of endangered orangutans in Sumatra. File this new entry in his vast oeuvre under lovable but lightweight




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Inside NASA's lab exploring conditions for life on other worlds

The Origins and Habitability Lab at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a testbed exploring how geological conditions could impact life in environments such as early Earth, Mars or the icy moons of Jupiter




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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




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Wild bees have found a surprising place to nest in cities

A survey found 66 species of insects making their homes in cobbled pavements on the streets of Berlin, and greater biodiversity near insect-friendly flower gardens




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Even simple bacteria can anticipate the changing seasons

Cyanobacteria exposed to shorter days are better at surviving cold conditions, showing that even simple organisms can prepare for the arrival or summer and winter




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Stunningly preserved pterosaur fossils reveal how they soared

The largest pterosaurs, ancient reptiles that were the first vertebrates to master flight, may have mostly soared while smaller ones flapped their wings, a pattern that persists in today's birds




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Endangered wombat's rare encounter with echidna caught on camera

A camera trap at an Australian nature refuge has captured a boisterous interaction between a northern hairy-nosed wombat and an echidna




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Watch eels escape from the stomachs of fish after being swallowed

X-ray videos of Japanese eels swallowed whole by dark sleeper fish have revealed how the eels can make a daring escape from being digested




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Ants change the way they build nests to stop diseases spreading

When worker ants are exposed to a pathogenic fungus, they build nests that are more compartmentalised to reduce the risk of an epidemic




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How the hidden lives of dinosaurs are being revealed by new technology

From migrating sauropods and semi-aquatic predators to doting parents, palaeontologists are finally uncovering the mysteries of the lifestyles of dinosaurs




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Some flowers may have evolved long stems to be better ‘seen’ by bats

Echolocating bats can more easily find and pollinate long-stemmed flowers that stand out from the surrounding foliage, which may be why this floral trait evolved




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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




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The cactus family’s surprising evolutionary journey

We are finally untangling the ancient history of the cactus family, revealing some surprising forces that shaped these plants – ­­­­­­and prompting concern for their future




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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




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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




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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




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Some fish regrow injured fins and we’re closer to understanding how

Unravelling the complex biological process that allows fish to regrow injured fins could help advance regenerative medicine in humans




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It's time to celebrate a renaissance in English nature writing

Musing on John Lewis-Stempel's latest book, England: A natural history, James McConnachie marks the flowering of other, more diverse voices in nature writing




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See the stunning winners from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year

An army of tadpoles and a stretching lynx are just some of the incredible photos winning accolades at the annual competition




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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