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World Bank to Promote High-Quality Innovations in Kazakhstan
The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors today approved a US$88 million loan to help Kazakhstan foster innovation by promoting high-quality nationally relevant research and commercialization of technologies. The Fostering Productive Innovation Project will contribute to improving critical areas, such
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China’s High-Speed Rail: the Rapid Growth of a New Travel Option
BEIJING – China has the world’s largest and still expanding high-speed rail (HSR) network, but whether ridership would materialize has been the subject of much debate. A new World Bank paper finds initial traffic volumes are promising, with traffic growing from
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World Bank Commits over $1 Billion to Bangladesh
WASHINGTON – The World Bank today approved approximately $1.1 billion for three projects in Bangladesh that would benefit almost 36 million people by improving the quality of primary education, building coastal communities’ resilience to natural disaster, and increasing the nutrition and
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World Bank: International Food Prices Hit Four-Year Low
New World Bank Group tool focuses on preparedness for potential future crises. International prices of food decreased by 6 percent between April and August 2014, reaching a four-year low, according to the latest edition of Food Price Watch. This sharp decrease
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UN Reports Potential for Gradual Return to Global Growth, Foresees Risks, Uncertainties
Global economic growth is forecast to continue increasing over the next two years, the United Nations reported today, despite legacies from the financial crisis continuing to weigh on growth, and the emergence of new challenges, including geopolitical conflicts such as
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Trade Balance of Developing and Developed Countries Continues to Converge, UNCTAD Statistics Show
UNCTAD Handbook of Statistics 2014 shows that developing and transition economies run large trade surpluses for merchandise and services trade. Geneva, 9 December 2014 – Developing economies ran a combined merchandise and services trade surplus for 2013 of $177.6 billion,
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World Bank: Vietnam Sees Early Signs of Economic Recovery
Hanoi, December 3, 2014 – Early signs show that Vietnam’s economic recovery is on track, says the World Bank’s Taking Stock report, released today. Vietnam’s economic growth is expected to improve from 5.4 percent in 2013 to 5.6 percent in
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How Thailand’s Solar Power Visionary Built an Industry with a Boost from IFC
One of the winners of this year’s UN Momentum for Change awards has been transforming Thailand’s renewable energy capacity with utility-scale solar farms. To get finance flowing for what was then a new industry in the country, she worked with
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Overall Tax Cost and Compliance Burden Lower for Businesses around the World
Paying taxes has become easier over the past year for medium-sized companies around the world, the latest report from the World Bank Group and PwC finds. The time it takes an average company to meet its tax obligations dropped by
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WB, Vietnam Sign US$ 500 Million Loan to Improve Energy Efficiency
Hanoi, November, 2014 – The State Bank of Vietnam and the World Bank today signed a US$ 500 million loan for a US$ 731.25 million operation in support of Vietnam’s energy sector. The investment will fund construction of over 1,000
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