Climate
WMO: Asia was 1.04°C above average in 2024
Asia’s mean temperature was about 1.04°C above 1991–2020. Record ranking varies by dataset.
NEWSVERUM / Global briefing
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Climate
WMO: about one third of services were at essential level
About one third of meteorological and hydrological services provided essential climate services in 2024; a similar share was advanced or full.
Infrastructure
World Bank port index compared 403 container ports
The 2025 index covers 403 ports and over 175,000 vessel calls during 2020–2024.
Technology
World Bank: Internet data use diverges by income group
The World Bank’s 2025 digital progress report says internet penetration in lower-middle-income countries reached 68% in 2024, up from 64% in 2022.
Infrastructure
Private infrastructure commitments reached $100.7bn in 2024
The World Bank PPI report recorded $100.7bn across 315 projects in low- and middle-income countries, versus $87.1bn in 2023.
Technology
U.S. federal R&D obligations fell 2.1% in FY2023
NCSES reported that U.S. federal agency R&D obligations fell from $190.5 billion in FY2022 to $186.4 billion in FY2023.
Technology
U.S. R&D reached $937 billion in 2023
NCSES, the U.S. National Science Foundation’s statistics center, reported domestic research and experimental development spending of $937 billion in 2023. It estimated $993 billion for 2024.
Infrastructure
World Bank logistics index compared 139 countries
The 2023 index compared cross-border freight speed and reliability across 139 countries.
Climate
UNEP: adaptation finance reached $28bn in 2022
International public flows rose from $22bn in 2021 to $28bn. The annual finance gap was estimated at $187–359bn.
Finance
Trading across Arab capital markets reached US$825 billion in nine months
The Arab Federation of Capital Markets reported an 18 percent year-on-year increase in January–September trading value, alongside higher share volumes and transaction counts.
Business
Committed investment in Oman’s Duqm zone reached OMR8.818 billion
Investment commitments reported at end-June were 141 percent higher than in 2021. Oman also outlined port cargo, refinery capacity and dry-dock activity.
Energy
IEA says electrification is an energy-security option after the Hormuz shock
In an IEA scenario, electricity could cost-effectively supply 33 percent of final energy use by 2035; projected import savings are not realized outcomes.