Cash-Strapped Taliban Selling Tickets To Ruins of Buddhas It Blew Up
June 15th, 2023
Courtesy of The Washington Post, an interesting look at how the Taliban are now selling tickets to ruins of Buddhas it blew up to generate income: The three Taliban soldiers gazed down at the gaping hole in the 125-foot cliff where one of Afghanistan’s two great Buddha figures once stood and wondered aloud who was […]
Read more »Apple Got Rich in China. Other Asian Markets Offer The Next ‘Golden Opportunity’
June 15th, 2023
Via CNN, a look at how other Asian markets offer the next ‘golden opportunity’ for Apple: Apple launched an online store in Vietnam this week, in another nod to the growing importance of emerging markets for the iPhone maker. The opening on Thursday, which followed the high-profile launch of its first physical shops in India, […]
Read more »Tensions Flare in Ancient Thai City Over New Chinese-Backed High-Speed Railway Development
June 15th, 2023
Courtesy of The China-Global South Project, a fascinating article about a bitter dispute underway in the ancient Thai city of Ayutthaya over the risks posed by a new Chinese-backed high-speed railway that will pass through the city. As noted, there’s no simple answer here. On the hand, the new railway will make it easier for […]
Read more »Zola, Sun King, and M-KOPA: Three Paths To Africa’s Off-Grid Energy Future
June 15th, 2023
Courtesy of Impact Alpha, a look at three (3) different business models powering Africa’s off-grid energy sector: For a decade, access to affordable, reliable and modern energy increased by roughly 100 million people a year – until the global Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, the number of people who live without any access to electricity has […]
Read more »China, Russia Interests Diverge and Clash in Sudan
June 15th, 2023
Via The Conversation, a look at how China and Russia are involved in the Sudan conflict in which China’s approach favors economics and stability while Russia puts priority on conflict-stoking arms sales: As clashes continue between the Sudanese military and rapid support forces, the current and historic role of foreign governments in Sudanese affairs is […]
Read more »BlackRock and Brookfield Are Betting Big on Tiny Solar Farms in Chile
June 15th, 2023
Courtesy of Bloomberg, a report on how Chilean solar farms give ESG-focused investors access to stable prices: Some of the world’s biggest fund managers are piling in to a quirky Chilean business model that offers guaranteed long-term prices for power produced by tiny renewable plants. BlackRock Inc. and Brookfield Corp. are among firms buying portfolios […]
Read more »Focusing primarily on The New Seven Sisters - the largely state owned petroleum companies from the emerging world that have become key players in the oil & gas industry as identified by Carola Hoyos, Chief Energy Correspondent for The Financial Times - but spanning other nascent opportunities around the globe that may hold potential in the years ahead, Wildcats & Black Sheep is a place for the adventurous to contemplate & evaluate the emerging markets of tomorrow.