Golden Arches in a War Zone: McDonald’s Thrives in Ukraine
June 28th, 2025
Courtesy of the New York Times, a look at how the American fast-food giant plans to open about 10 new restaurants in Ukraine this year, a testament to the country’s rebounding economy and its enduring love of Big Macs: For decades, the onion-shaped golden domes of an Orthodox Christian monastery kept watch over this lush […]
Read more »Russia Seizes Key Lithium Field in Challenge for U.S.-Ukraine Minerals Deal
June 27th, 2025
Courtesy of the New York Times, a report on Russia’s seizure of a key lithium field, the capture of which highlights a core problem in the agreement. The more territory Moscow grabs, the fewer resources Kyiv can offer to Washington. Russian forces have seized control of a valuable lithium deposit in the Donetsk region of […]
Read more »Trump Has Once-in-a-Century Opportunity in Africa: Grand Inga Hydroelectric Complex
June 27th, 2025
Via Newsmax, commentary on a potential transformational infrastructure opportunity in Africa: At Congo’s Inga Falls, the world’s deepest river plunges down a 315-foot drop, releasing more raw hydraulic energy than any site on Earth. Engineers have long envisioned harnessing that surge through the Grand Inga hydroelectric complex — a seven-station project that, if fully built, […]
Read more »Kim Jong-un Hails New North Korean Beach Resort as One of Country’s ‘Greatest Feats’ This Year
June 25th, 2025
Courtesy of The Guardian, a report on a new North Korean beach resort, hailed as one of country’s ‘greatest feats’ this year: Kim Jong-un is more accustomed to overseeing ballistic missile launches and political purges, but this week the North Korean leader opted for a change of pace with a family visit to a new beach resort – […]
Read more »A Business Hub for Central Asia’s Elite? What to Expect From Alatau
June 25th, 2025
Via The Diplomat, a look at Alatau where Tokayev’s vision of a futuristic Singapore-style city is slowly getting started, but takes a different development approach than Astana did: In a late afternoon session at the Astana International Forum, Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of National Economy Zhandos Shaimardanov stepped onto the stage for a long-awaited talk on […]
Read more »Taliban Cancel Oilfield Deal With Chinese in Afghanistan’s North
June 25th, 2025
Via Nikkei Asia, a report that the Taliban have canceled an oilfield deal with the Chinese in Afghanistan’s north due to slow progress: Afghanistan’s Taliban government has terminated a two-year-old oil extraction and development contract with a Chinese company due to alleged violations of contractual obligations, with some experts believing the move to be a […]
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.