US-China In New, Intense Tug-of-War for Cambodia
June 20th, 2024
Via The Asia Times, a look at how both Beijing and Washington seem to have sensed change in tone under new PM Hun Manet and are making moves to win his favor: On June 4, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Cambodia in what was widely touted as a “historic” trip, the first by a Pentagon […]
Read more »Africa’s Copperbelt Sets Off Investment Race for EV Metals
June 20th, 2024
Via Nikkei Asia, a look at the growing investment race for EV metals in Africa: Businesses from the U.S., Japan and Europe are moving to tap mineral reserves in Central Africa, using the latest technologies to locate critical electric vehicle materials, as China currently dominates development on the continent. The so-called Copperbelt spans across the […]
Read more »A Middle East Dealmaker Fights for Credibility in Silicon Valley
June 20th, 2024
Courtesy of The Information, a look at how the venture arm of Mubadala, the United Arab Emirates’ giant sovereign wealth fund, has elbowed its way into tech’s clubby investing circles under the leadership of Ibrahim Ajami. But missteps with its European dealmaking and skepticism about its direct investments in startups show it still has progress […]
Read more »The West Is Laser-Focused on Central Asia’s Middle Corridor. So Is China.
June 20th, 2024
Via The Diplomat, a look at the Middle Corridor but – for more commodities to move west from Central Asia – better infrastructure, more inter-agency cooperation, and modern customs systems are necessary: The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Kathleen Tai visited Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in mid-June, the first time a USTR has ever visited the Central Asian region. […]
Read more »Monaco has the Oldest Population in the World, Niger the Youngest
June 20th, 2024
Via Voronoi, a graphical look at the world’s oldest and youngest countries by median age, per 2024 estimates from the CIA World Factbook: Key Takeaways Monaco and Japan—two countries with high life expectancies and low birth rates—have some of the highest median ages (50+) in the world, indicating that the population as a whole is […]
Read more »Japanese Ice Cream Melts Hearts in Asia with Record Exports
June 20th, 2024
Via Nikkei Asia, a look at the growing popularity of Japanese ice cream melts hearts in Asia, where Taiwan is top overseas market, with Malaysia emerging as new battleground: Japan’s ice cream industry has been hot since last summer, fueled by scorching temperatures and record-high shipments to Taiwan and other markets. Sales of the frozen […]
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.