China Set To Extend Reach in South Pacific with Cook Islands Deal
February 14th, 2025
Via The Washington Post, commentary on the recent agreement between China and the Cook Islands: China and the South Pacific nation of the Cook Islands are poised to sign a comprehensive strategic partnership deal on Friday, raising alarm that Beijing is extending its reach into the region in ways that could have security and environmental consequences. […]
Read more »‘It Risks Becoming a Venice in the Desert’: The Dark Side of Uzbekistan’s Tourism Boom
February 14th, 2025
Via BBC, a report on Uzbekistan’s ambitious tourism drive: The Uzbekistan government is on an ambitious tourism drive – but is sparring with heritage experts over how to protect its historical sites. The sound of a jackhammer rattles through the air. In Bukhara, a former trading hub on the ancient Silk Road in what is […]
Read more »Tired of Spotty Internet, Bolivians Smuggle In Starlink
February 14th, 2025
Via Rest of World, a report on Bolivia, which relies on a Chinese-built satellite for some of its connectivity, banned Starlink — but that hasn’t stopped people from smuggling the device into the country: Bolivia’s internet comes from a Chinese-built satellite, and connectivity is patchy. Demand for contraband Starlink kits has grown since the company […]
Read more »Indonesia’s Risky Gamble With Sea Sand Exports
February 14th, 2025
Via Dialogue Earth, a look at Indonesia’s risky decision to restart sea sand exports to neighboring countries: Unregulated sand dredging in the early 2000s pushed Nipah to the brink of submersion, eroding its shores and threatening its existence. This small Indonesian island near Singapore, measuring just 0.62 hectares at high tide and 60 hectares at […]
Read more »Indonesia Makes $1B Health Care Bet To Keep Wealthy Patients At Home
February 14th, 2025
Via Nikkei Asia, a look at Indonesia’s plan to invest in health care: A grand new hospital building rises against the backdrop of the idyllic beach in Sanur in southeast Bali. Spreading across 50,000 sq. meters, Bali International Hospital is set to partially open its doors in April. It has been designed with hotel-like aesthetics, […]
Read more »Syria Just Hosted Its First International Tech Conference In 50 Years
February 13th, 2025
Via Rest of World, a report on hopes of Syrian-American entrepreneurs and investors hope to facilitate 25,000 new tech jobs in the country by 2030: While much of the world was focused on a radical proposal by the U.S. president to transform the Middle East, a group of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and tech leaders gathered […]
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.