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2EMMA network expertise showcases to spark creativity and deal matching:

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World Monitor

Monitored stories:

Déjà vu Transcaucasia..

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Does your aunt love roosters?

The best way to learn is by ‘kibbitzing’.., or even better- from others’ mistakes

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FT is getting rude; so we threw it out

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Will 2020 ever be over.!?

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Georgia on my mind: What do Tbilisi and Atlanta have in common..? Well: Georgia!

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Data Monitor

Our emerging market data selection covers the current EMMA countries plus a sizeable collection of useful data links for a research analyst (which most of us are at heart). In case some data links are slightly out of date, the odds are that you can find the updated data at the same reference source:

See the Data Selection

                

Deal Monitor   

Current finders’ pipeline:

Sector: Alternative fund

Stage: Fund-raising

Size: €3-6mil

Stake: Equity

 

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Sector: Real estate

Stage: Development

Size: €100mil+

Stake: Equity+debt

 

 

Sector: Agribusiness

Stage: Buyout

Size: +/-€10mil

Stake: Equity

 

CONTENTS

Regularly updated content

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What the savvy investor can learn from the bonkers rally in GameStop shares
What the savvy investor can learn from the bonkers rally in GameStop shares

U.S. futures point to a positive open ahead of big week for tech earnings. [...]

We are all tech companies now
We are all tech companies now

We tend to be guided by ideas and theories devised to explain an economy that no longer exists. [...]

The founder who decided to to stop fundraising and instead hold onto her equity
The founder who decided to to stop fundraising and instead hold onto her equity

Many founders fall into the trap of believing that fundraising is a rite of passage in the startup world. But it can also be hugely distracting, discouraging, and if you are a female, the odds aren't good, to put it politely. [...]

What does big business need to do to earn your trust?

Tim Ryan, the chair of PwC U.S. weighs in with some advice. [...]

A Loon comes down to earth

Alphabet’s Project Loon shuts down [...]

How I tripled my money in bitcoin—then lost almost half of it

The digital currency market is turning into a "fun casino." [...]

Citigroup closes its gender pay gap ever so slightly

The bank is one of the few companies to go public with its figures. [...]

Bitcoin bombs lower, touching the dreaded $30,000 range

U.S. futures point to a weak open, following Europe and much of Asia lower. [...]

Friday feedback: Tax and PACs
Friday feedback: Tax and PACs

It's Friday, and readers have thoughts. [...]

A new president takes on one of the biggest vaccine challenges in history

As the Biden administration officially takes over, it faces a massive task: Getting COVID vaccines into people's arms. [...]

Biden to impose travel restrictions on South Africa, U.K. and Brazil to mitigate new Covid strains

President Joe Biden will sign a travel ban Monday on most non-U.S. citizens entering the country who were recently in South Africa, where a new strain of Covid-19 has been identified. [...]

An 'aggressive' fight over containers is causing shipping costs to rocket by 300%

Industry watchers said desperate companies wait weeks for containers and pay premium rates to get them, causing shipping costs to skyrocket. [...]

GameStop shares jump another 40%, shake off analyst downgrade as epic short squeeze continues

Massive short covering and internet-driven momentum keeps pushing GameStop stock higher. [...]

Biden pushes elusive 'Buy American' goal to order the government to buy more U.S. goods

President Joe Biden will take steps to harness the U.S. purchasing power to increase domestic manufacturing and create markets for new technologies. [...]

Merck ends Covid vaccine program, citing inferior immune responses

Merck will end development of its two Covid-19 vaccines, and will focus pandemic research on treatments. [...]

SPAC boom could rescue digital publishers like Buzzfeed and Vice from despair

Digital media companies may be the latest industry to use SPACs as instruments to go public. [...]

Digital ad firm Taboola plans to go public via SPAC

Digital ad company Taboola says it plans to go public via a merger with ION Acquisition Corp, a special acquisition corporation.  [...]

With more than 100 S&P 500 earnings releases this week, traders say these are the two to watch

It's one of the busiest stretches of the earnings season. Craig Johnson of Piper Sandler and Danielle Shay of Simpler Trading take a look at Apple and Tesla. [...]

From Amazon to Alibaba: Here are Citi's top U.S. and China tech picks for 2021

There are concerns that the giants of American and Chinese tech could come under further regulatory scrutiny this year. [...]

Shares of Evergrande's electric car unit pop 67% after raising billions to compete with Tesla in China

The funding is another sign that China's electric car market is heating up with Evergrande posing a potential challenge to Tesla, Nio and Xpeng Motors. [...]

GameStop Shares Surge Toward Fresh Record Ahead of Opening Bell

GameStop shares surged ahead of the opening bell, in the latest sign that frenetic trading by individual investors is leading to outsize stock-market moves. [...]

Stock Futures Rise on Renewed Tech Surge

Technology shares led U.S. stock futures higher ahead of a blockbuster week in earnings, with investors awaiting results from companies such as Apple, Tesla and Facebook. [...]

GameStop, BlackBerry, Kimberly-Clark: What to Watch When the Stock Market Opens Today

Technology shares were leading gains premarket. [...]

Microsoft Puts on Its Game Face

The software giant’s results will reflect a big gaming quarter, though console production constraints and low margins complicate the story. [...]

Small-Investor Surge Shows No Sign of Slowing

Small-investor trading activity has stayed super hot in 2021, highlighting the opportunity for big banks to tap into a rare source of growth. [...]

Cannabis Companies Are Ready to Roll

Since Democrats won control of the Senate earlier this month, many in the cannabis industry are betting on a more rapid path to full federal legalization and a pickup in deal making as companies rush to scale up. [...]

China's Economy Overtaking the U.S. Will Be Harder Than It Looks

Estimates that China will soon overtake the U.S. in total economic heft depend on it maintaining current growth trends, and poor demographics will make it difficult to hold the lead. [...]

Buffett Investments in Japan Struggle to Keep Up With the Market

Holdings in fossil-fuel businesses pressure companies that Berkshire Hathaway took a 5% stake in. [...]

Caterpillar's Chinese Rivals Power Through the Pandemic

Sany Heavy and Zoomlion have gained market share in China while their foreign competitors have been hobbled by Covid-19. [...]

China's Love of TikTok-Style Apps Powers $5 Billion IPO

Kuaishou Technology has its eyes on the world’s biggest initial public offering in more than a year, seeking to raise about $5 billion from a Hong Kong share sale. [...]

Photo: Untitled, by LTJcake
Photo: Untitled, by LTJcake

Untitled, by LTJcake (CC BY 2.0) [...]

Translation: “The First Woman To Die by the Divorce ‘Cooling-off Period'”

On January 1, the Supreme People’s Court released the first interpretations of China’s Civil Code, putting into effect the nation’s first comprehensive collection of private laws on personal and property rights. When it passed last May, public attention was fixed on long-running crises of domestic… [...]

Foreign Ministry Spokespeople Atwitter Over American Social Media Bans

A new investigation by China Media Project revealed how Twitter’s decision to label certain Chinese accounts as “state-affiliated” throttled their reach, curbing China’s “borrowed boat” propaganda strategy yet also impacting independent Chinese media outlets. In August of 2020, Twitter attached labels to accounts connected to… [...]

Photo: Lightning “passes through” the highest landmark building in Beijing like a dragon, by World Meteorological Organization/Lu Qiao
Photo: Lightning “passes through” the highest landmark building in Beijing like a dragon, by World Meteorological Organization/Lu Qiao

Lightning “passes through” the highest landmark building in Beijing like a dragon, by World Meteorological Organization/Lu Qiao (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) [...]

After Disappointing Sinovac Trial, Beijing Snipes at Western Vaccines
After Disappointing Sinovac Trial, Beijing Snipes at Western Vaccines

A week after stage three trial data from Brazil revealed lower-than-expected efficacy numbers for one of China’s main coronavirus vaccines, Beijing’s spokespersons and several reputable Chinese experts have doubled down on a new tactic to promote their vaccine: sniping at competitors. From accusing Western media… [...]

New Spring Festival Travel Rules Target Coronavirus Outbreak, Hit Migrant Workers
New Spring Festival Travel Rules Target Coronavirus Outbreak, Hit Migrant Workers

During a January 20 press conference, China’s National Health Commission stated that all hoping to return to countryside homes for next month’s Spring Festival must first get tested for COVID. The following day, Xinhua News followed up on the surprise announcement, writing: “People must produce… [...]

Photo: 798, by Gauthier DELECROIX – 郭天
Photo: 798, by Gauthier DELECROIX – 郭天

798, by Gauthier DELECROIX – 郭天 (CC BY 2.0) [...]

Celebrity Scandal Inspires Reflection on Surrogacy in China
Celebrity Scandal Inspires Reflection on Surrogacy in China

A gossipy breakup scandal became an internet-wide debate about the morality of surrogacy after it was revealed that a former celebrity couple secretly begat children through surrogacy in the United States. Producer Zhang Heng accused actress Zheng Shuang of denying her maternity and abandoning their… [...]

China-U.K. Relations Fracture Amid Hong Kong Crackdown

As the Hong Kong government’s crackdown on pro-democracy activists continues unabated, relations between Beijing and London have become increasingly frayed. Areas that have previously highlighted Hong Kong’s connectivity with the West and London’s positive relationship with the former colony have become stress points, affecting the… [...]

Photo: A Stop, by alexsadeghi
Photo: A Stop, by alexsadeghi

A Stop, by alexsadeghi (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) [...]

No more needles for diagnostic tests?

Medical researchers have developed a biosensing microneedle patch that can be applied to the skin, capture a biomarker of interest and, thanks to its unprecedented sensitivity, allow clinicians to detect its presence. [...]

Wet and wild: There's lots of water in the world's most explosive volcano

Conditions inside the Shiveluch volcano include roughly 10%-14% water by weight (wt%), according to new research. Most volcanoes have less than 1% water. For subduction zone volcanoes, the average is usually 4%, rarely exceeding 8 wt%, which is considered superhydrous. [...]

New technique builds super-hard metals from nanoparticles

Researchers have shown a way to make bulk metals by smashing tiny metal nanoparticles together, which allows for customized grain structures and improved mechanical and other properties. [...]

Regulating the ribosomal RNA production line

The enzyme that makes RNA from a DNA template is altered to slow the production of ribosomal RNA (rRNA), the most abundant type of RNA within cells, when resources are scarce and the bacteria Escherichia coli needs to slow its growth. [...]

Possible new combo therapy for head and neck cancer

Researchers have tested a new combination therapy in animal models to see if they could find a way to make an already effective treatment even better. Since they're using a Food and Drug Administration-approved drug to do it, this could help people sooner than later. [...]

Crystal structures in super slow motion

Laser beams are used to change the properties of materials in an extremely precise way. However, the underlying processes generally take place at such unimaginably fast speeds and at such a small scale that they have so far eluded direct observation. Researchers have now managed… [...]

NSAIDs might exacerbate or suppress COVID-19 depending on timing, mouse study suggests

New research shows that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) reduced both antibody and inflammatory responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice. [...]

Climate and carbon cycle trends of the past 50 million years reconciled

Oceanographers fully reconciled climate and carbon cycle trends of the past 50 million years -- solving a controversy debated in the scientific literature for decades. [...]

Exercising muscle combats chronic inflammation on its own

Biomedical engineers have demonstrated that human muscle has an innate ability to ward off damaging effects of chronic inflammation when exercised. The discovery was made possible through the use of lab-grown, engineered human muscle, demonstrating the potential power of the first-of-its-kind platform in such research… [...]

Tiny particles that seed clouds can form from trace gases over open sea

New results from an atmospheric study over the Eastern North Atlantic reveal that tiny aerosol particles that seed the formation of clouds can form out of next to nothingness over the open ocean. The findings will improve how aerosols and clouds are represented in models… [...]

Covid-19: Vaccine divides in the Middle East

Israel is vaccinating against Covid-19 faster than anywhere else, but most Palestinians are waiting. [...]

Malka Leifer: Israel extradites ex-principal accused of child sex abuse in Australia

Malka Leifer is being flown to Australia, where she is accused of sexually assaulting schoolgirls. [...]

Covid: Israel vaccinates 16 to 18-year-olds ahead of exams

Israel has vaccinated more than a quarter of its population and now high school students are eligible. [...]

Egypt's dreams of democracy still alive?

It's been 10 years since Egyptians took to the streets to unseat their longest-serving President, Hosni Mubarak. [...]

Iran's supreme leader makes online threats to attack golfing Trump

A photomontage seems to show the ex-president playing in the shadow of a warplane or large drone. [...]

Iraq bombing: IS says it was behind deadly suicide attacks in Baghdad

The jihadists say the biggest bombing in Iraq's capital for three years was aimed at Shia Muslims. [...]

Steinmetz Swiss trial: Jail for tycoon in Guinea mine corruption trial

Israeli businessman Beny Steinmetz is given a jail term by a Swiss court in a historic corruption case. [...]

Israel 'confident over full vaccine effect'

Israel is likely to be the first country to see an impact from vaccination - but it is still too early. [...]

Tunisia youths warned over riots amid Covid curfew

Protests continued for a fifth night over high unemployment and an economic crisis. [...]

Lebanon's Coronavirus lockdown: 'We can't leave our homes day or night'

People in Lebanon describe the impact of being confined to their homes for 24 hours a day. [...]

We expected some more turn in second innings: Balbirnie

Abu Dhabi [UAE], January 25 (ANI): Ireland skipper Andrew Balbirnie has admitted that the target of 260 runs for Afghanistan in the second ODI on a pitch that became more dead as the game progressed w [...]

Does bombing in Iraq prove ISIS has not been defeated?

By John SolomouNicosia [Cyprus], January 25 (ANI): Last Thursday morning the center of the Iraqi capital Baghdad was shaken by a twin suicide bombing which killed at least 32 people and wounded more t [...]

Rahmat century guides Afghanistan past Ireland in 2nd ODI

Rahmat Shah smashed an unbeaten century to guide Afghanistan to a seven-wicket victory over Ireland in their second one-day international in Abu Dhabi.Rahma [...]

Afghan Official: 600 Freed Taliban Prisoners Rearrested

ISLAMABAD - Authorities in Afghanistan say they have rearrested 600 members of the Taliban who were freed from imprisonment as part of a peace-building agreement between the United States and the i [...]

Snow, sleet to hit north China

BEIJING, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Snow and sleet accompanied by gusts will hit parts of northern China from Sunday evening to Tuesday, the country's top meteorological authority said Sunday. Temp [...]

Xinhua world news summary at 1130 GMT, Jan. 24

FARAH, Afghanistan -- A total of eight militants have been confirmed dead as fighting planes struck the Taliban hideout in Balablock district of the western Farah province on Saturday, said an army [...]

11 Chinese Miners Rescued After 2 Weeks Trapped Underground

Rescue teams in China have brought to the surface 11 miners trapped in a gold mine by an explosion Jan. 10.Local media said the first miner was rescued from the mine in Qixia City in Shandon [...]

Afghan Air Force kills 6 Taliban terrorists in Faryab

Faryab [Afghanistan], January 24 (ANI): As many as six Taliban terrorists were killed and five others were wounded by the Afghan Air Force in Afghanistan's Faryab province on Saturday. "Afghan Air For [...]

Afghan air raids kill 8 militants in western Farah province

FARAH, Afghanistan, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- A total of eight militants have been confirmed dead as fighting planes struck the Taliban hideout in Balablock district of the western Farah province on Satu [...]

Mongolia reports 16 more COVID-19 cases, 24 recoveries

ULAN BATOR, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia has reported 16 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, taking its total tally to 1,627, the country's National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) [...]

Africa: Covid-19 Death Toll Exceeds 85,000 Across Continent

[allAfrica] Cape Town -- As of January 25, confirmed cases of Covid-19 from 55 African countries reached 3,437,638. Reported deaths in Africa reached 85,184  and 2,892,407 people have recovered. [...]

South Africa: U.S. Set to Impose Ban on Travellers from South Africa - Report

[allAfrica] Cape Town -- United States President Joe Biden is set to ban most non-U.S. citizens who have recently been in South Africa from entering the country, in a bid to contain the spread of a new variant of Covid-19, a senior U.S. public health… [...]

Uganda: Court Orders Police, Army to Vacate Bobi Wine's Home

[Monitor] The High Court in Kampala has ordered security operatives to vacate former presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi's home in Magere, Wakiso District. [...]

Zimbabwe: Former Education Minister Chigwedere Buried

[The Herald] Herald Reporter [...]

Zimbabwe: Nakamba Earns Praise After Impressive Show in Villa Win

[New Zimbabwe] ZIMBABWE Warriors star Marvelous Nakamba marked his return to the Aston Villa starting line-up in style with an impressive performance to inspire his side to a comfortable victory over Newcastle at Villa Park on Saturday night. [...]

Kenya: Mystery Cross Uncovered Inside Nairobi's City Market

[Nation] A mysterious cross has been discovered underneath the City Market in Nairobi, triggering interest by archaeologists and architectural historians on what could be beneath the crucifix-like concrete. [...]

Zimbabwe: Concern Over Gold Smuggling to Dubai

[The Herald] At least 60kg of gold worth millions of dollars could be smuggled from Zimbabwe to Dubai monthly, prejudicing the country of the much-needed foreign currency earnings, Prosecutor-General Mr Kumbirai Hodzi estimates. [...]

Sierra Leone: Covid-19 - Freetown Goes Into 2 Weeks Lockdown

[East African] Sierra Leone's capital Freetown goes into a two-week lockdown starting Monday, as the government revises measures to contain the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. [...]

Kenya: Talk of a Rotational Presidency Heats Up Political Climate

[East African] Kenya is bracing for a surge in toxic political rhetoric in the coming months amid renewed agitation for a rotational presidency. [...]

Tanzania: Judiciary Nods to Kiswahili Use in Tanzania Legal System

[Daily News] THE executive and the judiciary have agreed to fully switch the country's legal system and legal materials from English to Kiswahili language, a centenary since the establishment of the High Court in the country. [...]

Montenegro Seeks ‘Fraternal’ Serbia’s Friendship Despite Diplomatic Feud
Montenegro Seeks ‘Fraternal’ Serbia’s Friendship Despite Diplomatic Feud

Montenegrin Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic on Monday said the last government's expulsion of the Serbian ambassador should not damage relations between the two countries – and again urged the Serbian PM to pay a visit. [...]

Fakebooks in Hungary and Poland
Fakebooks in Hungary and Poland

Local versions of Facebook have been launched in Poland and Hungary, though experience shows that technology ventures conceived with politically biased and nationalistic motives rarely succeed. [...]

Steroids Seizure on Embassy Bus Raises Fresh Questions for Moldova
Steroids Seizure on Embassy Bus Raises Fresh Questions for Moldova

Moldova has long played a major role in the illicit trade in anabolic steroids. But was the country’s envoy to Russia also in on the act? [...]

Serbia Eyes Artificial Intelligence in Courts, but Experts See Dangers
Serbia Eyes Artificial Intelligence in Courts, but Experts See Dangers

‘Predictive justice’ might just be the tool to accelerate Serbia’s sluggish justice system. But experts are warning of considerable dangers and say the public must have a say. [...]

ICG: Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue Needs Compromise to Move Forward
ICG: Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue Needs Compromise to Move Forward

With the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue currently at a standstill, a new report by the International Crisis Group, ICG, proposes three possible options for ending a logjam that is holding both sides back from EU membership. [...]

Balkan Insight’s Week in Pictures
Balkan Insight’s Week in Pictures

A round-up of Balkan Insight's favourite photographs of the week. [...]

Croatian President Snubs Military Commemoration over Fascist Insignia
Croatian President Snubs Military Commemoration over Fascist Insignia

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic refused to go to a commemoration of a 1993 victory over rebel Serbs when he learned that participants from a former paramilitary unit were wearing WWII-era fascist symbols. [...]

Turkey, Serbia, Bosnia and Hungary Put Trust in Russian, Chinese Vaccines
Turkey, Serbia, Bosnia and Hungary Put Trust in Russian, Chinese Vaccines

While Most Central and Southeast European countries put their faith in Western-made COVID vaccines – Turkey, Hungary, Bosnia and Serbia are also investing in Russian and Chinese jabs – despite concerns about their reliability. [...]

Bosnian Fighter ‘Innocent’ of Sarajevo Siege Charges, Says Lawyer
Bosnian Fighter ‘Innocent’ of Sarajevo Siege Charges, Says Lawyer

Wartime fighter Senad Dzananovic’s lawyer said he should be acquitted of unlawfully detaining, raping and killing Serbs in Sarajevo in 1992 during the siege of the city. [...]

BIRN Fact-Check: What Must be Done for Russian Forces to Leave Transnistria?
BIRN Fact-Check: What Must be Done for Russian Forces to Leave Transnistria?

As Moldova and Russia spar again over Moscow’s military presence in the breakaway region of Transnistria, BIRN looks at what it would take to end this decades-long dispute. [...]

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