100M Vaccine Shots Expected by January

President Donald Trump has agreed to allow the transition of power to President-elect Joe Biden after stalling for weeks, even though he’s yet to concede the election. Biden has meanwhile decided on former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen as his nominee for treasury secretary.

2. Lawyer Up, Mr. President

We’re talking about former South African President Jacob Zuma and his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy. When your time in office ends, so does your legal immunity. Both Zuma and Sarkozy are now facing trials over charges of corruption.

3. January Jab for Millions

The Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, says it expects to produce 100 million shots of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine every month starting in January. The vaccine has shown up to 90 percent efficacy in trials conducted in Brazil, the U.K. and South Africa. When do you think you’ll get a COVID-19 vaccine shot? Vote on Twitter.

4. When Bibi Met Salman

There’s more than the fate of a neighborhood bookstore at stake. An Israeli cabinet minister has confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Riyadh last weekend to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Riyadh has denied the meeting, but if it did take place, it would suggest Saudi Arabia and Israel might be edging toward a historic deal.

Monkeys are naughty. In Lobpuri, Thailand, they’re note-y too. British pianist Paul Barton is performing concerts to calm hungry macaques who don’t have tourists to feed them amid the pandemic. They like Beethoven — but they also nibble at Barton’s sheet music, play with his hair and walk on the piano keys. Monkey business can be serious stuff. Watch.

A skip to the left to throw off one opponent, then a swivel and a sprinter's dash to race past the remaining two in his way. Earlier this month, Mo'unga scored 23 points for New Zealand as the team trounced archrivals Australia 43-5. It was no one-off performance. Born to a Tongan father and Samoan mother, the 26-year-old was told growing up that he was too small to succeed at rugby. Today he’s the face and future of the All Blacks — New Zealand’s national team — in a country where rugby racism was once the norm.

2. Zenay Jordaan

The 29-year-old once trained to become a firefighter. Today she puts out fires for the South African women's rugby team on the field. Now the champion player — arguably her country’s all-time best — who used to sneak out of her house to play rugby against boys is preparing for her sixth world championships in 2021, inspiring young women of color to take up the sport.

3. Maro Itoje

Among England’s most valuable players, the Nigerian-origin Itoje is also a leading voice against racism in the sport and beyond. He was at the center of united action by England rugby to support the Black Lives Matter movement after George Floyd’s death and is vocal about living as the “other” in a white-dominated society.

Rising music superstar Saweetie reveals her dream to build a billion-dollar, multi-industry global brand on The Carlos Watson Show later today. The woman behind “Icy Grl,” “My Type” and “Tap In” shares the story of her love affair with fellow rapper Quavo, her politics — and why sports is her first love.

1. Merval

Argentina’s exchange should be renamed Marvel. It has grown 25 percent since the start of a year when most other stock exchanges tanked and then barely recovered. The Dow Jones Composite Average, for instance, is just 4.8 percent up since January. Merval’s helped by what analysts are calling a “risk-on” mentality where investors are eyeing low-priced stocks as worthwhile pickings. The country’s escape from a debt crisis has helped.

2. Tadawul

Oil giant Aramco’s record $29.4 billion IPO is the diamond in the crown of Saudi Arabia's stock exchange. But Riyadh wants more gems. One of the world's 10 largest stock exchanges, Tadawul now controls 76 percent of the market cap of the Middle East and North Africa. It recently launched Saudi Arabia's first derivatives exchange and is hunting for an office in London to build a European profile. As Gulf economies diversify, Tadawul will be the place to track.

3. MERJ

Being small and nimble has its own advantages (we know that well at OZY). So it is for the MERJ exchange in the offshore banking hub of Seychelles. Its market cap is just $1.2 billion — but it was the fastest-expanding stock market over the past year. And they're experimenting like no one else, letting investors use blockchain-based tokens to invest in shares of collectible luxury cars that were previously available only to the super rich.

It means “hooting at hunger.” But before the hooting comes silence. This harvest festival of Ghana's Ga tribe recalls past deadly famines and starts with the planting of millet, followed with a ban on drums for 30 days. Then it's party time — with songs, dances, parades and drumming; and a feast of kpoikpoi, a traditional dish made from maize and palm oil.

2. Moon Festival

Prayers, poems and feasts mark this Chinese mid-autumn full moon festival where families get together to count their blessings. Neighborhoods are decorated with intricately made lanterns and mildly sweet round pastries called mooncakes are the delicacies of the festival. China can at times feel unwelcoming if you don't know the language, but during this three-day celebration, everyone's invited.

3. Anata Andino

Bolivia's highlands come alive in celebration during this ode to Mother Earth — Pachamama in the Aymara language — as women in traditional hats dance on the streets and the community prays for good fortune and gives thanks for the previous year.

This Vietnamese verse form literally means “six eight” — which is appropriate, since lines of six syllables alternate with those of eight syllables. The last syllable of each six-syllable line must rhyme with the last syllable of the previous line and the sixth syllable of the line that follows:

^^^^^A

^^^^^A^B

^^^^^B

^^^^^B^C

2. Daina

Much like haiku, this traditional Latvian poetry style doesn’t emphasize rhymes. But it has rules: Each poem has four lines, and every line typically starts with a stressed syllable:

Seizures rack her little body.

Sisters softly sing a love song,

Mommy gently rubs her tummy,

Lulling home the cherished baby.

On Friday I asked you which of four chess moves were actual openings. The answer? “Hippopotamus Defense” and “Monkey’s Bum” are uncommon — but real — openings! Shari B. and Alexandre I., you got “Hippopotamus Defense” right!