What happens when Hollywood comes to South Africa
As one of Africa's longstanding production companies, South Africa's Moonlighting Films has worked across big Hollywood films such as Blood Diamond and the latest Mission Impossible, MI:8. Owner and CEO duo Tshepiso Phiri and Katherine Leach-Lewis talk to CNN about the company's journey to the big screen and the opportunities across the continent when it comes to movie making.
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Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump slams Elon Musk as his megabill drops AI protections and hits snags in Senate
President Trump slammed Elon Musk's subsidies and Republican senators struck down a plan to shield AI from state regulations, two middle-of-the-night developments Tuesday that reinforced a growing schism between Trump and Silicon Valley supporters over his "Big Beautiful Bill." The first development came at 12:44 am ET when Trump responded to Tesla (TSLA) CEO Musk's ongoing critiques of the package with a focus on the government grants that Musk's companies receive. "Without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa," wrote the president in a Truth Social post, adding "perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this?" It was a reference to the government efficiency group that Musk ran until recently. The missive from the president came after Trump's signature legislation underwent key changes in recent days that set off many in the tech industry, Musk most of all, with new measures to tax green energy companies and further support for fossil fuels as well as a growing price tag. The divide between many in Silicon Valley and the "Big Beautiful Bill" has been in evidence for over a month and it appears set to deepen further after, a few hours later, a closely watched artificial intelligence provision was stripped from the bill itself. This was a plan to shield the quickly-growing AI industry from state and local regulations, and it had many Silicon Valley supporters. But the idea now appears to be dead after Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee turned against a compromise plan Monday evening and stripped it from the bill. It wasn't close in the end, with the Senate voting 99-1 to adopt Blackburn's subsequent amendment in a count that wrapped up a little after 4:00 am ET. Trump's overall package also appears to be teetering Tuesday morning after a series of overnight developments saw two key Republican Senators — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine — uncommitted to vote yes. Those two Senators could join two Republicans already committed to voting no, which would be enough to sink the package. The drama between the president and the world's richest man has been up and down for weeks but escalated Monday afternoon when Musk offered new electoral threats against Republicans. Musk had already amplified the critiques of Democrats and talked about the need for a new political party but offered a striking promise Monday afternoon that lawmakers who vote for the bill "will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth." Musk of course was the biggest donor during the 2024 campaign, spending at least $288 million with most of the money offered in support of Trump. What is unclear for the days ahead is how much the Trump and Musk fight will impact the actual chances of the bill's passage with Senate amendment votes ongoing. Musk is clearly focused on a debate likely coming later this week when the House is set to take up the amended measure if it passes. The House is where a vocal bloc of fiscal conservatives — who often vote as part of the "Freedom Caucus" — warily supported a previous version of the bill, saying a previous smaller price tag was too big. Musk even tagged some of these House Republican lawmakers in some of his latest posts which also continued throughout the night with dozens of messages. Musk also responded to Trump's comments about his subsidies by saying his companies like Tesla and SpaceX ( would be fine and that oil and gas subsidies should be removed as well. The back and forth over AI also came to a head overnight after the House passed a plan in May that included a complete ban on state regulations of AI for a decade. The little noticed measure gained wider attention in the weeks that followed with many of Trump's most loyal supporters saying they were opposed. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene even admitted that she hadn't been aware of the provision when she voted yes. The Georgia lawmaker then announced her opposition and plans to vote no if this "violation of state rights" stayed in the bill. Trump himself doesn't appear to have taken a position on the measure but it had the backing of his Silicon Valley aligned aides — most notably the vocal support of AI and Crypto Czar (and longtime venture capitalist) David Sacks. But Republican opposition grew, with Sen. Blackburn of Tennessee becoming a leading voice of opposition in the Senate. She entered into negotiations over the issue and appeared to have found compromise in recent days around the idea that instead of a decade-long ban, the provision would be amended to be a "temporary pause" of 5 years. States would be strongly discouraged from regulating AI as lawmakers linked it to access to millions of dollars in AI infrastructure and deployment funding. But even that wasn't enough. Blackburn renounced the compromise, said a moratorium "could allow Big Tech to continue to exploit kids, creators, and conservatives" and teamed with a top Democrat to strike the provision entirely. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (and former Trump press secretary) congratulated Blackburn on the move in a post the senator quickly reposted. "This is how you take on big tech!" Sanders wrote. Ben Werschkul is a Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance. Click here for political news related to business and money policies that will shape tomorrow's stock prices
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
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IXM declares force majeure due to extended Congo cobalt export ban
IXM, a commodity trader owned by China's CMOC Group, has announced a force majeure on deliveries of cobalt from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the world's major producer of cobalt, as reported by Reuters. The announcement follows DRC's decision to extend its export ban on the battery material. In February 2025, the DRC initially implemented a four-month suspension of all cobalt exports to address oversupply issues and support prices, which were then around $10 per lb. DRC extended the suspension for an additional three months, with the possibility of modifying, extending or terminating the suspension before the new deadline in September. CMOC, the top cobalt-producing company globally, has projected its cobalt output to be between 100,000 and 120,000 tonnes (t) in 2025 at its Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM) and Kisanfu Mining (KFM) sites in the DRC. This compares to 114,000t produced in 2024 and 56,000t in 2023. TFM and KFM are the suppliers for IXM, which stated on a social media post that the export ban has "rendered it legally and practically impossible for IXM's suppliers … to export cobalt products from the DRC". In the first quarter of 2025, CMOC reached a record high for the period with copper output at 170,574t - a 15.65% year-on-year increase - while cobalt output rose by 20.68% year-on-year to 30,414t. Cobalt prices on COMEX have seen a recovery since the initial ban in February, with current prices nearing $16 per lb. Other mining giants, such as London-listed Glencore and Eurasian Resources Group (ERG), also declared force majeure on certain cobalt deliveries after the DRC's export ban. "IXM declares force majeure due to extended Congo cobalt export ban" was originally created and published by Mining Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
News24
an hour ago
- News24
‘They suck': Charlize Theron roasts Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's million-dollar wedding
Charlize Theron has criticised Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez for their extravagant wedding, estimated to have cost around $50 million. Theron spoke at her Africa Outreach Block Party in Los Angeles, where she highlighted issues such as immigration policies, women's rights, queer community struggles and gender-based violence as some of the struggles the world was facing. Bezos and Sánchez's lavish Venice wedding also drew protests from locals, criticising its impact on tourism and rising living costs. Warning: This article contains strong language. South African-born Hollywood star Charlize Theron did not hold back as she took aim at billionaire Jeff Bezos and former journalist Lauren Sánchez over their lavish three-day wedding, which reportedly cost around $50 million. The wedding coincided with global crises, which Theron highlighted during her Africa Outreach Block Party in Los Angeles on Saturday. 'I think we might be the only people who did not get an invite to the Bezos wedding, but that's okay because they suck and we're cool,' she said, as reported by Vanity Fair. Theron also expressed gratitude to attendees for supporting the charity despite the world feeling like 'it's burning because it is.' The couple's wedding drew Hollywood's elite, including the Kardashian-Jenner clan, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Usher, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Tom Brady. However, while their union created headlines, it also sparked protests. READ | Kardashians to Oprah: A-List glam at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's wedding Locals in Venice, Italy, where the three-day ceremony was held, launched a 'No Space for Bezos' campaign, denouncing how tourism impacts living costs and rental prices. Back at the charity event, Theron addressed urgent global issues, including the erosion of LGBTQ+ rights, rising gender-based violence, and destructive immigration policies. She passionately urged attendees to take action, saying, 'This isn't just policy, it's personal.' As Theron wrapped up her impassioned speech, she took another dig at Bezos and his wedding guests with a blunt, 'Yeah, fuck them.' Meanwhile, Bezos and Sánchez tied the knot on the exclusive San Giorgio Maggiore island in Venice on Friday. Reports indicated speculation about whether the couple opted for a symbolic ceremony or had already formalised their union through civil proceedings.
