Mark Zuckerberg's remarkable turnaround with Meta, the metaverse focus, and the introduction of Reels and AI. The illegal gold rush in Venezuela and its regional implications. The rise of dirty gold mining in South America and efforts for combatting it. The success of North Korea's women's football team and their achievements despite a patriarchal society.
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Quick takeaways
Mark Zuckerberg's strategic decisions and focus on AI have led to Meta's impressive turnaround and significant growth in share price and earnings.
Illegal gold mining in South America, fueled by rising demand and facilitated by powerful actors, poses a significant challenge that requires stronger regulation and action.
Deep dives
Meta's Remarkable Turnaround: From Struggling to Thriving
Meta, the social media company that includes Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, experienced a remarkable turnaround in the past year. Facing declining revenue and losses, Mark Zuckerberg made transformative business decisions, including slashing spending and launching an internal revolution focused on using AI to boost Meta's core business. These decisions, coupled with the introduction of new features like Reels and generative AI avatars, have led to Meta's share price rising by 250% and reporting third-quarter earnings of over $34 billion.
The Dirty Gold Rush in South America
Illegal gold mining in South America, particularly in countries like Venezuela and Brazil, has been on the rise. Up to 90% of the gold produced in Venezuela comes from illegal mines, supplying the growing demand for gold from central banks and rising middle-class consumers in countries like China and India. Poverty-induced by the pandemic has led to an influx of informal miners in the region, and powerful actors, including governments and criminal organizations, support and profit from this illegal industry. Efforts to curb illegal mining and regulate the gold trade are being made, but more action is needed.
The Dominance of North Korea's Women's Football Team
While North Korea may not have as much international success in men's football, their women's team has been incredibly dominant. They have won 16 out of 21 matches against South Korea's women's team and have a strong attacking side. Despite this success, North Korean women face gender inequality and patriarchal attitudes within their society. The future of the team remains uncertain, but there are hopes for positive change and role models like former player Rehungal who represented North Korea in World Cups and became a referee.
The singular focus on the metaverse of Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s boss, fretted investors. But in the past year he has pulled off a spectacularly timely turnaround. We look at what is driving an illegal-gold rush in Venezuela as a lens on a wider, regional concern (9:48). And why North Korea’s women’s football team provides such good propaganda (16:48).
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