Author: OneAfricaYT

The Toronto Film Festival released its industry conference lineup on Monday, led by The Hollywood Reporter’s Visionaries series of onstage conversations. Joining in the Visionaries program as featured speakers are Donna Langley, chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment and Studios; Fremantle’s Andrea Scrosati, group COO and CEO of continental Europe; Yelena Rachitsky, head of emerging formats at Meta; Ballad of a Small Player director Edward Berger; and Sterlin Harjo, who is bringing his FX series The Lowdown to TIFF for a first look. The 2025 Dialogues program will feature conversations with directors Maude Apatow and Raffi Donatich (Poetic License), Jonatan Etzler and indie producers Diana Bustamante, Julia…

On July 27, two brigades from the mostly Shia Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) stormed the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture, clashing with police.While the incident could be seen as a power struggle for position, it also indicates a certain degree of daring on the part of the brigades, which ended up killing a police officer.The brigades were called in by Ayad Kadhim Ali after he was dismissed as the head of the ministry’s office in Baghdad’s Karkh district, according to Mehmet Alaca, an expert on Iraq’s Shia militias. Ali is affiliated with Kataib Hezbollah, as are the brigades that attacked the…

Charlotte EdwardsTechnology reporter, BBC NewsGetty ImagesA US senator is opening an investigation into Meta after a leaked document reportedly showed the tech giant’s artificial intelligence (AI) was permitted to have “sensual” and “romantic” chats with children.The internal document, obtained by Reuters, was reportedly titled “GenAI: Content Risk Standards”.Republican Senator Josh Hawley called the document “reprehensible and outrageous” and has asked to see the document alongside a list of products it relates to.A Meta spokesperson told the BBC: “The examples and notes in question were and are erroneous and inconsistent with our policies, and have been removed.”They said the tech giant…

Previous indirect talks between Israel and Hamas, facilitated by mediators, ended without any results to end the Israel-Palestine war.Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to discuss a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, as Israel intensifies its offensive to seize Gaza City.“El-Sisi and the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar stressed the importance of efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza,” according to a statement by the Egyptian presidency on Monday.The two leaders “affirmed their rejection of the reoccupation of the Gaza Strip…

Indian production house Abundantia Entertainment is partnering with Collective Media Network’s Historyverse division to produce what they’re calling the first of its kind AI-generated, theatrically released motion picture made in India, centered on the story of Hindu god Hanuman. Titled “Chiranjeevi Hanuman – The Eternal,” the project, set for worldwide theatrical release in 2026 on Hanuman Jayanti, a festival celebrating the birth of the deity, will draw from the sacred texts of Indian epic “Ramayana” and Puranic literature to create what producers describe as an “awe-inspiring, visual odyssey designed to be enjoyed as a shared experience in theaters.” The production…

Travel abroad is an exceptional opportunity to create amazing memories and experience moments that will stay with you for life. Every day of travel offers endless possibilities for discovery, meeting new people, connecting with fascinating cultures, and deepening knowledge about the wider world. The key to turning every moment into a special experience is knowing how to seize every opportunity, how to connect with locals, and how to turn even simple situations into precious memories. How Do You Turn Every Day into a Real Adventure? Every day of travel is a blank page waiting to be filled with fascinating experiences.…

Dan WareingBBC News, LiverpoolReutersAntoine Semenyo reported being racially abused during the opening match of the Premier League seasonA man who was arrested on suspicion of racially abusing Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo during the opening match of the Premier League season at Anfield has been banned from every football stadium in the UK. The Cherries’ Friday game against Liverpool was briefly halted in the 29th minute after Semenyo flagged it up to the referee.A 47-year-old man from Liverpool, who was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence, has been conditionally bailed, Merseyside Police said.The conditions include…

“I don’t feel particularly unhappy about my work being used to train AI,” says Japanese novelist Rie Qudan. “Even if it is copied, I feel confident there’s a part of me that will remain, which nobody can copy.”The 34-year old author is talking to me via Zoom from her home near Tokyo, ahead of the publication of the English-language translation of her fourth novel, Sympathy Tower Tokyo. The book attracted controversy in Japan when it won a prestigious prize, despite being partly written by ChatGPT.At the heart of Sympathy Tower Tokyo is a Japanese architect, Sara Machina, who has been commissioned to build…

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of trying to “humiliate” Ukraine and Europe by “deliberately killing civilians” before talks with Donald Trump in the Oval Office, to be attended by Ukraine’s president and a group of European leaders.Zelenskyy described the latest strikes by Moscow on four Ukrainian cities as “demonstrative and cynical”. At least seven people were killed in a drone attack on Kharkiv, including a small girl, while three were killed in another bombing in Zaporizhzhia, he said.The Russians were “aware that a meeting is taking place today in Washington that will address the end of the war,” Zelenskyy posted…

25 The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the commencement of the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, starting today, Monday, August 18, 2025. In a statement posted on its official X handle, INEC said the exercise will begin with the online pre-registration phase, allowing eligible Nigerians to start their registration via the portal www.cvr.inecnigeria.org before the physical exercise begins. According to the commission, in-person registration will start on Monday, August 25, 2025, and will take place at all its 37 state offices and 774 local government area (LGA) offices across the country. The electoral umpire explained that the…