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Actor and producer Kasey Esser joins Mixed Signals to explain the multi-billion-dollar "microdrama" industry, and why he's become one of its biggest stars.
@maxwelltani and @semaforben ask Kasey how a werewolf Romeo-and-Juliet show that was shot in just a week for a hundred thousand dollars became a global hit, what it's like to translate Chinese scripts for American audiences in real time on set, and how microdramas make all of their money.
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The 80-kilometer stretch between Abu Dhabi and Dubai — a barren expanse of farms, factories, warehouses, and not much else — is now drawing multibillion-dollar property projects.
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Aldar, the capital’s biggest developer, and Sharjah’s Arada formed a 15 billion dirham ($4.1 billion) partnership whose centerpiece is a villa and townhouse community in Seih Sdeirah, on the border between the two emirates. Arada is also buying 3 Yas Island plots in its first move into Abu Dhabi.
Read more: semafor.com/article/10/02/20…
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South Africa is a crime scene, says @TiisetsoM.
Read his full view:
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@TiisetsoM writes: Of the nearly 24,000 murders recorded last year, police counted 29 farmers. The police do not record victims by race, but in a majority Black country with violence clustered in the townships, the map tells you who is dying. South Africa is a crime scene. Its victims are Black, mostly poor, and rarely on farms.
These victims don't fit the story Washington tells about South Africa.
Read more: semafor.com/article/10/02/20…
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Transsion Holdings, the biggest seller of phones in Africa, is eyeing a $500 million initial public offering in Hong Kong.
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Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema used his first trip abroad since his re-election last month to tell Gulf investors to fully comply with the country’s local procurement rules.
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Zambia is Africa’s second-largest producer of copper, whose prices have soared as demand rises for metals used in electric vehicles and power grids.
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The African Development Bank is holding talks with financiers, with the aim of finding ways to mobilize around $4 trillion in untapped domestic capital to fund the continent’s development needs.
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The African Union urged Ethiopia and its neighbors to exercise restraint as growing tensions threaten to destabilize the region.
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Nigeria declares its economic “emergency” is over, shifting its policy goal from “emergency treatment” to delivering shared prosperity, President Bola Tinubu said.
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Saudi Arabia’s market reforms could stall its IPO recovery, argues Matthew Martin.
Read his full view:
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Matthew writes: Bankers and lawyers here in Riyadh worry, though, that the latest effort, rather than fueling a revival of the Tadawul, may hamper it.
Read more: semafor.com/article/10/02/20…
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EU member states are readying talks over a feared diesel shortage as surging prices drive major refiners to ban exports, moves that threaten economies worldwide.
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Though Europe was most vocal in its concerns, Goldman Sachs economists warned a US diesel ban risked lowering GDP across Latin America by around 1%.
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Brazil’s election this weekend will reshape the diplomatic strategy of Latin America’s biggest economy, analysts said.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is in effect tied with his main challenger, Flávio Bolsonaro, though neither appears likely to win outright in Sunday’s first-round vote, necessitating a runoff.
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The EU, which spent years working with the incumbent to repair ties that were battered under the leadership of Bolsonaro’s father, will be watching closely, fearing Brasília could pivot harder towards Washington.
Read more: semafor.com/article/10/02/20…
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Soaring borrowing costs are spurring experts to warn of a gathering fiscal crisis, particularly in Europe.
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The AI bill is coming for governments and businesses, and no one knows whether the money will be there to pay it, reports warn.
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Two new reports from consulting giants show how the AI adoption conversation has shifted from whether it works to whether the spending on it is sustainable, as pilot programs pile up and agentic applications take off.
Read more: semafor.com/article/10/02/20…
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Amazon has announced new commitments to generate buy-in for US data centers and rebutted criticism about the facilities.
The tech giant vowed to publish its energy and water use annually, and spend more than $1 billion over five years on free community college, trades training, and home energy-efficiency upgrades in data center counties.
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