A Eurasian Resources Group unit urged the Democratic Republic of Congo to stop illegal mining activities on one of the firm’s copper licenses following a deadly landslide. Illicit mining caused the landslide on March 11 that “led to fatalities and injuries,” Boss Mining SAS said in a statement Thursday. The copper producer – in which ERG owns a 51% stake – said the Congolese authorities should res...
A Eurasian Resources Group unit urged the Democratic Republic of Congo to stop illegal mining activities on one of the firm’s copper licenses following a deadly landslide. Illicit mining caused the landslide on March 11 that “led to fatalities and injuries,” Boss Mining SAS said in a statement Thursday. The copper producer – in which ERG owns a 51% stake – said the Congolese authorities should restore its “lawful access to these areas.” Congo’s mineral-rich southeastern region has made the country the world’s leading supplier of battery metal cobalt and No. 2 producer of copper. While industrial operations account for most output, hundreds of thousands of so-called artisanal miners work in the informal economy, often digging up ore within permits held by major companies. Boss Mining has alerted Congo’s government since 2022 to the “significant risks posed by the heavy presence of illegal, semi-mechanised and unauthorised” mining on its concession, according to the statement. The firm’s employees “have been denied access to this site due to the presence of unauthorised armed individuals,” it added. The company didn’t say how many people were injured or killed by the landslide. ERG also has other assets in Congo, including the Frontier copper mine and Metalkol, which is one of the world’s largest sources of cobalt. Congo’s state-owned Gecamines owns 49% of Boss Mining. Luxembourg-registered ERG is 40% owned by the government of Kazakhstan, where the company produces iron ore, ferrochrome and aluminum.
Meta Platforms, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:META) upcoming foundational AI model, code-named "Avocado," has reportedly underperformed compared with systems from competitors during internal evaluations. Meta's ‘Avocado' AI Model Reportedly Falls Short In Internal Tests The model is designed to power future chatbots, coding assistants and other AI-driven products across Meta's ecosystem. While Avocado performed ...
Meta Platforms, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:META) upcoming foundational AI model, code-named "Avocado," has reportedly underperformed compared with systems from competitors during internal evaluations. Meta's ‘Avocado' AI Model Reportedly Falls Short In Internal Tests The model is designed to power future chatbots, coding assistants and other AI-driven products across Meta's ecosystem. While Avocado performed better than Meta's earlier AI systems and even surpassed an earlier version of Google's Gemini model, it reportedly did not match the capabilities of the latest Gemini release. Launch Delayed As Meta Explores Alternatives Because of the performance gap, Meta has reportedly pushed Avocado's launch back to at least May, from an earlier planned release this month. Executives have also discussed the possibility of temporarily licensing technology from Google's Gemini models to support some of Meta's AI products, though no final decision has been made. Meta did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comments. Zuckerberg's Massive AI Bet Zuckerberg has positioned AI as central to Meta's future strategy. The company has spent billions hiring researchers and building infrastructure to support the technology. In January 2026, Meta projected it could spend as much as $135 billion this year, nearly double the roughly $72 billion it spent last year, as it expands data centers and AI capabilities. Meta is also developing additional models, including "Mango," focused on image and video generation. Moreover, a future system is reportedly planned under the code name "Watermelon." Price Action: On Thursday, Shares of Meta fell 2.55% to $638.18 and slipped another 0.18% to $637 in after-hours trading, according to Benzinga Pro. According to Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings, Meta shares are trending lower in the short, medium and long-term, though the company's Quality score were in the 89th percentile. Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was r...