Transcript

Good morning, and welcome to Just a Moment News. I’m Erika, and today is October 17, 2023. Let’s jump right into the headlines.

Xiaomi, the Chinese tech company, is saying goodbye to its 13-year-old operating system, MIUI. They are replacing it with a brand new OS called HyperOS. This new operating system aims to bring together all of Xiaomi’s smart home devices and cars into one unified ecosystem. HyperOS will debut on the Xiaomi 14 series and is built on a combination of evolved Android and Xiaomi’s proprietary Vela system. We don’t have all the details yet, but Xiaomi is promising future scalability across billions of IoT devices.

In other news, Jurie Roux, the former CEO of SA Rugby, has been denied leave to appeal against Stellenbosch University’s 37 million Rand damages claim. Roux had redirected university funds for unauthorized expenses related to the university’s rugby club, Maties. Although he wasn’t criminally accused, he did use software to cover up the financial transactions. The university sees this as a breach of contract and is demanding repayment. Roux claims that the arbitration proceedings were flawed and that he didn’t get a fair trial. However, the Western Cape High Court dismissed his claims. Now, Roux has the option to appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal and the Constitutional Court.

Moving on to sports, the Springboks’ head coach, Rassie Erasmus, is avoiding gossip and disregarding external opinions about England’s rugby form ahead of their World Cup semi-final. Despite England’s poor performance in previous matches and the Six Nations, they’ve advanced to the semi-finals unbeaten. Erasmus is emphasizing preparedness and respecting England’s strength, specifically their ability to convert pressure into points. Both teams have efficiently rotated their squads to reduce the risk of injuries and fatigue. Erasmus acknowledges England’s tactical depth and considers them a formidable opponent in the upcoming game.

Next up, we have an interesting revelation from a forthcoming biography of Senator Mitt Romney. It turns out that in 2019, Oprah Winfrey considered forming an independent presidential ticket with Romney to defeat Donald Trump in the 2020 election. Winfrey reached out to Romney’s wife, expressing concerns about the Democratic candidates’ ability to beat Trump. Romney listened to the idea but ultimately declined. The book also mentions that Michael Bloomberg had approached Winfrey about joining his ticket. It’s worth noting that Romney recently announced he will not seek re-election in 2024.

Shifting gears to the tech world, Netflix is expanding into cloud gaming. They are currently testing their cloud gaming service in the U.S. after initial trials in Canada and the U.K. With this service, Netflix allows games to be played on various TV-connected devices using a mobile phone as the controller. The games are bundled free with existing subscriptions and often tie-in with popular Netflix shows. This move puts Netflix in competition with existing cloud gaming services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now. However, Netflix differentiates itself by bundling gaming as a value-add to its streaming subscription. Critics have raised questions about this move, as Netflix’s main competition for viewers’ time is platforms like TikTok and YouTube. Nevertheless, Netflix aims to refine its game-streaming technology through ongoing trials.

Lastly, a recent study from the University of Pennsylvania suggests a new explanation for long Covid. The researchers propose a connection between reduced serotonin levels and the symptoms of long Covid. They believe that lingering viral remnants in the gut cause inflammation, affecting the body’s ability to absorb the amino acid tryptophan, which is essential for serotonin production. This disruption could explain the memory problems and other cognitive symptoms observed in long Covid patients. The study opens up possibilities for new diagnostic tools and treatments. Clinical trials are being planned to test fluoxetine (Prozac) and tryptophan as potential treatments to restore serotonin levels.

And that’s it for today’s news. Thank you for joining me on Just a Moment News. I’m Erika, and I’ll see you next time.

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