Transcript

Hello everyone, this is Erika with the ‘Just a Moment News’ podcast, bringing you news from around the world on this 29th day of December, 2023. Let’s dive right in.

First up, we have some interesting news from South Africa. Two users of fibre-to-the-home services have consumed over a petabyte of data each in the first eleven months of this year, setting a new record in data usage. This increase is attributed to several factors, such as the discontinuation of lower-speed internet packages and the rise in bandwidth-intensive content like 4K video streaming. The most data-intensive user, an Afrihost customer, consumed a whopping 1.4 petabytes of data in eleven months. Video streaming and game downloads were identified as the top sources of network traffic.

Moving on to sports, South Africa’s cricket team, the Proteas, recently had a significant win against India. The team’s strong performance was led by Dean Elgar and Marco Jansen, while the pacemen Nandre Burger, Marco Jansen, and Kagiso Rabada dominated the field. Coach Conrad praised the team’s unity and skill, emphasizing their home strength. On the other hand, India’s captain Rohit Sharma expressed disappointment over the loss, stressing the importance of discipline and adaptability in Test cricket.

In entertainment news, comedian Kevin Hart is suing his former personal assistant, Miesha Shakes, and YouTuber Tasha K for alleged extortion. Hart alleges that they demanded $250,000 to not publish a defamatory interview in which Shakes makes false claims about him. Hart’s lawsuit focuses on proving defamation, a challenging task for public figures, and cites Kebe’s past legal troubles, including a $4 million judgment for defaming rapper Cardi B.

Over to Cape Town, where the V&A Waterfront has won an appeal against the City of Cape Town’s decision to withdraw its noise exemption permit for a New Year’s Eve fireworks display. Despite objections from animal welfare organizations, the City manager upheld the appeal and requested that the display be limited to five minutes. The event is expected to draw a significant number of visitors and provide employment opportunities for various service providers.

In business news, Jim Green footwear, a small shoe manufacturer from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, has gained international recognition for its durable and affordable work boots. The company has successfully expanded into the US, Australia, and Germany, thanks in part to partnerships with online influencers. Despite facing challenges, the company has seen significant growth, with a 22% increase in sales in 2023.

Turning to space news, American asteroid-mining firm AstroForge plans to launch a deep-space mission, Odin, to an undisclosed asteroid near Earth’s orbit. This has sparked concerns among astronomers and experts about the increasing secrecy in commercial space missions. The lack of regulation and transparency in deep space missions raises issues of commercial competition and potential conflicts.

Finally, in rugby, South African giants Deon Fourie and Eben Etzebeth are set to face off in Cape Town. Fourie, leading the DHL Stormers, and Etzebeth, playing for the Hollywoodbets Sharks, both bring their formidable presence to the field. This matchup is set to be a riveting encounter, showcasing the talents of two seasoned and celebrated players.

And that’s all for today’s news. Thanks for joining me, Erika, on ‘Just a Moment News’. Stay tuned for more updates from around the globe.

Keywords - moment, daily, news