Transcript

Hello, this is Erika from ‘Just a Moment News’ and today is January 3, 2024. Let’s dive into the news of the day.

First up, we have some cricket news. The South Africa Test tour has been a tough challenge for India, a fact that was underscored by their recent defeat in the Boxing Day Test. Despite weather interruptions and the absence of South Africa’s captain, Temba Bavuma, due to injury, India suffered a defeat within three days. India’s record at Newlands, the venue for the second Test, is worrisome, with no victories in six attempts. While the first Test’s outcome was heavily influenced by India’s second-innings batting collapse, it’s their bowling that requires urgent attention. South Africa, dealing with injuries but remaining strong, aims to secure a series win against India as a fitting farewell for Elgar. The second Test at Newlands is expected to be challenging for batters, with early advantages for seamers and potential roles for spinners as the match progresses.

In tech news, Elon Musk’s SpaceX has initiated the deployment of its Starlink satellite constellation, aimed at providing global internet coverage. While this is a significant step towards offering high-speed internet connectivity worldwide, Musk acknowledges that Starlink’s services won’t be able to compete with ground-based terrestrial networks in terms of performance and speed.

Next, we move to South Africa where Action SA has expressed disappointment with Eskom’s decision to appeal a High Court ruling that exempted essential services like schools, hospitals, and police stations from load shedding. ActionSA President Herman Mashaba criticized Eskom’s decision to appeal, labeling it a wasteful expenditure of taxpayer money.

In sports, 16-year-old dart sensation, Luke Littler, made an extraordinary entry into the PDC World Darts Championship final by defeating Rob Cross. This impressive feat in his debut world tournament came with a 6-2 victory, making him the youngest finalist in the history of the championship. His opponent in the final, Luke Humphries, has also made significant strides, becoming the new world number one and reaching his first World Championship final.

In entertainment news, Apple has handed out a fifth-season renewal for the drama ‘Slow Horses’ starring Gary Oldman. The spy drama recently earned a Golden Globe nomination for Oldman’s performance.

In gaming news, a 13-year-old competitive Tetris player, Blue Scuti, has become the first known human to beat the game on the original NES by forcing it into a kill screen. This feat took Blue Scuti about 38 minutes and in doing so, he broke world records for overall score, level achieved, and total numbers of lines in the 34-year-old game.

Lastly, we have a heartwarming story from Cape Town, where Ziyaad Davids has turned his passion for skateboarding into a force for good. Having lost his job during the Covid-19 pandemic, Davids started teaching local kids to skateboard, leading to the establishment of Ziyaad’s Skate School. The school not only provides paid lessons but also hosts free classes. Besides teaching skateboarding tricks, Davids and his team instil life skills in young people, focusing on education, confidence-building, discipline and hygiene.

And that wraps up the news for today. This is Erika from ‘Just a Moment News’, signing off.

Keywords - moment, daily, news