Transcript

Hello everyone, this is Erika, and welcome to ‘Just a Moment News’ on this lovely day, January 5th, 2024. Let’s dive into today’s stories.

First up, TDK Corp, a leading smartphone battery manufacturer and Apple Inc. supplier, is making waves with its new smartphone battery lineup. In 2023, the company began distributing small lithium-ion batteries with silicon electrodes, a technology primarily explored for electric vehicles. These batteries are produced by Amperex Technology Ltd. (ATL), a Hong Kong-based subsidiary of TDK. The new silicon-carbon batteries, exclusively for smartphones, provide a 10% higher capacity than traditional graphite anode batteries, with potential for a 40% increase. Despite a flat growth in smartphone battery sales and concerns about client margins, TDK’s CEO Noboru Saito anticipates these new batteries will represent a significant portion of their sales soon.

Moving on to a more somber note, Oscar Pistorius, convicted of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, has expressed deep remorse to a prison social worker, Clarah Erenst. He has been troubled by not being able to apologize directly to Steenkamp’s parents and prays for their healing and closure. Erenst’s report contributed to Pistorius being granted parole after serving eight years of a 13-year-and-five-month sentence. He will stay under house arrest at his uncle Arnold Pistorius’ Waterkloof home, who has agreed to assist with parole compliance.

In other news, around 40 documents related to a lawsuit against Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell were unsealed. Despite the anticipation, these documents did not reveal significant new details or allegations. Most information was previously known through media reports and other court proceedings. The release of these documents has fueled various conspiracy theories and misinformation.

Taking a detour into the world of entertainment, Hollywood actor Josh Duhamel recently shared his experiences in Cape Town on Instagram, highlighting his hike up Lion’s Head and views of Table Mountain. Duhamel, known for his recent role in “Buddy Games: Spring Awakening,” is in South Africa for the filming of “London Calling,” an action comedy. Alongside work, Duhamel has been enjoying Cape Town’s scenery and recommended the city to his followers.

On the tourism front, Durban’s tourism sector is still recovering following a lacklustre holiday season. The estimated figures for this year are significantly lower compared to 2015, with a projected 1.6 billion rand spend and around 800,000 visitors. Durban’s Mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, assures that eThekwini is performing well, citing a hotel occupancy rate of 75%. However, Durban faces challenges, including high E. coli levels at prominent beaches, affecting their appeal and usability.

In sports news, the second Test between South Africa and India, played at Newlands, was a record-breaker, becoming the shortest Test in terms of balls faced. Despite a brilliant century from Aiden Markram, South Africa was defeated by India with seven wickets to spare. The match highlighted the batting difficulties on the unpredictable surface, with Markram’s score being the only one above 15 for South Africa across both innings.

Lastly, Perplexity, an AI-based web search startup, has recently secured a significant $74 million investment from Jeff Bezos and other venture capitalists, valuing the company at $520 million. Perplexity aims to disrupt Google’s dominant market position by providing direct answers to search queries, rather than website links. The startup’s ‘answer engine’ is currently used by about 10 million people monthly.

And that’s all for today’s news. Thank you for joining me, Erika, on ‘Just a Moment News’. Until next time, stay informed and stay safe.

Keywords - moment, daily, news