Transcript

Hello everyone, this is Erika, and welcome to the ‘Just a Moment News’ podcast for February 12, 2024. Let’s dive right into the news stories that are making headlines today.

First up, we turn our attention to South Africa, where the city of Johannesburg is grappling with persistent water outages due to inadequate infrastructure maintenance over the past two years. The situation is so dire that experts are predicting it could get worse. To add to the crisis, the country is also facing severe electricity challenges. Eskom, the national electricity provider, is confronting stages 5 and 6 load shedding. In response, Electricity Minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has proposed a direct engagement strategy to address the power deficit. On another note, the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court has criticized the inadequate police investigation into attacks on Intercape buses, attributing them to rogue taxi associations. In the corporate sector, Cape Town-based firm Sanlam is set to acquire Bacher, a distributor of luxury brands. Lastly, the rand is weakening against major currencies, notably after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation address.

In sports news, Chinese teenager Pan Zhanle has smashed the men’s 100m freestyle world record at the world championships in Doha. The 19-year-old set the new record during the 4x100m freestyle relay, and his performance helped China secure the gold. Pan’s previous personal best was 46.97, which made him the fifth fastest man in the world before arriving in Qatar.

A significant collaboration between Spotify and Trevor Noah, the former host of The Daily Show, has encountered challenges within six months due to creative differences. While Noah aims to diversify his guest list to include newsmakers and intellectuals, Spotify seems to prefer a focus on high-profile celebrity interviews. This situation highlights broader tensions within Spotify’s podcast strategy.

In sad news, marathon world record-holder Kelvin Kiptum from Kenya died in a road traffic accident along with his coach, Gervais Hakizimana. Kiptum was one of the most exciting new prospects in road running and had made his mark in marathons around the world. His untimely death is a significant loss for the athletic community.

In football, the Ivory Coast claimed their third Africa Cup of Nations title in a dramatic final against Nigeria. The host nation mounted a remarkable comeback with Franck Kessie equalizing after the hour mark, setting the stage for Sebastien Haller’s winner in the 81st minute. This victory not only marked Ivory Coast’s addition to their 1992 and 2015 titles but also emphasized their ability to match Nigeria’s three Cup of Nations triumphs.

Finally, in the latest Super Bowl, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs demonstrated their resilience and strategic prowess by overcoming a series of deficits against the San Francisco 49ers to win in overtime. This triumph was not only a repeat of their comeback against the Niners four years prior but also solidified the Chiefs as a modern NFL dynasty.

That’s all for today’s ‘Just a Moment News’ podcast. I’m Erika, wishing you a good day and reminding you to tune in tomorrow for more news updates.

Keywords - moment, daily, news