Transcript

Hello everyone, this is Erika welcoming you to another episode of ‘Just a Moment News’ on this 28th day of March, 2024. Let’s dive into today’s news stories.

First up, we have a high-profile case emerging from Durban. A prominent businessman from the city has been named by the state as the alleged financier of the murders of Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes and Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane. The businessman is accused of paying a hefty sum of R803,455 to one suspect, who then distributed it among other co-accused. This payment is a central point of contention in the bail application of five out of seven suspects charged with conspiracy to commit murder, murder, and several other crimes. The prosecution claims that the money, drawn from a company owned by the businessman, was for the suspects’ roles in the murders. This development adds a new layer to the case, with the introduction of a money laundering charge due to the payments being described as dividends despite no employment relationship with the payer’s company.

Our next story is about Old Mutual, a leading financial services provider in South Africa. The company has revealed that it paid out a whopping thirty million Rand daily in claims throughout 2023, adding up to over fourteen billion Rand for the year. This information comes in the wake of the Association for Savings and Investment South Africa (Asisa) announcing that life insurers across the sector paid out a collective five hundred and ninety-nine billion Rand in claims. Despite the financial distress faced by consumers, Old Mutual noted signs of economic recovery in the latter stages of the year, a trend anticipated to persist into 2024.

In tech news, Hume, a startup founded by former Google researcher Alan Cowen, is making waves with its emotionally intelligent conversational AI. The technology aims to discern over two dozen emotional expressions from human speech, tailoring responses accordingly. Hume’s API has already attracted over a thousand developers and companies, including notable names like SoftBank and Lawyer.com. The company recently secured $50 million in Series B funding, elevating its valuation to $219 million, signaling robust investor confidence.

Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball superstar, is currently in the spotlight due to a gambling scandal involving his longtime interpreter and friend, Ippei Mizuhara. Mizuhara allegedly incurred a massive debt with an illegal bookmaker, leading to accusations of theft and fraud against him by Ohtani. This situation raises questions about Ohtani’s financial decisions, as he has displayed a unique disinterest in wealth throughout his career.

Next, we have an update on Robert Durst’s infamous case. “The Jinx — Part Two,” a six-episode sequel to Andrew Jarecki’s Emmy-winning documentary, “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst,” is set to premiere on April 21. The series aims to expand on the narrative, revisiting key moments and introducing new evidence and testimonies that have surfaced over eight years of continued investigation.

In the world of digital mapping, Google Maps is integrating advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance location information. This AI enhancement will offer detailed insights at a glance, including photo highlights and user reviews to summarize key attributes of a location. Google Maps will also introduce a feature allowing users to discover recommendation lists from authoritative sources and the Google Maps community.

Finally, Venus Aerospace’s first powered flight achieved Mach 0.9 using a drone propelled by a hydrogen peroxide monopropellant engine. This is an early step towards developing a Mach 9 commercial aircraft. Alongside this, Venus successfully conducted a long-duration test of its rotating detonation rocket engine, which promises about 15% more efficiency than traditional chemical rocket engines.

That’s all for today’s news. This is Erika signing off from ‘Just a Moment News’. Stay tuned for more updates tomorrow.

Keywords - moment, daily, news