Transcript

Hello, everyone! This is Erika with ‘Just a Moment News’ on the 3rd of April 2024. Let’s dive right into the day’s top stories.

First up, Taiwan has been shaken by a severe earthquake, the strongest in 25 years, which has triggered tsunami warnings not only for the island nation but also for Japan. The quake, with a magnitude of 7.4, especially impacted Hualien County, causing the unfortunate loss of four lives and injuring fifty-seven others. Buildings collapsed in Hualien city, trapping residents under the rubble and causing power outages in parts of Taipei. The tremor also temporarily halted operations at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), a key player in the global semiconductor industry. The aftermath saw tsunami warnings being issued for Taiwan and nearby nations, including Japan, where small tsunami waves were observed in Okinawa Prefecture. The impact of this quake on global supply chains is still uncertain.

Next, we have news from the broadcasting industry. WildEarth, a channel known for broadcasting live game drives from Djuma Game Reserve in Mpumalanga on DStv channel 183, has announced its departure from the DStv platform. The channel cites a lack of financial support as the primary reason for this decision. This departure is seen as a significant loss not only for WildEarth but potentially for MultiChoice as well, especially considering the broadcaster’s recent emphasis on boosting locally-produced content.

In a surprising turn of events, a Cape Town resident, Frits Bruter, has been reunited with his iPad, ten years after it was stolen in Paris, France. A woman living just a kilometer away from him in Cape Town contacted him to return the iPad she had purchased online. This extraordinary reunion underscores the unpredictable nature of lost or stolen property and the role modern technology and social media can play in reuniting individuals with their possessions.

Moving on to the retail sector, Amazon.com has decided to discontinue the use of its “Just Walk Out” technology at Amazon Fresh grocery stores in the United States. This change is attributed to a strategic shift towards employing Dash Carts, devices that enable customers to scan and tally their items while shopping, eliminating the need for traditional cashier interactions.

In a distressing incident, eight passengers of a Norwegian Cruise, including a pregnant woman and an elderly man with a heart condition, found themselves stranded on the island of São Tomé in Central Africa, after reportedly being denied reboarding by the ship’s captain. The group, comprising six Americans and two Australians, found themselves without access to their belongings, money, or essential medications. Their journey to rejoin the cruise has been fraught with logistical challenges.

In the tech world, Yahoo is buying Artifact, a news recommendation app developed by Instagram co-founders Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom. Yahoo sees value in Artifact’s technology for enhancing content personalization and recommendation, even though the app struggled to achieve significant scale.

Finally, maritime archaeology is experiencing a revolution with the use of small underwater drones like Hydrus. Recently, Hydrus discovered the wreckage of a century-old coal hulk deep off the coast of western Australia, enabling scientists to virtually reconstruct the 210-foot ship using photogrammetry into a 3D model. This breakthrough is part of a broader trend where robotic submersibles are deployed to locate and examine historic shipwrecks, adding invaluable insights into maritime history.

That’s all for today’s news. This is Erika with ‘Just a Moment News’, signing off. Stay informed and have a great day!

Keywords - moment, daily, news