Transcript

Hello, this is Erika, and welcome to ‘Just a Moment News’ on this beautiful day of April 22, 2024. Let’s jump right into the news that’s making waves today.

First up, we have an incident involving a FlySafair plane that lost a wheel during take-off. The crew, including the pilot, handled the situation with such professionalism that they’ve received widespread praise. The flight, FA212, was en route from Johannesburg to Cape Town, but had to return to OR Tambo International Airport due to the technical issue. The damaged aircraft managed to make a smooth emergency landing, with no injuries to passengers or crew. This incident has also spotlighted the ongoing disputes in the domestic aviation market, involving FlySafair, Airlink, and Global Airways.

The next story comes from the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) of South Africa. ITAC has been criticized for delaying the disclosure of a ransomware attack that occurred in January, waiting three months to make the news public. The delay has caused significant concern among stakeholders, particularly those involved in confidential ITAC proceedings. Despite the controversy, ITAC has taken several steps to secure and restore their information systems.

In a groundbreaking move, World Athletics has announced that track and field athletes who win gold at the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris will receive $50,000 in prize money. This marks a significant shift from the Olympics’ traditional amateurism. The decision is aimed at financially rewarding athletes for their contributions to the Olympics, with plans to extend monetary rewards to silver and bronze medalists starting from the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Moving on to South Africa, residential areas, estates, and small towns can now participate in Eskom’s load curtailment program. This program allows them to avoid load-shedding up to stage four, provided they manage to reduce their electricity consumption during scheduled outages. The town of Clarens in the Free State has effectively employed this initiative, avoiding rotational power outages since September 2023.

In an interesting development, Discovery, a South African insurance and investment group, has introduced a pet therapy program called Paws@Work. The initiative allows Discovery employees to interact with therapy dogs every week, aiming to alleviate workplace stress and promote overall mental wellbeing. The program has been well-received, with 98% of participating employees giving positive feedback.

Nike, the global sportswear giant, is going through some tough times. CEO John Donahoe recently addressed the company’s performance issues in a virtual all-hands meeting, following the announcement of significant layoffs. The company has faced criticism for prioritizing established products over innovation, leading to strategic missteps and stagnant sales.

Last but not least, researchers from KAIST have made significant advancements in sodium-ion battery technology. They’ve created a high-energy, high-power hybrid sodium-ion battery with exceptional rapid charging capabilities. This breakthrough could revolutionize the battery market, providing a more efficient and cost-effective solution for energy storage and drastically reducing charging times for electric vehicles and smart devices.

That wraps up our news for today. This is Erika, signing off from ‘Just a Moment News’. Stay tuned for more news tomorrow, and remember, every moment counts.

Keywords - moment, daily, news