Transcript

Hello, everyone! This is Erika, welcoming you to another episode of ‘Just a Moment News’ on this beautiful day of May 24, 2024. Let’s dive into some of today’s intriguing headlines and stories.

First up, Google has announced its plans to construct the first subsea fiber optic cable, named “Umoja,” connecting Africa and Australia. This ambitious project starts in Kenya, traverses through several African countries, and concludes in South Africa, where Google has established its first African data center region. The aim is to bolster the cloud infrastructure, competing with other tech giants like AWS and Microsoft Azure, and to provide more reliable connectivity for African countries. The work on the terrestrial part of the route is complete, and efforts are now focused on extending the cable across the Indian Ocean to Perth, Australia. The completion timeline remains unconfirmed, but typically such projects take around three years.

Moving on, there was a significant DNS glitch that affected the stability of the Internet for over four days. A server central to the Internet’s Domain Name System, managed by Cogent Communications, was out of sync with its twelve root server peers. This misalignment posed potential stability and security risks, especially for DNS operations and cryptographic key authentication. The glitch, which began on a Saturday, was resolved within twenty-five hours after detection, although the exact cause remains unclear.

In another development, South Africa’s Afrigen is making strides in the field of biotechnology by partnering with Nobel laureate Drew Weissman. This collaboration focuses on developing mRNA-based treatments for diseases prevalent in Africa, such as sickle cell disease, HIV, and tuberculosis. Afrigen aims to produce affordable and accessible treatments, aligning with the African Union’s goal of achieving 60 percent local vaccine production by 2040.

In the world of sports, Siya Kolisi, the two-time Rugby World Cup-winning captain of the Springboks, has become an official brand ambassador for SuperSport. This partnership celebrates South Africa’s historic fourth Rugby World Cup victory and aims to inspire people across the continent. Kolisi will also appear in a special episode of SuperSport Unplugged.

Over in the culinary scene, South African restaurants have been recognized at the 2024 Luxe Restaurant Awards. The event, held in Franschhoek, celebrated over thirty winners across various categories, with key awards going to Le Colombe, Ouzeri, and Callan Austin of Nocturne and Dusk, among others. The awards highlighted the diversity and excellence of South Africa’s culinary talents.

Lastly, best friends Sebastian Prentice and Jason Hofmeyr are set to undertake a 100-mile challenge in the Outeniqua Mountains to support local education through the non-profit organization Usapho Indlu. Their goal is to raise funds for a learning center and a vehicle for transporting pupils in George. This adventure underscores the community’s commitment to enhancing educational opportunities.

That wraps up our news for today. This is Erika from ‘Just a Moment News’. Thank you for tuning in, and we hope you found these stories as fascinating as we did. Stay informed and see you next time!

Keywords - moment, daily, news