Transcript

Hello, everyone! This is Erika from “Just a Moment News,” bringing you today’s headlines on this third of August, 2024. Let’s dive into the stories of the day.

Starting off with sports, the South African Olympic team had a day of mixed results in Paris. Swimmer Chad le Clos, despite being a four-time Olympic medalist, did not advance past the 100m butterfly heats, facing challenges from a recent injury and his ranking. On a brighter note, Rebecca Meder set a new South African record in the 200m individual medley, finishing eleventh overall, an impressive feat especially after recovering from a ruptured appendix just months before. Matthew Sates also competed in the butterfly event but finished thirty-fifth. In athletics, Prudence Sekgodiso secured a spot in the 800m semifinals comfortably, while Adriaan Wildschutt set a new national record in the 10,000m, finishing tenth. The SA men’s hockey team concluded their tournament with a victory over France, securing ninth place overall. In rowing, John Smith and Chris Baxter also claimed ninth place in their event, expressing gratitude for the Olympic experience. On the golf course, Erik van Rooyen ranked in joint tenth place, while Christiaan Bezuidenhout tied for thirty-fifth.

Next, let’s talk about the Paris Olympics running track, which has garnered attention for its unique bright mauve color, a stark departure from the traditional dark red tracks. This choice, made by Camille Yvinec, the brand identity director for Paris 2024, aims to leave a lasting visual impression and mark the Paris Games as a standout in Olympic history. Athletes, including British sprinter Imani Lansiquot, have reacted positively, noting the mental boost from the vibrant track.

Moving to Cape Town, the Beerhouse, a well-known venue, is closing its doors after eleven years due to extortion threats. Owner Randolf Jorberg described the challenges faced from the local criminal networks starting just days after opening. The closure follows similar challenges faced by other branches post-Covid-19. Jorberg, now focusing on raising awareness about extortion, predicts that without intervention, kidnappings for ransom could become common in Cape Town.

In academic news, Netflix has provided the University of the Witwatersrand’s Film and TV department with a grant to enhance its digital infrastructure. This includes one hundred and forty Apple Mac laptops equipped with advanced film editing software. This initiative is part of Netflix’s Creative Equity grant, aimed at advancing equity for emerging young film and TV creatives in South Africa and fostering the creation and promotion of original African stories.

In technology, Lelapa AI, a South African AI research firm, has launched InkubaLM, a language model supporting five African languages: Swahili, Yoruba, isiXhosa, Hausa, and isiZulu, in addition to English and French. Named after the dung beetle, InkubaLM is designed to serve the estimated three hundred sixty-four million speakers of these languages, providing functionalities like machine translation and sentiment analysis.

Lastly, in the entertainment industry, Meta Platforms Inc. is negotiating with Hollywood celebrities like Judi Dench and Awkwafina to secure rights to use their voices in its AI projects. These negotiations are part of Meta’s effort to develop a suite of AI tools for its upcoming Connect 2024 event. Despite challenges in negotiations, the use of AI in Hollywood has raised concerns about potential job impacts, leading to labor stoppages last year.

That’s all for today’s news on “Just a Moment News.” I’m Erika, and I hope you found these stories insightful. Join us again for more updates tomorrow. Stay informed and take care!

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