Transcript

Hello everyone, and welcome to ‘Just a Moment News.’ I’m Erika, and today is August 14, 2024. Let’s dive into today’s headlines.

First up, South Africa’s unemployment rate has risen to thirty-three point five percent in the second quarter of 2024, the highest level since 2022. This means that 8.4 million people are currently unemployed. The expanded unemployment rate, which includes those who have given up looking for work, has climbed to forty-two point six percent. The North West and Eastern Cape provinces have the highest expanded unemployment rates, with North West at fifty-four point two percent. While the formal sector remains dominant, there were job losses in trade and agriculture, which were somewhat offset by gains in manufacturing and the informal sector. Youth unemployment is particularly concerning, with thirty-five point two percent of young people aged fifteen to twenty-four not engaged in employment, education, or training. The unemployment rate among university graduates has dropped to nine point seven percent, but those with matric or less face significantly higher joblessness. Unemployment among black Africans remains disproportionately high at thirty-seven point six percent, surpassing the national average and other population groups.

Next, researchers from the Endangered Wildlife Trust are using unique whisker spot patterns to identify and count lions in Kruger National Park. This method, developed in the 1970s, allows them to track individual lions and provide accurate population estimates crucial for conservation. The team is conducting a spatial capture-recapture survey, photographing lions’ whisker patterns during their fieldwork and driving predetermined routes daily to avoid bias. This research, the first since 2016, aims to provide an updated population estimate of lions in Kruger, a critical stronghold for the species facing threats like habitat loss, poaching, and human-wildlife conflict. The data collected will help inform conservation strategies to protect lions in the park. The Endangered Wildlife Trust partners with South African National Parks and the Lion Recovery Fund, using GPS tracking to monitor lion movements and habitat use. This survey emphasizes the importance of ongoing monitoring in protected areas, even in large reserves like Kruger, where lions are vulnerable to various threats despite a relatively healthy population.

In the world of e-commerce, Bash, owned by TFG and launched by veterans Claude Hanan and Luke Jedeiken, has achieved significant success in South Africa’s online shopping market despite increased competition from Chinese retailers Temu and Shein. Officially launched in February 2023, Bash has become a leading e-commerce platform, surpassing five million app downloads and 1.5 million monthly active users within sixteen months. The platform has outperformed competitors like Superbalist, with 6.2 million monthly visits compared to Superbalist’s 3.6 million, and has shown strong brand awareness growth according to Google Trends. Bash’s financial performance is impressive, with a sixty percent year-on-year revenue growth and an eighty percent margin increase, achieved while reducing marketing and fulfillment costs as a percentage of turnover. This success has led TFG CEO Anthony Thunström to anticipate an earlier breakeven point for Bash. The platform’s higher app conversion rate and strategic additions like TFG Money functionality and the Jet brand have further solidified its market position.

Over at Google, they’ve announced a new voice chat mode for their AI assistant, Gemini, called Gemini Live, at the Pixel 9 event. This feature, available to Gemini Advanced subscribers, functions similarly to ChatGPT’s voice chat, offering multiple voice options and allowing conversational interactions where users can interrupt or pause without tapping buttons. It also works in the background or when the phone is locked. Initially available in English on Android, Gemini Live will expand to iOS and additional languages soon. In addition to Gemini Live, Google introduced new AI assistant features, including ten new voices and upcoming extensions for apps like Keep, Tasks, Utilities, and YouTube Music. Gemini is also gaining screen context awareness, enabling it to provide relevant information based on the content displayed on your device, akin to Apple’s recent AI advancements.

In sports, cricket strategy has evolved with bowlers using new techniques to deceive batsmen, such as delivering the ball with the arm close to the shoulder line, creating a transverse spin. Scientists at Amity University Dubai tested this in wind tunnels and found that this spin generates a high-speed effect similar to the Magnus effect seen in baseball, altering the ball’s trajectory mid-flight. The experiments revealed that this technique expands low-pressure zones around the ball, contributing to its unpredictability. This study highlights the growing sophistication in cricket and its parallels with other ball sports like baseball.

For UFC fans, Dricus Du Plessis, South Africa’s UFC middleweight champion, will be supported by Springbok rugby stars Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth as he faces Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in Perth on Sunday. The Springboks will play the Wallabies the day before the fight, and much of the team, including Kolisi and Etzebeth, will attend Du Plessis’ title defense, his first since becoming South Africa’s first UFC world champion at UFC 297. Du Plessis is confident, stating that the presence of the Springboks will bolster his performance. He anticipates a challenging fight against Adesanya, who is returning to the octagon after losing the middleweight belt last September. Despite the tough opponent, Du Plessis believes his preparation and national pride will carry him through the bout.

Lastly, let’s talk about “Bad Monkey,” a new series on Apple TV+ starring Vince Vaughn as Andrew Yancy, a former Miami cop turned suspended Keys detective. The series, developed by Bill Lawrence from Carl Hiaasen’s novel, is a wild ride through Florida Keys’ bizarre world, marked by sharp dialogue and dark humor. Yancy, who is a fountain of wisecracks, finds himself embroiled in a mystery involving a severed arm and various colorful characters, including a mischievous girlfriend (Michelle Monaghan) and a possible sociopath (Meredith Hagner). The series is less about the titular monkey and more about its eclectic characters and intertwining storylines, such as a parallel plot involving a housing development in the Bahamas. Vaughn’s performance, embodying his signature style, is supported by a strong cast, including Natalie Martinez and Jodie Turner-Smith. The narrative is engaging, and the soundtrack, featuring reworked Tom Petty and Fleetwood Mac songs, adds to the show’s familiar yet fresh feel. Overall, “Bad Monkey” delivers an entertaining blend of mystery, comedy, and unconventional character dynamics.

And now, it’s time for our Word of the Day. Today’s word is “serendipity.” Serendipity means finding something good without actually looking for it. Imagine you’re walking in the park and you find a twenty Rand note on the ground, or you bump into an old friend you haven’t seen in years. That’s serendipity at work!

That’s all for today. I’m Erika, and this has been ‘Just a Moment News.’ Thank you for joining us, and we’ll see you next time!

Keywords - moment, daily, news