DINNER PARTY INTEL: The moon is losing its shine
A new study estimates that its circumference has decreased by 45m over the past few hundred million years
1. Cape of Crime
Cape Town is famous for beaches, food, wine, the mountain (of course) — and crime. The latest police statistics show the CBD is the worst place for violent crime in South Africa: 3,769 incidents between October and December — a 22.1% rise from the same period in 2022. Five districts — Mfuleni, Gugulethu, Nyanga, Khayelitsha and Delft — have the highest murder rates, except for Inanda in eThekwini.
2. Waning moon
The moon is shrinking, according to a report in the Planetary Science Journal. A new study estimates that its circumference has decreased by 45m over the past few hundred million years due to its molten iron core cooling and contracting. The scientists who wrote the article say that may complicate future efforts to build a lunar base.
3. Plastic pitch
In the home of African football champions Ivory Coast, the favourite footwear isn’t the latest boots, but plastic sandals. The New York Times reports that the plastic shoes, long derided as the sneaker of the poor, are worn by the players on dusty pitches. The sandals, known as lêkê (pronounced like lekker), are popular in the West African nation for their style and pragmatism. Even Gucci is now making them.