#5Things: Cyclone damage in KZN, cellphone reception disruption, UFO spotted, and more
The Breakfast team have got you covered with news from around the globe in #5Things.
1. Renewables produce more of Europe's electricity than fossil fuels
An annual report tracking power use in the European Union has revealed that renewables delivered 38% of the total electricity in 2020, marginally beating the 37% generated by fossil fuels. European emissions from electricity have been falling at record rates over the past five years, becoming almost 30% cleaner since 2015.
2. Cyclone Eloise: Two children killed, hundreds of homes destroyed in SA
More than 100 homes in the KwaZulu-Natal province have been completely destroyed after cyclone Eloise hit parts of South Africa over the weekend and on Monday. This was confirmed at a briefing earlier by Cooperative Governance Minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. One of the victims was a 14-year-old boy who drowned in KZN's Zululand District.
Read the full story here.
3. Mobile phone reception could be disrupted by a star in SA - research
According to researchers, a star in space could disrupt mobile phone reception across South Africa. A research team have predicted the bursting behaviours of gamma rays in research published in 'Nature Astronomy' in January 2021. According to the paper, the extreme explosions can disrupt mobile phone reception but can also be messengers from the very early history of the universe, which the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa can help decipher.
READ: Darren rants over Keri and Sky's lack of research on the show
4. Rower reaches halfway mark from Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro
Solo rower Zirk Botha has reached the halfway mark of his journey across the Atlantic Ocean. During Botha’s row from Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro, only solar panels and solar-charged batteries are being used as a source of electricity for his boat. Botha said arriving at the halfway point of his journey was a momentous occasion, which was amplified by the fact that he was two weeks ahead of schedule.
5. Passenger airline encounters UFO in Pakistan
According to confirmed news reports, a passenger airliner encountered a UFO near Karachi, Pakistan. According to passengers and pilots on board the liner, at the time of the meeting with the UFO, the plane was flying on 23 January 2021 at an altitude of 10 thousand meters above the ocean. Remember, the flying item is just unidentified and not necessarily aliens.
READ: EXCLUSIVE: "A new COVID-19 variant has been discovered outside South Africa"
IMAGE CREDIT: Supplied