While you were sleeping: 16 March 2016

By John Stupart

16 Mar 2016

Clinton & Trump win big on Tuesday, Chicken born with dinosaur feet, and Williams to quarter-finals at Indian Wells.

"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."

– Martin Luther King Jr.

Story of the Day

State Capture: Hawks up the Gordhan ante while multiple allegations around Guptas remain untested
In another country, as allegations of state capture and corruption by one influential family continue to mount, it would seem apt that its Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) moved swiftly to investigate such serious claims and direct threats to a sovereign democratic state. In South Africa however, the Hawks, as the DPCI is known, have decided that Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan is a more worthy public target. It appears that we have lost all pretence and fallen down the rabbit hole. By MARIANNE THAMM.

While you were sleeping

Trump and Clinton big winners in Florida
The United States presidential election looks set for an orange vs blonde affair. Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton captured Florida in their respective campaigns last night. In doing so, Trump's lead resulted in Marco Rubio's exit from the Republican ball pit. Trump does not, however, appear to have enough votes to secure the Republican nomination outright.
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Go grandmaster defeated by the machines
Go champion Lee Sedol has been defeated in his final match against Google-powered artificial intelligence. AlphaGo has triumphed over Sedol in the fifth and final match. Sedol noted that he would not be eager to repeat the experience.
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Sony to release VR headset in October
PlayStation VR headsets will retail in October for $399. At this price, Sony has effectively slashed the entry price for VR headsets by half when compared to Rift. Oculus, at $599, does not look so great from a price perspective either. Regardless, the future, it seems, is virtual reality.
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Chicken hatched with dinosaur feet
Scientists in Chile have manipulated a chicken embryo to prove an evolutionary link. When intentionally stunted, genetically-speaking, the legs of a chicken appear to revert to its genetic ancestor, a Theropoda dinosaur. Although a humble start, expect a theme park island by the close of the century.
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Serena Williams to quarter-finals
Serena Williams defeated 70th ranked Kateryna Bondarenko 6-2, 6-2 at Indian Wells. Advancing with ease, Williams will now face Simona Halep. This is Williams' second time appearing in the California desert tournament since she ended a boycott of the event.

In Numbers

1777

The year in which the last attempt to ban coffee happened. Frederick the Great declared that beer was superior to coffee and that the latter's consumption was causing a downturn on the former.

Facts of the Day

Today in 2014 saw Crimea vote in a referendum to secede from Ukraine.

Fact of the day: Tsar Bomba, the most powerful nuclear bomb in the world, created seismic shocks on its third passage across the earth.

Ride along. By murder rate, Cape Town is the ninth most dangerous city in the world. One of the leading drivers of this violence is the gangs that terrorise the Cape Flats and surrounds. In the pilot episode of this new web series, Chronicle's Shaun Swingler takes you behind the scenes into the operations of the Cape Town Metro Police Gang and Drug Task Team, to show what it's like to battle gangsterism, crime and drug abuse in one of the most notoriously violent places on earth.

Weather & Financial Data

BFN: min: 18° max: 25°, rainy
CPT: min: 15° max: 27°, cloudy
DBN: min: 15° max: 31°, rainy
EL: min: 18° max: 26°, cloudy
JHB: min: 15° max: 28°, sunny
KIM: min: 20° max: 29°, rainy
NLP: min: 18° max: 31°, cloudy
PMB: min: 14° max: 29°, rainy
PKN: min: 16° max: 29°, rainy
PE: min: 19° max: 24°, cloudy
PTA: min: 17° max: 28°, rainy

Oil=$38.42 Gold=$1,230.14 Platinum=$957.80
R/$=15.95 R/€=17.71 R/£=22.54 $/€=1.11
JSE All Share=52,253.79 DJIA=17,194.03 FTSE 100=6,139.16 : Source

Now on Daily Maverick

FEATURES

	State Capture: Hawks up the Gordhan ante while multiple allegations around Guptas remain untested By Marianne Thamm
	Editorial: An Act of Wilful Sabotage, Part Two By Daily Maverick
	Trainspotter: A Thorough Bashing – State tanks on al-Bashir ruling By Richard Poplak
	State capture: Former MP publicly reveals Guptas offered her Ministry By Marianne Thamm
	Parliamentary Diary: The courtship between the Hawks and Judge Essa Moosa By Marianne Merten
	The Exotic Manila Hotel keeps a watching brief on city’s fortunes By Greg Mills
	Green Screen: Festival films need to eco beyond audiences By Marelise van der Merwe
	IkamvaYouth: Successful students shepherd the next generation By Pippa Green
	The athlete's dilemma: The pressures and pleasures of doping By Antoinette Muller
	Analysis: The ringing sound of Pravin’s silence By Stephen Grootes
	John Hlophe misconduct: Another NeverEnding story By Marianne Thamm
	Playing by the book: Parliament to review rules for removing a president By Marianne Merten
	Exploiting Disorder: al-Qaeda and the Islamic State By International Crisis Group

OPINIONS

	Government guilt: Al-Bashir and South Africa's culpabiity By Saul Musker
	An anti-hunting ideologue on a flight of fancy By Ivo Vegter
	The Road to My Lai and Sharpeville By Patrick Pillay
	Throwing success out of the window: DA must learn to choose its battles By Ian von Memerty
	Janusz Walu?: A case of poor judgment By Pierre de Vos
	Mguptama's attention seeking and fundraising antics By Mpho Morolane