Death toll rises to 64 in Siberian mall fire

[Daily Maverick] AFTERNOON THING with JOHN STUPART Monday, 26 March 2018 WHILE YOU WERE WORKING [Russian mall fire death toll rises]( Dozens of people have been killed in Russia's shopping centre blaze. The death toll has climbed to an astonishing 64 dead, including many children. Further reports indicate that the fire broke out on the fourth floor, causing successive collapses of ceilings. In addition, eyewitness reports suggest that not all fire alarms worked in the centre, nor were those that worked heeded by shoppers. [Van Breda case verdict postponed]( The verdict in the Henri van Breda case has been postponed. The Western Cape High Court has decided to delay the reading of the case to 23 April. Van Breda's defence argued that it was possible that an unknown assailant entered the family premises and conducted the killings, whereas the prosecution argued that this would make no rational sense. [Absa’s Rising Eagles graduate programme harnesses the power of Africa’s brightest young minds through ground-breaking new campaign]( Sponsored Content The Fourth Industrial Revolution may be reshaping the world as we know it, but there is one constant that underlies this digital evolution; one fundamental that can never be matched or replaced by advancing technology: the human brain. This fact, and the unlimited potential of not just one, but thousands of human minds, has informed the inspiring new campaign of Absa’s [Rising Eagles Graduate Programme]( – the aptly named Human Quantum Computer. [Mugabe to explain billions in lost diamond revenue]( Ex-President Robert Mugabe will be hauled before a parliamentary committee to explain how $15-billion in diamonds were pillaged from a Zimbabwe mine. A violent military clampdown in Marange in 2008 was believed to be behind the looting. Mugabe, now fast spiralling into "grumpy grandpa" mode, will have to explain the missing diamonds one way or another. [SA vs Aus a 'soap opera']( Proteas captain Faf du Plessis has likened the current Test campaign with Australia to a "soap opera". From staircase alternations to shoulder bumps, to blatant attempts at cheating, the series has been a rollercoaster of note. Du Plessis commented that "there are far too many things happening away from the game that have taken the shine off". Taking the "shine" off was pretty much precisely what the Australians were hoping to achieve, after all. FEATURED ARTICLES [SassaGate: Net1 to challenge order to repay R317m – but can CPS afford it at all?]( [SassaGate: Net1 to challenge order to repay R317m – but can CPS afford it at all?]( BY Marianne Thamm [Road to the DA Federal congress: Fears that new diversity values will make party like the ANC]( [Road to the DA Federal congress: Fears that new diversity values will make party like the ANC]( BY Carien du Plessis [Op-Ed: Real progressives reject groupthink]( [Op-Ed: Real progressives reject groupthink]( BY Michael Cardo & Gavin Davis OPINIONISTAS [Donating to a public benefit organisation: what it means]( [Donating to a public benefit organisation: what it means]( A column by Shelagh Gastrow [On dishonest and dishonourable cricket cheats]( [On dishonest and dishonourable cricket cheats]( A column by Peter Flack [FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO A FRIEND]( Copyright © 2017 Daily Maverick, All rights reserved. You are receiving this mail because you are awesome and on the Daily Maverick First Thing subscriber list. [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](