--- title: "While you were sleeping: 29 May 2017" description: "Laptop travel ban could be expanded globally, North Korea fires another missile, and Germany warns of \"unreliable\" US and Britain." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "South Africa" author: "John Stupart" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/johnstupart/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2017-05-29-while-you-were-sleeping-29-may-2017/" published: "2017-05-29T05:58:19" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 709 --- # While you were sleeping: 29 May 2017 > Laptop travel ban could be expanded globally, North Korea fires another missile, and Germany warns of "unreliable" US and Britain. By John Stupart · Published 29 May 2017, 07:58 SAST ## Content **Monday, 29 May 2017** *“Never give up! Even Moses was a basket case.”* **Church sign in Cape Town** ![Image](https://i2.createsend1.com/ei/d/43/5F2/08E/csimport/849x493q70poplak-Gupta-emails1.050807.jpg) STORY OF THE DAY [TRAINSPOTTER: The Escape to Dubai, and other e-mailed missives from the shadow state](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kjhkjjl-l-u/) By RICHARD POPLAK We now know that President Jacob Zuma and his entourage have attempted to purchase for themselves a great, gilded oil-soaked escape hatch. This country has suffered many atrocities, slights and insults. So perhaps it’s apposite that we’ve earned ourselves a president who built himself a quarter-of-a-billion rand palace and couldn’t be assed to live in it. [US laptop ban may be extended worldwide](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kjhkjjl-l-o/) US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly indicated on Sunday that the United States may well extend the current laptop ban to carriers worldwide. Kelly reiterated America's desire to "raise the bar" on airline travel safety. Banning laptops is apparently the epitome of such a strategy. Although the ban has already proved to have a negative effect on airline profits, the world's carriers will probably have no choice but to comply. [North Korea fires ballistic missile](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kjhkjjl-l-b/) Starved of media attention for a week, North Korea tested another missile. The short-range weapon test flew for six minutes and landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone. Japan issued a characteristic condemnation and a vow to never let such things rest. In reality, however, that's precisely what the region will continue to do. [Heathrow delays continued](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kjhkjjl-l-n/) Sunday saw Heathrow Airport delay or cancel hundreds of flights in the wake of a crippling IT error. The airport's check-in system had suffered a massive crash due to what the boffins believe was a "power supply issue". One has to wonder whether they've tried turning it off and on again. [Germany warns of unreliable US, British ties](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kjhkjjl-l-p/) German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned the European Union that the United States and Britain are no longer reliable allies. Speaking on Sunday, Merkel advised that the EU "must take its fate into its own hands". Donald Trump's failure at a Nato summit to re-endorse Article 5, which guarantees military aid should any member nation be attacked, was in part fuel for the German fire. — IN NUMBERS 800 The number of awards the Lord of the Rings trilogy was nominated for. They won 475 of them, making it the most awarded film series in the history of moving pictures. FACTS OF THE DAY Today in 1999 **Olusegun Obasanjo** takes office in Nigeria. He was the first elected official after 16 years of military rule. The **Ying and Yang** symbol predates Taoism by 700 years. It was a shield logo in ancient Rome. FEATURED ARTICLES ![Image](https://images.www.dailymaverick.co.za/images/resized_images/849x493q70poplak-Gupta-emails.jpg) [TRAINSPOTTER: The Escape to Dubai, and other e-mailed missives from the shadow state](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kjhkjjl-l-q/) BY RICHARD POPLAK ![Image](https://images.www.dailymaverick.co.za/images/resized_images/849x493q70Marius-ZilleZuma.jpg) [Op-Ed: Zille and Zuma – a fading star, a black hole and the end of an era](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kjhkjjl-l-g/) BY MARIUS OOSTHUIZEN ![Image](https://images.www.dailymaverick.co.za/images/resized_images/849x493q70zuma-gupa-emails.jpg) [State Capture: Letters provide the smoking gun but is it enough to topple Zuma?](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kjhkjjl-l-yd/) BY STEPHEN GROOTES ![Image](https://images.www.dailymaverick.co.za/images/resized_images/849x493q70EFS_28May.jpg) [Evita's Free Speech: Ep.92 – Evita dare not mention Dubai! (Video)](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kjhkjjl-l-yk/) BY PIETER-DIRK UYS ![Image](https://images.www.dailymaverick.co.za/images/resized_images/849x493q70health-e-sexwork-MAIN-PHOTO.jpg) [Health-e News: Sex workers to remain ‘criminals’, vulnerable to HIV?](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kjhkjjl-l-jl/) BY HEALTH-E NEWS ![Image](https://images.www.dailymaverick.co.za/images/resized_images/849x493q70Greg-Aguma-suspension.jpg) [Analysis: Suspension of SABC’s Aguma a step in the right direction](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kjhkjjl-l-jy/) BY GREG NICOLSON ![Image](https://images.www.dailymaverick.co.za/images/resized_images/849x493q70Brooks-Trump-Abroad.jpg) [Trump’s Travels Travails: Manners (Un)maketh the Man](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kjhkjjl-l-jt/) BY J BROOKS SPECTOR ![Image](https://images.www.dailymaverick.co.za/images/resized_images/849x493q70VanSchie-SADCwrap2.jpg) [The SADC Wrap: On Maimane and mining ministers](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kjhkjjl-l-jd/) BY KRISTEN VAN SCHIE ![Image](https://images.www.dailymaverick.co.za/images/resized_images/849x493q70stones-Kaktus-MAIN-BODY.jpg) [Theatre Review: ‘Kaktus’ sees Tannie Evita walking us through colonialism](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kjhkjjl-l-jk/) BY LESLEY STONES ![Image](https://images.www.dailymaverick.co.za/images/resized_images/849x493q70Fabricius-Mukungubila.jpg) [A prophet not in his own land: DRC’s Mukungubila in SA, just where Kabila wants him](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kjhkjjl-l-tl/) BY PETER FABRICIUS OPINIONISTAS ![Image](https://images.www.dailymaverick.co.za/images/resized_images/190x170q70Brij-Maharaj.jpg) [Zuma – Law, Order and Incarceration](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kjhkjjl-l-ty/) A column by BRIJ MAHARAJ ![Image](https://images.www.dailymaverick.co.za/images/resized_images/190x170q70helen-zille-02.jpg) [From the Inside: The anatomy of a sham scandal](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kjhkjjl-l-tt/) A column by HELEN ZILLE ![Image](https://images.www.dailymaverick.co.za/images/resized_images/190x170q70Yonela-Diko-new-photo.jpg) [Arrogance of South Africans on Africa](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kjhkjjl-l-td/) A column by YONELA DIKO ![Image](https://images.www.dailymaverick.co.za/images/resized_images/190x170q70Siya-Khumalo.jpg) [#ZumaTradeOff: Golden Opportunity](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-kjhkjjl-l-tk/) A column by SIYA KHUMALO — **Weather** BFN: min: 2° max: 18°, cloudy CPT: min: 11° max: 22°, cloudy DBN: min: 17° max: 21°, sunny EL: min: 15° max: 22°, cloudy JHB: min: 4° max: 19°, sunny KIM: min: 4° max: 20°, sunny NLP: min: 7° max: 20°, cloudy PMB: min: 5° max: 19°, cloudy PE: min: 14° max: 21°, cloudy PTA: min: 4° max: 19°, sunny **Financial Data** Oil=$52.15 Gold=$1,266.76 Platinum=$960.57 R/$=12.88 R/€=14.38 R/£=16.48 $/€=0.89 JSE All Share=53,996.14 DJIA=21,080.28 FTSE 100=7,547.63