--- title: "While you were sleeping: 18 September 2017" description: "Emmy Awards gets political, Trump Jnr to testify publicly, and snails could save the Great Barrier Reef." 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/2017-09-18-while-you-were-sleeping-18-september-2017/" published: "2017-09-18T05:59:16" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 704 --- # While you were sleeping: 18 September 2017 > Emmy Awards gets political, Trump Jnr to testify publicly, and snails could save the Great Barrier Reef. By John Stupart · Published 18 September 2017, 07:59 SAST ## Content **Monday, 18 September 2017** *“We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done.”* **Alan Turing** ![Image](https://i2.createsend1.com/ei/d/8A/44D/78D/csimport/849x493q70Scorpio-AmaB-TransnetGigaba-021.050620.jpg) STORY OF THE DAY [By AMABHUNGANE and SCORPIO](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-uycdtl-l-c/) Just after President Jacob Zuma attended the BRICS summit in China earlier this month, City Press reported that the China Communication Construction Company was gearing up to close South African state contracts worth R70-billion, with no public tender. But CCCC’s subsidiary Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries, which sold port cranes to Transnet, was already embroiled in the corruption contagion spreading from Zuma’s administration and the #GuptaLeaks. Now we have found the crane manufacturer’s kickback agreement with a Gupta intermediary. Transnet bought seven of the world’s most expensive port cranes because its Chinese state-owned supplier inflated the price to pay off the Guptas, a kickback contract shows. [Emmy Awards a wholly political animal](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-uycdtl-l-q/) The Emmy Awards 2017 got off to a fiery start. Hosted by Stephen Colbert, the show was always going to be about politics this year. In an environment where Game of Thrones was deemed ineligible for awards due to its late start, other shows were able to fill the gap. SNL's Alec Baldwin, John Lithglow in The Crown, The Veep's Selena Meyer, and Donald Glover in Atlanta all saw awards come their way. This year, however, it seemed that A Handmaid's Tale was the show that was snapping up most of the statues. [Trump Jr to give public Russian testimony](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-uycdtl-l-a/) While his dad was being mocked mercilessly at the Emmy Awards, Donald Trump Junior was scheduled to testify publicly on Russia's electoral meddling. Senator Dianne Feinstein announced on Sunday that Trump Jr would be testifying "soon" before a congressional committee. This will be the first public testimony by one of Trump's inner cabal. [Dieselgate's real death toll revealed](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-uycdtl-l-f/) A new study published today has revealed that Volkswagen's rigged-emission diesel cars may be responsible for 5,000 deaths a year in Europe alone. The figure was calculated by various researchers who collected data on deaths relating to small particle pollution from light-duty diesel vehicles. They concluded that almost half of these deaths were avoidable if the emissions levels were correctly advertised. [Snails could save the Barrier Reef](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-uycdtl-l-z/) Starfish-munching Pacific Triton could save the Great Barrier Reef. With 42% of the habitat's destruction attributed to the crown-of-thorns starfish, the snails could, researchers hope, be let loose to hunt them out of the reef. None of this will fix the rampant and uncontrollable bleaching of its remaining coral, however. — IN NUMBERS 90% The percentage reduction in fatalities by using roundabouts over traffic lights. FACTS OF THE DAY Today is World **Water Monitoring Day**. Anyone living in the Western Cape would do well to take note. **Liam Neeson** punched a 15-year-old student in the face when he was a trainee teacher. 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