Lithium batteries
 

News item on BBC that the United Nations have banned the carriage of Lithium batteries as any form of cargo. You can still take a laptop or mobile phone.

On 27 January the ICAO Air Navigation Commission (ANC) recommended that lithium ion batteries, UN 3480, Packing Instruction 965 only, be forbidden for carriage as cargo on passenger aircraft.
The recommended prohibition does not apply to lithium ion batteries packed with equipment or lithium ion batteries contained in equipment, UN 3481, Packing Instruction 966 and Packing Instruction 967 respectively

Just an interim prohibition
 

"This interim prohibition will continue to be in force as separate work continues through ICAO on a new lithium battery packaging performance standard, currently expected by 2018," said Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, the ICAO council's president.