POLAND
Cyberattack grounds LOT
A cyberattack against flagship carrier LOT on Sunday grounded more than 1,400 passengers at Warsaw’s Frederic Chopin Airport in what an airline spokesman described as the “first attack of its kind.” The attack occurred at about 4pm, and targeted the airline’s ground operations system, the carrier said in a statement. The incident, which led to the cancelation of 10 flights departing from Warsaw, was resolved by 9pm. The airline said in a statement on its Web site that the attack meant it was unable to create flight plans and flights were not able to depart from Warsaw. Security agencies are investigating the attack.
NETHERLANDS
Flight 17 memorial planned
The Dutch, Australian and Malaysian governments are to hold services on July 17 to mark the first anniversary of the shooting down of a Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine with the loss of 298 lives. The plane was downed as the Boeing 777 flew from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott yesterday said that his nation’s lawmakers would be recalled to Parliament House for the national service and a plaque would be unveiled in the House of Representatives’ gardens inscribed with the names of all victims, who included 39 Australian citizens and permanent residents.
CHILE
Santiago sees emergency
Authorities yesterday declared an environmental emergency for the Santiago metropolitan region, forcing more than 900 industries to temporarily shut down and about 40 percent of the capital’s 1.7 million cars off the roads. “We’re currently facing unusual conditions, with one of the driest Junes in over 40 years as well as really bad air circulation conditions in the Santiago valley in recent days, which boosts the concentration of contamination,” the Environment Ministry said in a statement. The emergency, the first since 1999, will be in place for 24 hours and can be extended further if authorities deem conditions have not improved. People in the Santiago area also were advised to avoid outdoor exercise. A lack of rain and winds have allowed concentrations of small breathable particulate matter known as PM2.5 to build up, shrouding the city — which is hosting the Copa America soccer tournament — in smog.
GERMANY
Woman bit by cat bites man
A woman in the western city of Hagen was bitten by a cat early on Saturday, which sent her into such a rage that she then repeatedly bit and beat her boyfriend, the cat’s owner. Police on Sunday said that after the 26-year-old woman was attacked by her 39-year-old partner’s cat, she tried to discipline it, triggering a fight in which the man was hit and bitten several times. The man tried to ring the police, but his partner repeatedly ripped his mobile phone from his hand until the man was able to escape and make the call. He was taken to hospital for treatment while the woman, who was charged with domestic violence, was slapped with a 10-day restraining order barring her from the apartment.
ARGENTINA
Fernandez not seeking seat
President Cristina Fernandez will not seek another office when her second term ends on Dec. 10, defying recent speculation she might run for congress. With the passage of the filing deadline at midnight on Saturday, Fernandez’s name did not appear on any list of candidates. She is barred by the constitution from seeking a third presidential term.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
IN PURSUIT: Israel’s defense minister said the revenge attacks by Israeli settlers would make it difficult for security forces to find those responsible for the 14-year-old’s death Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday condemned the “heinous murder” of an Israeli teenager in the occupied West Bank as attacks on Palestinian villages intensified following news of his death. After Benjamin Achimeir, 14, was reported missing near Ramallah on Friday, hundreds of Jewish settlers backed by Israeli forces raided nearby Palestinian villages, torching vehicles and homes, leaving at least one villager dead and dozens wounded. The attacks escalated in several villages on Saturday after Achimeir’s body was found near the Malachi Hashalom outpost. Agence France-Presse correspondents saw smoke rising from burned houses and fields. Mayor Amin Abu Alyah, of the