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SUBSCRIPTION SUNDAY, MAY 14, 2017 SHABAN 18, 1438 AH www.kuwaittimes.net Palestinians All eyes on Chelsea wins John Wall lifts hold polls in turnout as Premier League Wizards over West Bank, Iran election after beating Celtics 92-91; not in Gaza7 looms 8 West18 Brom forces20 Game 7 Global cyberattack hits Min 28º Max 43º hospitals and companies High Tide 02:23 & 13:07 Low Tide Hackers exploit stolen US spy agency tool 07:48 & 20:40 40 PAGES NO: 17227 150 FILS SINGAPORE: A global cyber attack described as unprecedented in scale forced a major European automaker to halt some production lines while hitting schools in China and hospitals in Indonesia yesterday, though it appeared to die down a day after its launch. Capitalizing on spying tools believed to have been developed by the US National Security Agency, the cyber assault has infected tens of thousands of computers in nearly 100 countries, with Britain’s health system suffering the worst disruptions. Cyber extortionists tricked victims into opening malicious malware attach- ments to spam emails that seemed to contain invoices, job offers, security warnings and other legitimate files. Once inside the targeted network, so-called ransomware made use of recently revealed spy tools to silently infect other out-of-date machines without any human intervention. This, security experts said, marked an unprecedented escalation in the risk of fresh attacks spreading in the coming days and weeks. The ransomware encrypted data on the computers, demanding payments of $300 to $600 to restore access. Researchers observed some victims paying via the digital currency bitcoin, though no one knows how much may have been transferred to extortionists because of the largely anonymous nature of such transactions. Researchers with security software maker Avast said they had observed 126,534 ransomware infections in 99 countries, with Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan the top tar- gets. The hackers, who have not come forward to claim responsibility or otherwise been identified, took advan- tage of a worm, or self-spreading malware, by exploit- ing a piece of NSA spy code known as “Eternal Blue” that was released last month by a hackers group known as the Shadow Brokers, according to researchers with several private cyber security firms. Renault said it had halted auto production at several sites including Sandouville in northwestern France and Renault-owned Dacia plants in Romania yesterday to prevent the spread of ransomware in its systems. Nissan’s manufacturing plant in Sunderland, northeast MOSCOW: Cars are parked in front of the Russian Interior Ministry building yesterday in Moscow. Russia’s Interior Ministry said that some of its computers had been hit England, was also affected by the cyber assault though by a ‘virus attack’ amid reports of major cyber strikes across the globe. (Inset) A worker installs interior parts on a car production line. Renault’s production sites were “there has been no major impact on our business”, a shut down yesterday in France due to the wave of global cyber attacks, which affected the car company. — AFP Continued on Page 13 Archaeologists discover 17 mummies TOUNA EL-GABAL: Egyptian archaeolo- Egyptian province, the ministry said in a gists have discovered 17 mummies in statement. Along with the mummies, desert catacombs in Minya province, an they found a golden sheet and two papyri Gunmen hit “unprecedented” find for the area south of in Demotic an ancient Egyptian script-as Cairo, the antiquities ministry announced well as a number of sarcophogi made of yesterday. Archaeologists found the non- limestone and clay. There were also ani- Saudi town royal mummies in a series of corridors mal and bird coffins, the ministry said. But after following the trail of burial shafts in the mummies have not yet been dated. Pakistani, child killed the Touna-Gabal district of the central Continued on Page 13 DUBAI: Saudi authorities blocked roads in a flash- point Shiite town yesterday, residents said a day after security officials said gunmen killed a two- year-old boy and a Pakistani man. The gunfire targeted a construction site in a neighborhood of the Shiite town of Awamiya slated for redevelopment, the Interior Ministry said late Friday. Workers in JEDDAH: Saudi women look at model of Jeddah Tower ahead of a press conference Almosara district “came under fire and their vehicles in the Red Sea city of Jeddah. The completion date for the world’s tallest tower has were targeted by explosives” from within the neigh- been pushed back to 2019, a Saudi Arabian billionaire said, almost six years after borhood, the ministry said in a statement. It did not launching the record-breaking project. — AFP say when the incident took place but said criminals engaged in the drug and arms trade tried “to jeop- ardize the project and protect their terrorist activi- ties that they launch from the abandoned houses in US, Saudi set to the neighborhood”. As police responded to the shooting, suspects “opened random and heavy gunfire at passersby and security men”, killing a two-year-old Saudi boy seal arms deal and a Pakistani resident. The ministry said 14 people were wounded in the shooting, including two Pakistanis, an Indian, a Sudanese and four police- Arms package could surpass $300 billion men. A resident, however, gave a higher toll, saying WASHINGTON: The United States is close to worth tens of billions of dollars in recent that a local security guard who was hit by a random completing a series of arms deals for Saudi years. Trump has vowed to stimulate the US bullet later died of his injuries. TOUNA EL-GABAL: Photo shows mummies lying in catacombs following their dis- Arabia totaling more than $100 billion, a sen- economy by boosting manufacturing jobs. Continued on Page 13 covery in the Touna El-Gabal district of the Minya province, in central Egypt. — AFP ior White House official said yesterday, a The package includes American arms and week ahead of President Donald Trump’s maintenance, ships, air missile defense and planned visit to Riyadh. The official, who maritime security, the official said. “We’ll see spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, a very substantial commitment ... In many Tumultuous week for Trump said the arms package could end up surpass- ways it is intended to build capabilities for ing more than $300 billion over a decade to the threats they face.” The official added: “It’s WASHINGTON: Another self-inflicted crisis a chain of events that has put his White help Saudi Arabia boost its defensive capa- good for the American economy but it will has left Donald Trump’s critics outraged House on perilous ground. Trump’s pro- bilities while still maintaining US ally Israel’s also be good in terms of building a capability and some of his Republican allies dis- fessed rationale-a recommendation from qualitative military edge over its neighbors. that is appropriate for the challenges of the mayed, but a bedrock of support for the the Justice Department quickly unravelled, “We are in the final stages of a series of region. Israel would still maintain an edge.” billionaire US leader means the political when he admitted he always intended to deals,” the official said. The package is being While in Riyadh, the official said Trump developed to coincide with Trump’s visit to would attend three major events: A series of endgame is far in the distance. A few fire Comey. Trump then added fuel to the Saudi Arabia. Trump leaves for the kingdom meeting with Saudi officials, a separate ses- weeks ago, only Trump’s most rabid oppo- fire when he admitted the FBI’s investiga- on May 19, the first stop on his maiden inter- sion with leaders of the six-nation Gulf nents would have predicted an early tion into his campaign’s possible collusion national trip. Reuters reported last week that Cooperation Council and a lunch with Arab demise for his presidency. But by Friday, with the Kremlin was a factor in his thinking. Washington was pushing through contracts and Muslim leaders, 56 of whom have been the possibility of impeachment was being There is still no firm evidence that for tens of billions of dollars in arms sales to invited, to discuss combating extremism and floated-albeit very cautiously-by an Trump or any of his surrogates colluded Saudi Arabia, some new, others already in cracking down on illicit financing. Trump will LYNCHBURG: President Donald Trump steps out of Air increasing number of people in with Russia to win the election. But the the pipeline, ahead of Trump’s visit. discuss how to counter the threat from Islamic Force One during his arrival at Lynchburg Regional Washington’s corridors of power. very fact that an investigation is ongoing The United States has been the main sup- State militants, the war in Yemen and threats Airport yesterday in Lynchburg, Va. Trump traveled to Trump’s decision to summarily fire FBI intolerable to a president who values his plier for most Saudi military needs, from F-15 of ballistic missiles and maritime shipping in Lynchburg to give the commence address for the director James Comey on Tuesday-an act image above most things. fighter jets to command and control systems the Red Sea, the official said. — Reuters Class of 2017 at Liberty University. — AP virtually unprecedented in US history-set off Continued on Page 13 LOCAL SUNDAY, MAY 14, 2017 Electing Kuwait ‘Capital of Arab Youth’ boosts its Arab status: Official KUWAIT: Undersecretary of the Ministry of State for Youth Affairs Sheikha Al-Zain Al-Sabah has said that choosing Kuwait as the ‘Capital of Arab Youth 2017’ bolsters the country’s status on the Arab youth scene.

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