French carmaker Renault said today that it had been hit by the wave of cyberattacks sweeping the globe, forcing it to shut down production at several sites to keep the virus from spreading.
	"We have been affected," a spokeswoman told AFP, saying they were assessing the situation to try to find a solution. "Work is going on since last night. We are doing what is needed to counter this attack."
	The attack prompted Renault to stop production at several sites in France, part of measures being taken to stop the virus from spreading.
	It did not identify the sites, but a union source said the factory at Sandouville in northern Normandy was one of the main sites affected.
	A spokesman at the site, whose 3,400 employees normally produce about 640 utility vehicles a day, confirmed it had been a victim of the cyberattack.
	"Production was affected overnight but luckily there was no full production scheduled for this weekend, only some 'stamping' operations," he said.
	Teams were working on ...

Renault shuts down sites after being hit by cyberattack

PTI Automatic

International Olympic Committee (IOC) delegates arrived in Paris today afternoon ahead of an inspection of the city's 2024 Games bid.
     Emmanuel Macron has vowed to find time to meet the commission delegates although no appointment has been set yet as he will be inaugurated as French President to replace Francois Hollande on Sunday.
     Switzerland's Patrick Baumann will lead the 11-strong commission on a three-day visit having just spent as long in Los Angeles, the only other city competing to host the 2024 Olympics.
     "We have three very intense days of work. We're really looking forward to these three days," said Baumann.
     "There's already been a lot of interaction between the IOC and Paris.
     "What the commission hopes for is to live what there is in the bid file. To get a direct idea of what the city of Paris and the bid committee are proposing."
     Sunday will be spent holding interviews between the commission and the bid team, led by co-presidents Tony Estanguet 

IOC commission in Paris to evaluate 2024 bid

Rafael Nadal snapped a seven-match losing streak against Novak Djokovic in commanding fashion as he romped into the final of the Madrid Masters 6-2, 6-4 today.
     The Spaniard looks in ominous form with just over two weeks to go till the start of the French Open as he stretched his perfect record on clay this season to 14-0 with a dominant display.
     Nadal will look to seal his fifth title in Madrid in Sunday's final against either Austrian Dominic Thiem or Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas.
     "Rafa was obviously a better player today," said Djokovic.
     "He deserved to win. He controlled the game from beginning to the end.
     An open era record 50th meeting between Nadal and Djokovic served to highlight the Serb's dramatic dip in form since they last met in Rome almost exactly a year ago.
     Djokovic's straight sets win in that encounter meant he had won his last 15 sets stretching back to the 2014 French Open final against the 14-time Grand Slam champion.
     However, that run ..

Nadal crushes Djokovic to reach Madrid final

Austrians celebrated today the 300th anniversary of the birth of Maria Theresa, with plenty of concerts and Champagne to honour the only woman to have ruled the Habsburg empire.
	The empress's 40-year rule starting in 1740, marked by administrative and educational advances while she consolidated control of her territory, earned her a cherished reputation as the "mother of her peoples".
	It was an image carefully maintained while in power, and one still evoked today by her imposing statue in Vienna, which was surrounded by a field of flowers on Saturday.
	"Her various motherly aspects -- anxious, stern, kindly, affectionate, loving -- reinforced her position as monarch," the historian Anne-Sophie Banakas told AFP.
	And she was the mother of 16 children including Marie- Antoinette, future wife of France's king Louis XVI and executed by guillotine following the French Revolution.
	A full day of events were planned throughout the city's museums to mark Maria Theresa's  birth on May 13, ...

With pomp and parties, Austria marks Maria Theresa's 300th

A huge range of organisations and companies around the world have been affected by the WannaCry ransomware cyberattack, described by the EU's law enforcement agency as "unprecedented".
	From "cyberwar" to "hacktivism", here are some of the major cyberattacks over the past 10 years:
	One of the first massive cyberattacks to hit a state occurred in spring 2007 in the Baltic nation of Estonia, when a spate of intrusions forced the closure of government websites and disrupted leading businesses.
	The assault paralysed key corporate and government web services for days and knocked out the national emergency hotline for more than an hour. Estonia, which was in the midst of a diplomatic dispute with Russia, blamed Moscow for the attacks, which it denied.
	A year later, Georgia suffered similar attacks which crippled its official presidential website and the main broadcast networks during the South Ossetia war. The attack was attributed to Russian nationalists.
	In July 2009, a dozen US ...

Cyberattack: major cyber attacks over the past 10 years

Lewis Hamilton secured pole position for tomorrow's Spanish Grand Prix for Mercedes in a closely-contested qualifying session at the Circuit de Catalunya today.
     The three-time champion Briton resisted a powerful late challenge in the final seconds of Q3 from championship-leading four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari.
     "It was very close, but well done to Lewis," said Vettel. "And a big thank-you to my team. I'm afraid it was my lock-up at the end of the lap that made the difference.
     "It was a really good lap up to the final chicane."
     A beaming Hamilton, who has bounced back to his best form after a puzzling loss of pace in Russia, said his first lap had been "very, very good, but the last lap was only so-so... But I am super proud that we are back up there."
     Hamilton clocked a best lap of one minute and 19.149 seconds to stay ahead of Vettel, who clocked 1:19.200, by the narrowest of margins after the German had required a rapid engine change shortly ..

Hamilton resists Vettel to claim Spanish GP pole

A Moroccan UN peacekeeper was killed today in an attack in the Central African Republic's southeast, close to where five other peacekeepers also lost their lives in recent days, the United Nations said.
	An overnight attack targeted civilians in the town of Bangassou as well as a UN mission field office and "in the firefight, one peacekeeper of the Moroccan contingent died from gunshot injuries", the UN mission MINUSCA said in a statement.
	It said the attackers were members of a wide coalition including the mainly Christian anti-Balaka group who "attacked civilian populations, targeting in particular Muslims", another sign of the continuing sectarian violence that has ravaged the country.
	MINUSCA also said there were reports of civilians killed.
	"At this time it is difficult to ascertain the humanitarian situation in Bangassou. However credible sources have confirmed an undetermined number of civilian casualties," the statement said.
	Displaced people in the area have fled to the ..

Moroccan UN peacekeeper killed in C. Africa attack: UN

At least 23 people died and 11 more were seriously injured today when a bus carrying women and children plunged off a cliff near the southwestern Turkish sea resort of Marmaris.
	"Sadly, we have had 20 fatalities and 11 other seriously injured," said Amir Cicek, the governor of Mugla province, calling it a "horrible accident."
	His deputy Kamil Koten said the bus plunged  through a crash barrier and fell 15 metres (50 feet) on to a lower road, smashing a car with its three occupants.
	"If we count these three deaths, the number of the dead rises to 23," the state-run Anadolu news agency quoted him as saying.
	The accident occurred near the Sakar Pass on a steep winding road filled with hairpin bends.
	Cicek told NTV television an investigation was under way.
	"The bus's brakes may have malfunctioned," he said.
	Television images showed the yellow bus lying on its side and bodies wrapped up in cloth lined up next to it.
	Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, currently on a visit to ..

At least 23 killed in Turkey bus crash

Microsoft has taken the unusual step of re-releasing security updates for some older versions of its Windows platforms to counter a massive global wave of cyber ransomware attacks.
	In a blog post, the US tech giant recalled that it had published an update in March to address the weakness exploited in Friday's attacks, a security flaw exposed in documents leaked from the US National Security Agency.
	The attacks struck targets in dozens of countries, ranging from British hospitals to Russian banks.
	"Those who have Windows Update enabled are protected against attacks on this vulnerability," the company said in the post published on its website.
	"For those organizations who have not yet applied the security update, we suggest you immediately deploy Microsoft Security Bulletin MS17-010."
	The so-called "Wannacry" virus notably attacks Windows XP, which in principle has not been supported by Microsoft since 2014.
	"Some of our customers are running versions of Windows that no longer ...

Microsoft re-releases security update after cyberattacks

South Africa will relaunch plans to build nuclear power plants by signing new agreements with several countries, Energy Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said today.
	A court in Cape Town last month ruled the government had failed to allow adequate public consultation for preliminary agreements with Russia, South Korea and the United States for the construction of eight reactors.
	Struggling to meet growing electricity demand, South Africa in recent years has also signed agreements with France and China.
	"I have decided that I will not be appealing the decision of the Western Cape High Court on this matter," said Kubayi at a press conference.
	The government now plans to sign new agreements with all five countries which will then be submitted to parliament, she said.
	South Africa has the only two nuclear reactors on the continent and is seeking to relaunch its nuclear programme in a bid to end its reliance on coal to produce electricity.
	The government says the planned eight new reactors ..

South Africa to restart nuclear power plans

"It was flee or die," said Jean Makemissi, a refugee from the violence raging in Democratic Republic of Congo who has sought sanctuary in neighbouring Angola.
	"All of the villages in our region have been occupied by rebels. We left chaotically without taking anything with us. We were truly terrified," he said from the Mussungue camp in the extreme north of Angola, fear visibly etched on his face.
	"I'm scared for my children, I don't have any news on them. But by chance I found my wife here."
	The Makemissi family home was just a matter of miles from the camp, in the Congolese town of Tshisenge, on the border separating the two countries.
	He set off from Tshisenge on March 7 and did not reach Angola until March 14, having hidden from and evaded the rebels during a perilous journey on foot.
	The rebels have sworn allegiance to local chief Kamwina Nsapu, who was waging a bloody battle against the government of President Joseph Kabila until he was killed by security forces in August ...

DRCongo refugees in Angola reveal horrors of conflict

The Boko Haram jihadist group has released a video claiming to show Chibok schoolgirls who refused to be rescued as part of a recent swap deal with the Nigerian government.
	In the three-minute video released yesterday, a woman who claims to be Maida Yakubu, one of the 276 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in April 2014, is seen wearing a black veil and holding a gun.
	Flanked by three other women clad in black, she proclaims her loyalty to Boko Haram, which has been fighting the government since 2009 in an uprising that has killed over 20,000 people.
	When asked by a man in the background why she does not want to return home to her parents, she replies: "The reason is that they live in the town of unbelief. We want them to accept Islam."
	The woman then speaks in the local Chibok dialect for the rest of the video.
	Last week, 82 schoolgirls who were kidnapped three years ago were released after negotiations between the terrorist group and the government.
	Presidency spokesman Garba 

Boko Haram releases video of purported Chibok girl

Egyptian archaeologists have discovered 17 mummies in desert catacombs in Minya province, an "unprecedented" find for the area south of Cairo, the antiquities ministry announced today.
	Archaeologists found the non-royal mummies in a series of corridors after following the trail of burial shafts in the Touna-Gabal district of the central Egyptian province, the ministry said in a statement.
	Along with the mummies, they found a golden sheet and two papyri in Demotic -- an ancient Egyptian script -- as well as a number of sarcophogi made of limestone and clay.
	There were also animal and bird coffins, the ministry said.
	But the mummies have not yet been dated.
	The ministry said they belonged to the Late Period, which spanned almost 300 years up to Alexander the Great's conquest of Egypt in 332 BC.
	But a spokeswoman told AFP they could also date from the Ptolemaic Dynasty, founded by Alexander the Great's general Ptolemy.
	The discovery of the non-royal mummies is considered ...

17 mummies discovered in central Egypt

A Jordanian man stabbed and wounded an Israeli officer in annexed east Jerusalem today before being shot dead, police said.
	The officer was taken to hospital with "moderate" injuries after the attack in the walled Old City, police spokeswoman Louba Samri said in a statement.
	Police identified the assailant as a 57-year-old Jordanian man who had been visiting Israel for the past three days.
	They said he brandished a knife and stabbed the policeman in one of the alleys of the Old City before the wounded officer shot him dead.
	A wave of unrest that broke out in October 2015 has claimed the lives of 263 Palestinians, 41 Israelis, two Americans, two Jordanians, an Eritrean, a Sudanese and a Briton, according to an AFP count.
	Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, the Israeli authorities say.
	Others were shot dead during protests or clashes, while some were killed in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip.

Jordanian stabs Israeli officer in Jerusalem, shot dead

Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari were thrust into a race against time today after discovering a water leak that required a change of engine before qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix.
     The championship leader and four-time champion had to pull his car to a halt in the pit lane in the closing stages of third and final practice when Ferrari detected a problem.
     Instead of working on repairing the water leak problem, the team decided to fit a new power unit immediately, the German's third of the year's permitted supply of four.
     This meant they had only two hours to complete the work before the start of Saturday afternoon's qualifying session.
     German Vettel was second fastest behind his Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen as the Italian team bounced back to top the times in the session ahead of Mercedes.
     As the engine work began, Mercedes non-executive boss Niki Lauda dismissed rumours that Vettel was set to leave Ferrari for the German outfit.
     "I'm sorry, I'm very .

Vettel's Ferrari suffers engine leak

Shakib Al Hasan expects Bangladesh to improve the longer the Tri-Series in Ireland goes on after conceding it took time to get used to the conditions in their opening game against the hosts.
     Bangladesh lost their first four wickets inside 15 overs but an unbroken stand of 87 between Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah put them back in control before rain ended the game after 31 overs.
     "It is different to what we are used to early on and it was not easy, but as the ball got older and softer the ball was coming nicely onto the bat," said Shakib who was captaining the team in place of Mashrafe Mortaza, who was serving a one-game suspension.
     "It was good experience, and we are now looking forward to the next game, against New Zealand (on Wednesday)."
     Tamim Iqbal's hopes of scoring the first century of the series were cut short by the rain when he was 64 not out, having hit eight boundaries but Shakib was impressed by his batting as the opener led his side's recovery after ...

Shakib warns Bangladesh will survive Irish weather

Cricket Australia (CA) has threatened its contracted players they will not be paid beyond June 30 unless they accept the governing body's proposed overhaul of player remuneration, a report said today.
     The escalating tension between CA and players reached new heights after chief executive James Sutherland told them in a blunt email to accept its offer.
     Fairfax Media reported that Sutherland sent the email on Friday to Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) chief Alistair Nicholson who then forwarded it to players around Australia.
     The email casts doubt on what team Australia could field after June 30, with a two-Test series scheduled in August in Bangladesh, ahead of a home Ashes showdown with England later in the year, Fairfax Media said.
     The email read: "CA is not contemplating alternative contracting arrangements to pay players beyond 30 June if their contracts have expired.
     "In the absence of the ACA negotiating a new MOU (memorandum of understanding), ...

CA threat to not pay players in wages row: report

A Palestinian stabbed and wounded an Israeli officer in annexed east Jerusalem today before being shot dead, police said.
	The officer was taken to hospital with "moderate" injuries after the attack in the walled Old City, police spokeswoman  Louba Samri said in a statement.
	The attacker, brandishing a knife, stabbed the policeman in one of the alleys of the Old City before the wounded officer shot him dead, the statement said.
	A wave of unrest that broke out in October 2015 has claimed the lives of 264 Palestinians, 41 Israelis, two Americans, one Jordanian, an Eritrean, a Sudanese and a Briton, according to an AFP count.
	Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, the Israeli authorities say.
	Others were shot dead during protests or clashes, while some were killed in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian stabs Israeli officer in Jerusalem, shot dead

A leading figure of Iran's minority Sunnis endorsed moderate President Hassan Rouhani today ahead of this week's election, despite the government's "shortcomings".
	Sunnis make up around five to 10 per cent of Iran's 80 million population, which is overwhelmingly from the Shiite sect of Islam.
	Religious leader Molavi Abdol Hamid said "the atmosphere for Sunnis has been a little more relaxed" since Rouhani took power in 2013, and that most would support him in Friday's election.
	Abdol Hamid repeated calls for greater Sunni representation in local and national government, and more action on discrimination.
	"The Sunni community believes that this government, despite its problems and weaknesses, has had more strong points, and we hope if the current government takes office again, it will do more to resolve those problems and shortcomings," he said in comments carried by his website.
	He was speaking in Sistan Baluchistan province, a Sunni- majority region in southeastern Iran bordering 

Iran's Sunni leader endorses Rouhani for re-election

Saudi authorities blocked roads in a flashpoint Shiite town today, residents said a day after security officials said gunmen killed a two-year-old boy and a Pakistani man. An Indian was among the 14 people injured in the shooting.
	The gunfire targeted a construction site in a neighbourhood of the Shiite town of Awamiya slated for redevelopment, the interior ministry said late yesterday.
	Workers in Almosara district "came under fire and their vehicles were targeted by explosives" from within the neighbourhood, the ministry said in a statement.
	It did not say when the incident took place but said criminals engaged in the drug and arms trade tried "to jeopardise the project and protect their terrorist activities that they launch from the abandoned houses in the neighbourhood".
	As police responded to the shooting, suspects "opened random and heavy gunfire at passersby and security men", killing a two-year-old Saudi boy and a Pakistani resident.
	The ministry said 14 people were ...

Pakistani, child killed in Saudi Shiite town gunfire

At least 20 people died and 11 were injured today when a bus carrying Turkish tourists plunged off a road near the southwestern sea resort of Marmaris.
	"Sadly, we have had 20 fatalities and 11 other seriously injured," said Amir Cicek, the governor of Mugla province. The accident occurred in a hilly road and the bus plunged into a precipice after smashing through the crash barrier.

AFP

AFP

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