
Japan
JAL was subjected to a cyber attack
Japan Airlines (JAL) said it was hit by a cyberattack yesterday, causing delays to more than 20 domestic flights, but the company said it was able to stop the attack and restore its systems hours later. She added that there was no impact on aviation safety. JAL said that the problem began yesterday morning when a malfunction began in the company’s network that connects internal and external systems. The airline said it was able to identify the cause as an attack aimed at overwhelming the network with massive data transfers. Such attacks flood the system or network with traffic so that the target cannot respond or crashes. JAL said the attack did not involve a virus or cause any customer data to be leaked. As of late morning, the cyberattack had delayed 24 domestic flights for more than 30 minutes, it said. JAL ticket sales for domestic and international matches scheduled to kick off yesterday were temporarily suspended, but resumed several hours later. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a regular press conference that the Ministry of Transport had asked Japan Airlines to speed up efforts to restore order and accommodate affected passengers. Other Japanese airlines, including ANA Holdings, Skymark and Starflyer, were not affected. Television images showed many passengers at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport crowded into the airport lounges as the attack occurred during the end-of-year holiday travel season.

Photo: Agence France-Presse
Cambodia
Sentencing the opposition leader
Yesterday, a court sentenced an opposition party leader to two years in prison on charges of inciting social chaos, in the latest criminal case against government opponents. The court in Phnom Penh convicted the head of the Nation Power Party, Son Chanthi, of a charge that has been repeatedly used against critical voices in the country. Human rights groups have long accused the government, headed by Prime Minister Hun Manet, of using legal cases as a tactic to silence voices of dissent and legitimate political dissent. In addition to the prison sentence, the court also fined Sun Chanthi 4 million rials (US$997) and deprived him of his right to vote or stand for election. The charges relate to posts made by Son Chanthi on social media, including a video in which he criticized the government during a meeting with his supporters in Japan. Defense lawyer Chung Chungjie said the sentence was “unfair” to his client and they were considering the possibility of an appeal. “It is very dangerous [punishment]“What Son Chanthi said in Japan was not a mistake, but a constructive criticism of development,” he said.
US
A taxi hits six people
On Wednesday, a taxi struck six people in midtown Manhattan, and three people — including a nine-year-old boy — were taken to hospitals for their injuries, police said. A New York Police Department spokesman said the taxi driver may have suffered a medical episode, but the investigation has not yet confirmed that. Two people, including the boy, were taken to Weill Cornell Medical Center, while one person was taken to Bellevue Hospital, the spokesman said. The other three people hit by the taxi refused medical attention. All of them are in stable condition. The taxi jumped the curb near Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square at around 4 p.m. and hit pedestrians on the sidewalk, police said, adding that the driver remained at the scene. Video footage at the scene showed a destroyed yellow taxi on the sidewalk, which police cordoned off with tape. The taxi was towed later in the evening.