KUWAIT: A US cybersecurity expert says preventive measures must be developed to combat increasing rates of cybercrime that poses a real threat to companies and institutions worldwide.
“Prevention is the most efficient and least expensive method, financially and morally, compared to reaction measures after the occurrence of a cybercrime,” Guillermo Christensen, a former US Central Intelligence Agency member and diplomat, told Kuwait’s News Agency in an interview on Friday.
He pointed out that the US is the country most vulnerable to digital crimes of all kinds, due to its large number of access points and computers.
Protecting networks in different countries, especially Kuwait, and supporting its security will positively affect the cybersecurity of the US directly, added Christensen.
During a weeklong visit, the former CIA officer has been presenting lectures and workshops directed at specialists in the field of cybersecurity across various sectors.
He stressed that sharing knowledge and experiences and discussing different cybercrime scenarios will help countries and their institutions avoid crises that may be posed by the penetration of digital space and data.
Cybercrimes are on the increase, as a report issued in 2020 by the US Federal Bureau of Investigations indicates that the number of cyberattacks daily exceeds 2,000 around the world, and that the total material losses over the past year amounted to $4.2 billion, he pointed out.
Christensen referred to a number of documented cyberattacks around the world, through which cybercriminals were able to paralyze the movement of fuel and energy pipelines, in addition to attacks on a number of hospitals, indicating that these attacks caused severe damage in various fields and caused the loss of many lives.
He advised people not to use the same password in different accounts such as email and social media, and to make it more difficult and complex by adding non-sequential numbers in addition to using the two-step verification technology provided by many digital services and programs.
Cybersecurity expert stresses need for measures to combat cybercrime
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Cybersecurity expert stresses need for measures to combat cybercrime
- Prevention most efficient, least expensive method said former CIA member Christensen Guillermo
- The US is the country most vulnerable to digital crimes of all kinds
Hamas ‘willing to cooperate’ with Trump if US puts pressure on Israel to end war
- Senior Hamas figure Basem Naim says his group has told Washington directly it is willing to give up governance of Gaza
- The organization released an American Israeli hostage this week during Trump’s visit to the region
LONDON: President Donald Trump can help bring peace to Gaza, a senior Hamas official said as he confirmed that the Palestinian group has told the US it is willing to hand over governance of the territory.
In an interview with Sky News on Thursday, Basem Naim said his organization has shared a ceasefire plan directly with officials in Washington and offered to hand over administration of Gaza “immediately if we reach an end of this war.”
The proposal called for “a prisoner exchange, total withdrawal of Israeli forces, allowing all the aid to get into Gaza, and rebuilding of the Gaza Strip without forceful immigration,” he added.
Naim said he believes Trump “has the capability and the will to reach this peaceful situation.”
He continued: “President Trump can do it if he exercises enough pressure on the Israelis to end this war immediately. We are ready to cooperate with him to achieve this goal of a more peaceful region.”
Hamas released American Israeli hostage Edan Alexander on Monday as Trump was beginning a tour of the Middle East, which included visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. The group said the same day that it was in direct negotiations with Washington.
“We urge the Trump administration to continue its efforts to end this brutal war waged by the war criminal (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu against children, women and defenseless civilians in the Gaza Strip,” the group said.
Alexander was serving as an Israeli soldier when he was captured during the Hamas-led October 2023 attacks, in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage.
Israeli authorities responded with a brutal military offensive that has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians and reduced Gaza to rubble. A blockade on humanitarian aid since early March has prompted warnings that the territory could soon be gripped by famine.
Naim’s comments suggest Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist group by the US, believes Trump can play a key role in helping to secure an end to Israel’s ongoing offensive, which claimed the lives of scores more people on Thursday.
He said Hamas has accepted an Egyptian peace proposal under which a politically independent body would be formed to run Gaza.
“Before that, as long as we are still occupied people, we have all the right to continue defending our people and resisting the occupation,” Naim said.
Earlier reports that the US and Hamas were engaged in direct talks reportedly angered Israeli authorities. And despite the comments from Hamas officials this week, US officials maintain that the group is still not doing enough to end the war.
“Hamas has not demonstrated they are serious about peace,” a White House National Security Council spokesperson told Sky News, adding that Trump has demanded that the group lays down its weapons.
“Hamas continues to wrongfully hold hostages, including American bodies, in the dungeons of Gaza who could easily be freed, and have shown no changes in behavior to indicate they will cease to attack civilians,” he added.
The ranks of Hamas has been heavily depleted during the war against Israel, with thousands of its members killed, including a number of senior leaders. However, it continues to maintain a strong presence in Gaza and remains key to any ceasefire agreement.
Israel has ramped up its military operations in recent weeks as it moves to gain control of large sections of Gaza and take over aid distribution throughout the territory.
Trump outlines potential fighter jet plans in Gulf tour
- President says US studying a twin-engined F-55 and upgraded ‘F-22 Super’
DOHA: The US is examining the development of a twin-engined warplane known as the F-55 and an upgrade to its Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor called the F-22 Super, US President Donald Trump said on Thursday.
Trump was speaking at a meeting of business leaders, including the heads of Boeing and GE Aerospace in Doha, a day after announcing a string of business deals, including an order from Qatar for 160 Boeing commercial jets.
Trump referred to the F-55 both as an upgrade to the Lockheed F-35 and a new development in comments that appeared to echo talk by the US arms giant of a “best value” alternative, after losing out to Boeing to replace the F-22 superfighter.
He also highlighted the role of the new air dominance platform called the F-47, recently awarded to Boeing, and said the US was simultaneously looking at upgrading the stealth fighter that it is designed to replace, the F-22.
“We’re going to do an F-55 and — I think, if we get the right price, we have to get the right price — that’ll be two engines and a super upgrade on the F-35, and then we’re going to do the F-22,” Trump said.
“I think the most beautiful fighter jet in the world is the F-22, but we’re going to do an F-22 Super, and it’ll be a very modern version of the F-22 fighter jet,” he said.
“We’re going to be going with it pretty quickly,” he added.
Trump last month awarded Boeing the contract for the F-47 — a replacement for the Lockheed F-22 stealth fighter featuring a crewed aircraft flanked by a cohort of drones and seen as America’s most advanced or sixth-generation fighter.
Lockheed Martin, which lost out to Boeing in that Next Generation Air Dominance, or NGAD, competition and was dropped from a separate contest for a new US Navy stealth jet, has said it is now looking at plans for a “fifth-generation-plus” fighter.
CEO James Taiclet told analysts last month that Lockheed was looking at ways of applying technology developed for its losing bid for the F-47 contract to the F-35, delivering 80 percent of the capability for half the cost.
“We’re basically going to take the chassis and turn it into a Ferrari,” he told analysts.
Lockheed did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Trump had revealed the name of this project.
Lockheed is separately in the midst of a delayed technology and software upgrade for the existing generation of F-35 strike fighter to boost cockpit displays and processing power.
Analysts said it was not immediately clear how Trump’s list of potential developments fitted into known programs and spending plans, or the timing of existing programs.
Agency Partners aerospace analyst Nick Cunningham said the F-55 may alternatively refer to the F/A-XX program, intended to replace the US Navy’s aging Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet fleet with the service’s sixth-generation stealth fighter.
The Navy and Congress are battling with the administration to keep the plans moving forward, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
Lineker says Israel at fault for origins of Gaza conflict, days before tweet furor
- Gary Lineker: ‘Palestinians are caged in this outdoor prison in Gaza, and now it’s an outdoor prison that they’re bombing’
- Lineker: ‘People say it’s a complex issue, but I don’t think it is. It’s inevitable that the Israeli occupation was going to cause massive problems’
LONDON: English sports broadcaster Gary Lineker, at the center of a backlash over a social media post, said that Israel is to blame for the origins of the Gaza conflict, because it turned the territory into an “outdoor prison.”
Speaking on Friday in an interview at the Football Business Awards days before he was accused of antisemitism over a post on X, Lineker said that his issues are with the Israeli government rather than Jewish people.
The BBC’s outgoing “Match of the Day” presenter criticized the actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Gaza as “completely out of proportion” to the Oct. 7 attacks.
Lineker’s post days later featured a pro-Palestinian message containing a rat emoji.
He later deleted the post and apologized but it sparked a furor among Jewish groups and BBC staff members, who have called for him to be sacked.
Lineker, 64, is preparing to host the final episodes of “Match of the Day” before returning to front the BBC’s FA Cup and FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage.
“Obviously, Oct. 7 was awful, but it’s very important to know your history and to study the massacres that happened prior to this, many of them against the Palestinian people,” he told The Telegraph in the Friday interview.
“Yes, Israelis have a right to defend themselves. But it appears that Palestinians don’t — and that is where it’s wrong. Palestinians are caged in this outdoor prison in Gaza, and now it’s an outdoor prison that they’re bombing.”
Lineker also questioned whether Israel could still legitimately argue that it was acting in self-defense. “I understand that they needed to avenge, but I don’t think they’ve helped their own hostage situation at all,” he said.
“People say it’s a complex issue, but I don’t think it is. It’s inevitable that the Israeli occupation was going to cause massive problems, and I just feel for the Palestinians.”
He said that “most” Jews now recognized that Israel’s actions have become too extreme. “The real heroes are the Jews who have spoken out against it,” he added.
Lineker, who was paid £1.4 million ($1.8 million) by the BBC last year, said that he was unfazed by the prospect of his comments provoking a negative reaction.
“I don’t really care about the backlash. I care about doing the right thing, or what I think is the right thing,” he said. “Some people can disagree, that’s fine. But I have to look at myself in the mirror. I think if you’re silent on these issues, you’re almost complicit.”
However, a number of BBC staffers said that Lineker should not be allowed to share his views publicly given his high-profile role at the BBC. They warned that it risked damaging trust in the corporation.
“The vast majority of BBC staff keep their views to themselves precisely because they work for the BBC,” said one.
“Why one individual is beyond that I simply don’t understand. The bosses need to take control. The value of all our collective work is at stake.”
Director-General of the BBC Tim Davie said that “the BBC’s reputation is held by everyone and when someone makes a mistake, it costs us.
“We absolutely need people to be the exemplars of BBC values and follow our social media policies, simple as that.”
Israeli military intercepts missile launched from Yemen, army says
- Houthis have been launching missiles and drones at Israel
- Israel has carried out numerous retaliatory airstrikes on Houthi targets
CAIRO: The Israeli military’s aerial defense system intercepted a missile launched from Yemen on Thursday following alarms sounding in several areas of Israel, the army said in a statement.
The Iran-backed Houthis have been launching missiles and drones at Israel as well as attacking numerous vessels in global shipping lanes, in a campaign that they say is aimed at showing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel has been fighting a war in Gaza since a deadly raid by the Palestinian militant group Hamas into southern Israel in October 2023.
Israel has carried out numerous retaliatory airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.
The launch, the second in two days, coincides with US President Donald Trump’s visit to the Gulf. Trump announced earlier in May that he reached a ceasefire with Yemen’s Houthis that would halt attacks on US vessels.
Tunisia Jewish pilgrimage sees low turn out amid security concerns
- The pilgrimage to the Ghriba synagogue, Africa’s oldest, has in the past drawn thousands of pilgrims from Europe, Israel and beyond
- This year’s activities were restricted to indoor events at the place of worship
DJERBA, Tunisia: Only about 30 people turned up Thursday at this year’s Jewish pilgrimage on Tunisia’s island of Djerba amid safety concerns following a deadly 2023 attack and as the war in Gaza rages on.
The pilgrimage to the Ghriba synagogue, Africa’s oldest, has in the past drawn thousands of pilgrims from Europe, Israel and beyond, attracting international and local tourists as well.
But after a 2023 deadly attack on the synagogue that killed two worshippers and three police officers, fewer pilgrims have been turning out to make the pilgrimage.
“It has been difficult for people to come, given what’s happening in the world,” Rene Trabelsi, the event organizer, told AFP.
“The pilgrimage has gone through many difficult periods in its history,” he said.
This year’s activities were restricted to indoor events at the place of worship.
“In 30 years, I have never seen the Ghriba synagogue so empty,” said Khoudhir Hanya, the synagogue’s manager.
“Usually even a week beforehand, pilgrims begin to arrive — sometimes up to 1,000 people.”
Earlier this month, a knife attack injured a local Jewish jeweller, but Trabelsi said it was unclear whether it was motivated by anti-Semitism, as authorities have not provided further details.
The pilgrimage is at the heart of Jewish tradition in Tunisia, where only about 1,500 members of the faith still live — mainly on Djerba. Many have left for Israel and France.
Organizers say more than 5,000 people, mostly from abroad, attended the pilgrimage in 2023, whereas up to 8,000 pilgrims had attended in previous years.
Security at the synagogue had already been tightened after previous attacks.
A suicide truck bombing in 2002, claimed by Al-Qaeda, killed 21 at the synagogue, and another attack in 1985 killed four worshippers and a police officer.
