Cyber glitch strands 20,000
LONDON — British Airways canceled more than 100 flights to and from London airports and delayed many others Wednesday after its check- in systems were hit by computer problems, stranding about 20,000 passengers.
BA canceled 117 flights due to operate to or from Heathrow and 10 Gatwick flights. More than 300 other flights were delayed.
The incident is the latest bout of tech trouble to hit the airline. In May 2017, tens of thousands of passengers were stranded when a global computer failure grounded hundreds of British Airways flights over three days. BA passengers were also hit with severe delays in July and September 2016 because of problems with the airline’s online check- in systems.
Kashmir rift escalates
The political crisis over the disputed territory of Kashmir escalated Wednesday when Pakistan said it would downgrade its diplomatic ties with India, expel the Indian ambassador and suspend bilateral trade with its regional rival.
Indian authorities have shut down Muslim- majority Kashmir as the Hinduled nationalist government in New Delhi scrapped the region’s statehood and special status, including the right to its own constitution.
As the security lockdown by Indian troops continued in Kashmir for a third day, hundreds of migrant workers began the long trek back to their villages in northern and eastern India.
The Kashmir region is divided between India and Pakistan, and is claimed by both. The two nucleararmed neighbors have fought three wars, two of them over control of the mountainous region, since they won independence from the British in 1947.
The Indian government has shut off most communications with Kashmir and sent thousands of additional troops to the already heavily militarized region out of fear its actions could spark unrest.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan directed Pakistan’s armed forces to remain on maximum alert.
North Korea’s warning
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country’s latest missile tests were a warning against ongoing U. S.- South Korea military exercises.
The Trump administration defended the training as necessary to maintain readiness.
North Korean state media said Wednesday that Mr. Kim personally oversaw what allied military officials said was a pair of short- range ballistic missile launches a day earlier — the fourth such volley in two weeks.
“The demonstration fire clearly verified the reliability, security and actual war capacity of the new- type tactical guided weapon system,” North Korea’s official news agency reported.
North Korea has taken escalating steps recently to show its frustration with U. S. refusal to meet its demands in nuclear talks, accusing President Donald Trump of breaking a pledge to suspend all joint drills.
The current exercises were instituted after Mr. Trump agreed last year to suspend larger, live- fire drills that North Korea had long denounced as preparation for an invasion. U. S. officials say this week’s“command post” exercises are largely computer- driven and don’t breach the president’s commitments to Mr. Kim.