Huge hack affects up to 9 million Cathay Pak mediating to end Pacific passengers war in Yemen: Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan announced Pakistan is mediating to end the war in Yemen soon after securing a bailout package from Saudi Arabia, prompting the opposition to demand that the terms and conditions of the aid be made public.

“We have got an amazing package from Saudi Arabia…which has taken off the burden,” Khan said in an address to the nation on national radio and television on Wednesday evening.

Khan, whose address came a day after his visit to Riyadh, also said Pakistan is acting as a mediator between Iran and Saudi Arabia to end the fighting in Yemen.

“We are now trying our best to the play the role of a mediator in ending the (Yemen) war,” he said, adding Pakistan will try to play to its role in ending conflicts in the region and “bring all Muslim countries together”.

Expressing disappointment, the main opposition PML-N and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) asked the government to brief the nation about the terms and conditions on which Saudi Arabia agreed to provide the bailout package. PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb told the media: “What is the strategic value of the (bailout) package? What economic benefits and relief will the people of Pakistan get from this (Saudi) loan?”

She had earlier said Khan had not elaborated the terms on which Saudi Arabia had agreed to allow Pakistan to play the role of a mediator in the conflict in Yemen. She said this was a very serious and sensitive matter, but Khan provided no details.

PPP leader Raza Rabbani asked the government to take Parliament into confidence on the bailout and the construction of an oil refinery in or near Gwadar. HONG KONG : Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific came under pressure on Thursday to explain why it had taken five months to admit it had been hacked and compromised the data of 9.4 million customers, including passport numbers and credit card details.

The airline said on Wednesday that it had discovered suspicious activity on its network in March and confirmed unauthorised access to certain personal data in early in May.

However, chief customer and commercial officer Paul Loo said officials wanted to have an accurate grasp on the situation before making an announcement and did not wish to “create unnecessary panic”.

News of the leak sent shares in Cathay, which was already under pressure as it struggles for customers, plunging more than six per cent to a nine-year low in Hong Kong trading.

Local politicians slammed the carrier, saying its response had only fuelled worries.

“Whether the panic is necessary or not is not for them to decide, it is for the victim to decide. This is not a good explanation at all to justify the delay,” said IT sector lawmaker Charles Mok.

And legislator Elizabeth Quat said the delay was “unacceptable” as it meant customers missed five months of opportunities to take steps to safeguard their personal data.

The airline admitted about 860,000 passport numbers, 245,000 Hong Kong identity card numbers, 403 expired credit card numbers and 27 credit card numbers with no card verification value (CVV) were accessed.

Other compromised passenger data included nationalities, dates of births, phone numbers, emails, and physical addresses.