Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. EPA
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. EPA
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. EPA
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. EPA

Iran presidency websites 'hacked' with images of exiled group leaders


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A group of hackers has claimed responsibility for defacing websites associated with Iran's presidency.

The series of websites showed two leaders of an exiled opposition group on Monday in an apparent hack, with other sites showing pictures of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi crossed out.

The account GhyamSarnegouni, which means “Rise to Overthrow” in Farsi, claimed responsibility for hacking websites associated with Iran's Foreign Ministry earlier this month.

Iranian state media and officials did not immediately acknowledge the apparent hack.

AP journalists accessing the sites found them defaced with images of Massoud Rajavi, the long-missing leader of the Iranian exile group Mujahideen-e-Khalq, and his wife Maryam, who is now the public face of the MEK.

One site bore the slogan: “Death to Khamenei Raisi – Hail to Rajavi.”

Mr Khamenei and Mr Raisi both were targeted in a similar cyber incident in May.

Iran has been the target of a series of hacks amid the rising tensions over its rapidly advancing nuclear programme, including cyber attacks on Iranian state TV signals and petrol pumps that provide subsidised fuel. Government surveillance camera imagery has also been released, including from a notorious prison.

The MEK did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The group condemned a prisoner swap of a Belgian aid worker, in which an Iranian diplomat convicted of being behind a bomb plot aimed at the group was released on Friday.

Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele is welcomed by his family after being freed in a swap with an Iranian diplomat imprisoned in Belgium. Reuters
Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele is welcomed by his family after being freed in a swap with an Iranian diplomat imprisoned in Belgium. Reuters

The MEK began as a Marxist group opposing the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. It claimed and was suspected in a series of attacks against US officials in Iran in the 1970s, something the group now denies.

It supported the 1979 Islamic Revolution, but soon turned against Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, carrying out a series of assassinations and bombings targeting the Islamic Republic.

The MEK later fled into Iraq and backed Saddam Hussein during his eight-year war against Iran in the 1980s, resulting in many citizens opposing the group.

Although largely based in Albania, the group claims to operate a network inside Iran.

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  • The easiest and safest way to defrost items such as the stews and sauces mentioned is to do so in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:

Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona

Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate

Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid

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Recipe: Spirulina Coconut Brothie

Ingredients
1 tbsp Spirulina powder
1 banana
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (full fat preferable)
1 tbsp fresh turmeric or turmeric powder
½ cup fresh spinach leaves
½ cup vegan broth
2 crushed ice cubes (optional)

Method
Blend all the ingredients together on high in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy. 

PROFILE OF INVYGO

Started: 2018

Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo

Based: Dubai

Sector: Transport

Size: 9 employees

Investment: $1,275,000

Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri

EA Sports FC 26

Publisher: EA Sports

Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S

Rating: 3/5

What are the influencer academy modules?
  1. Mastery of audio-visual content creation. 
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  4. Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
  5. Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
  6. Tourism industry knowledge.
  7. Professional ethics.
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE

2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.

2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus

2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.

2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.

2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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The National in Davos

We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

What are NFTs?

Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.

You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”

However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.

This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”

This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.

Updated: May 29, 2023, 12:20 PM`