Saudi Arabia Recovers Citizen Account Program on Twitter after Hack

The official account of the Citizen’s Account program on Twitter was briefly hacked on Tuesday. (AFP)
The official account of the Citizen’s Account program on Twitter was briefly hacked on Tuesday. (AFP)
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Saudi Arabia Recovers Citizen Account Program on Twitter after Hack

The official account of the Citizen’s Account program on Twitter was briefly hacked on Tuesday. (AFP)
The official account of the Citizen’s Account program on Twitter was briefly hacked on Tuesday. (AFP)

The official account of the Citizen’s Account program on Twitter was hacked Tuesday morning, but technicians were able to recover it.

Official spokesman for the Ministry of Labor and Social Development Khalid Aba al-Khail confirmed the recovery of the Twitter account in a short period of time, pointing out that dealing with hackers, who follow foreign parties, is conducted according to official channels.

In addition, he announced the names of families eligible to receive the second monthly installment of the Citizen’s Account Program, noting that the next monthly installment will be transferred to registered beneficiaries on January 10.

In December, Saudi Arabia released the first installment of the Citizen’s Account Program at two billion riyals for 82 percent, or 10.6 million, of the registered beneficiaries.

The first payment to eligible Saudi citizens was released at SR300 per person or family.

Those who registered before November 9 will be included in the first phase of payment, those who registered between November 9 and December 16 in the second phase and those who registered after December 16 in the third phase.

The Citizen’s Account is a national cash-transfer program aimed at protecting Saudi families from the direct and indirect impact of the government’s structural economic reforms through direct monetary allowances.

The account announced Tuesday that in order to facilitate the process for the beneficiaries, it will exempt the objectors to the eligibility results from attaching documents.

The program allowed the beneficiaries to object to the non-eligibility of the subsidy within three months from the date of the issuance of the eligibility decision. It gave them the right to object to the amount of the subsidy deposited in the accounts of the beneficiaries after the deposit of the first installment on December 21.



Russia’s Inflation Reaches 9.5% This Year, Weekly Data Shows

 Pedestrians walk to an underground passage at Manezhnaya Square decorated for Christmas and the New Year festivities with the Historical Museum and the Kremlin Wall in the background in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. (AP)
Pedestrians walk to an underground passage at Manezhnaya Square decorated for Christmas and the New Year festivities with the Historical Museum and the Kremlin Wall in the background in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. (AP)
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Russia’s Inflation Reaches 9.5% This Year, Weekly Data Shows

 Pedestrians walk to an underground passage at Manezhnaya Square decorated for Christmas and the New Year festivities with the Historical Museum and the Kremlin Wall in the background in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. (AP)
Pedestrians walk to an underground passage at Manezhnaya Square decorated for Christmas and the New Year festivities with the Historical Museum and the Kremlin Wall in the background in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. (AP)

Russia's inflation has reached 9.5% this year, according to new weekly data showing that the consumer price index rose by 0.33% in the week leading up to Dec. 23, the statistical agency Rosstat reported on Wednesday.

This data follows the central bank's unexpected decision last week to maintain its key interest rate at 21%. The regulator said recent tightening has created conditions conducive to reducing inflation towards its target of 4%.

The agency indicated that seasonally volatile prices for fruit and vegetables contributed significantly to the overall increase, with cucumber prices rising by 8.3% and tomato prices by 1.9% in just one week.

Among less seasonally sensitive foods, the price of eggs increased by 1.7%, and frozen fish by 1.4%. The central bank had initially estimated this year's inflation at a maximum of 8.5%.

The central bank's monetary policy department's head Andrei Gangan told the Interfax news agency on Dec. 24 that full-year inflation will be between 9.6% and 9.8%.

Inflationary expectations among households for the coming year also reached 13.9% in December, the highest level since the beginning of the year.

In a report on its inflationary expectations survey, the central bank said respondents were most concerned about rising prices for milk, dairy products, eggs, meat, and fish.

It also said respondents have begun to notice increases in the prices of home appliances and electronic devices.