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Argentines hack into islands' paper

February 22, 2010

Argentine hackers have plastered their country's flag on the Falkland Islands' newspaper website after the Argentine government expressed outrage at a British oil exploration in the South Atlantic.

The hacking into the English-language Penguin News came as a British rig from Scotland was set to search for oil. The activists posted the Argentine flag on the home page and a recording on the site of the song March of the Malvinas, Argentina's name for the Falklands - which has been disputed territory between Argentina and the UK.

They also wrote "the islands are Argentine" and claimed the hacking was a "tribute" to the country's soldiers who died during the Falklands War - Argentina lost a total of 649 servicemen - but the material has been removed from the site.

The Argentine government fears that it is being cut out of a share of any potential revenues. In 1982, the Argentine Junta ordered the occupation of the Falklands, which was British territory. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's Government sent a Task Force that successfully retook the islands.

Copyright © Press Association 2010

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