When people explain Trump helping Russia by saying Putin has "dirt" on him, they're absolving Trump of responsibility. In blackmail, the target is coerced to act against their will. I don't think the "dirt" theory intends to argue Trump's a victim and would otherwise be acting better. But it does.
Where is even the bare minimum of empathy? Of moral responsibility? Of basic human decency? And please, spare me the bullshit about national interests. I struggle to see how financially enabling Putin to keep killing Ukrainians and bombing Ukrainian cities serves the American people.
The author said Spanish palaces were at risk of collapse because of neglect, rural depopulation and a lack of funding. They wrote that responsibility for maintaining the centuries-old residences of nobility and royalty remained unresolved. https://t.co/VQxzcTSpk5 #Patrimonio #Cultura #España #ES
🚨 BREAKING: Elon Musk personally proposed slowing down Ukraine’s Starlink access, and Trump agreed, The Telegraph reports, citing four sources. Musk reportedly later feared backlash from European customers and publicly denied responsibility, blaming the White House instead.
The author said Europe’s history showed why hatred and intolerance should not be allowed to take hold, and argued that societies had a responsibility to oppose antisemitism, protect all communities and uphold dignity, respect and shared values.
𝗜𝗿𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗿𝗮𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘀 – 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝘀𝗿𝗮𝗲𝗹’𝘀 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗲 Ahead of Israel’s 27 October election, hundreds of social-media accounts have been presenting themselves as ordinary Israelis while injecting political messages into genuine domestic conversations. They appear as women, reservists, secular voters, religious activists and frustrated citizens. Some attack Benjamin Netanyahu, others have previously promoted narratives associated with the Israeli right, while many focus less on parties than on a broader message: Israel is divided, its institutions cannot be trusted and its political system is approaching crisis. A detailed investigation by the OSINT company Golden Owl has mapped this activity as a substantial Iran-linked influence network. Its October analysis identified at least 694 accounts, with 445 attributed at high or medium-high confidence to the operation. Between 11 August and 11 October, the network generated at least 4.7 million views and more than 160,000 interactions. The researchers found no evidence that these accounts were simply a group of independent Iranian commentators expressing political opinions. Their assessment rests instead on coordinated behaviour, false identities, account histories, copied content, language patterns and platform metadata linking significant parts of the infrastructure to Iran. 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝟯𝟱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀 The investigation developed in two stages. Golden Owl’s first report, published in September, identified an operational core of 35 accounts: 32 personas presenting themselves as Israelis and three Hebrew-language media-style channels. During the 30-day period measured in that study, active accounts generated 947,322 impressions and more than 9,000 interactions. The October investigation expanded the dataset dramatically. Researchers analysed more than 560,000 data points, including tens of thousands of accounts, relationships between them and more than a quarter of a million posts. The wider network showed repeated patterns of identical texts, synchronised activity and accounts created in batches. The numbers therefore describe not a sudden explosion from 35 to hundreds of accounts, but the gradual exposure of a much larger infrastructure surrounding the original core. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗿𝗮𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘀 Some of the strongest evidence comes from the histories of individual personas. One account had spent years posting exclusively in Persian under the handle “mardeankabooti” before reappearing in August 2026 as an apparently Israeli user called “Alon Strauss”, complete with an Israeli flag and Hebrew political messaging. Other personas presented themselves as Israeli professionals, activists or ordinary citizens while X transparency information showed connections through the Iranian version of the Android application or locations inconsistent with their claimed identities. The account “Yaara Shalev” presented itself as an Israeli woman concerned with democracy and peace. Investigators found that photographs used to construct the identity were inconsistent, including borrowed and apparently AI-generated imagery. A small Hebrew-language channel called KigVoice, previously identified in Israeli government reporting as part of an Iranian influence environment, repeatedly published material that later appeared on the much more visible Yaara account. In one sample, 14 of 40 KigVoice posts subsequently resurfaced as captions or opening lines in Yaara’s content. Another persona, “Miriam Kozak”, had built an audience of more than 18,000 followers and had already been exposed as fictitious by Israeli researchers in 2024. Its political messaging changed substantially over time, moving between narratives associated with different sides of Israeli politics. That inconsistency is important: the apparent purpose was not necessarily to build a stable ideological following, but to enter whichever political argument offered the greatest opportunity to intensify division. 𝗔𝗜, 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 The Iran attribution is based on more than political content. Researchers identified accounts using the Iranian version of the X Android application, repeated connections to previously identified Iranian influence assets, copied posts appearing across supposedly independent personas within minutes, and Hebrew containing unusual grammatical errors or Persian and Arabic keyboard artefacts. Generative AI also appears to have become part of the production process. Some accounts inadvertently published fragments resembling chatbot instructions, while other posts displayed patterns consistent with machine-generated Hebrew. AI-generated videos and synthetic profile imagery further reduced the cost of maintaining large numbers of apparently distinct personalities. However, none of these indicators was treated as proof on its own. Golden Owl explicitly excluded accounts where the evidence was insufficient and notes that VPNs, travel and platform location labels can create misleading signals. The attribution rests on multiple independent indicators converging across the network. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 The network repeatedly exploited issues that genuinely divide Israeli society: responsibility for the 7 October attacks, the war, the hostages, ultra-Orthodox military exemptions, economic pressure, emigration and confidence in state institutions. It also circulated misleading information about the election itself, including false voting dates, claims that voting had been postponed and posts suggesting online voting mechanisms that do not exist in Israel’s parliamentary election system. The pattern suggests a strategy broader than conventional electoral campaigning. Rather than consistently promoting one political faction, the network appears designed to weaken confidence in the government, military, democratic institutions and the electoral process itself. An influence operation does not need to persuade Israelis to support a particular candidate if it can convince different groups that defeat would prove fraud, betrayal or systemic failure. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝘀𝗿𝗮𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝘄𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀 One of the network’s most effective characteristics is that it does not depend solely on its own followers. Fake personas enter comment sections and political discussions involving real Israeli journalists, politicians and ordinary users. Authentic Israelis then repost or interact with the material, sometimes carrying it far beyond the original account. Golden Owl does not classify those genuine users as participants in the operation. In most cases they appear to be unwitting amplifiers. But once a message passes from a fabricated Iranian-operated persona to an authentic Israeli account, its foreign origin becomes much harder for the next person to recognise. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟰𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬-𝗯𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗱 A much larger figure has also appeared in recent reporting. In the first two days after the October 2023 Hamas attack, social-media intelligence company Cyabra identified more than 40,000 fake profiles participating in online discussions across major platforms. Their content generated hundreds of thousands of interactions and had a potential reach estimated at 531 million profiles. Those numbers are important historical context, but they should not be merged with the current Golden Owl investigation. There is no public evidence demonstrating that all of those 2023 accounts and the 2026 Iran-linked election network belonged to one continuous command structure. The 531 million figure is also an estimate of potential exposure, not proof that 531 million people saw or believed the content. 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? No confirmed individual operators have been publicly identified. Names such as Yaara Shalev, Miriam Kozak and Alon Strauss are personas, not verified identities of the people controlling the accounts. Golden Owl says its evidence supports an association with the Islamic Republic of Iran and with previously documented Iranian influence infrastructure, but it does not establish which Iranian institution, intelligence service, military organisation or contractor directs the network. That distinction is essential. Public OSINT supports attribution at the Iran-linked operational level. It does not currently justify naming individual Iranian officials as the people commanding this specific campaign. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗳𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 The Israeli case illustrates a broader change in influence operations. The synthetic asset does not have to be a spectacular deepfake of a politician. It can be an apparently ordinary citizen who comments on politics, argues with neighbours, describes personal experiences and gradually becomes part of an authentic community. That can be more difficult to recognise because the propaganda does not arrive looking foreign. It arrives looking local. And when hundreds of fabricated citizens enter the same national conversation, they can manufacture the impression that political anger, despair or distrust is more spontaneous and more widely shared than it really is. 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 Golden Owl — Exposing the Iranian Regime’s Influence Machinery Against Israeli Society https://web-dev-production-7a35.up.railway.app/resources/research/Exposing-the-Iranian-Regime-Influence-Machinery-Against-Israeli-Society Golden Owl Golden Owl — The Other Face of War: Iranian Regime–Linked Manipulation of Israel’s 2026 Election Debate https://web-dev-production-7a35.up.railway.app/resources/research/Iranian-Regime-Linked-Manipulation-of-Israel-2026-Election-Debate Golden Owl The Jerusalem Post — Iran-linked social-media accounts posing as Israelis to target election https://www.jpost.com/israel-election-2026/article-909863 The Jerusalem Post Ynet — Fake Israelis, real influence: Iran-linked network infiltrates Israel’s election debate https://www.ynetnews.com/tech-and-digital/article/syp119nqqzg ynetglobal Calcalist — Iranian influence network exposed ahead of Israel’s election https://www.calcalist.co.il/calcalistech/article/s1q0ifijzl calcalist Vesty / Ynet — Iranian fake-account network and October update https://www.vesty.co.il/main/article/rkwokjssgg vesty Israel Ministry for Diaspora Affairs — Iran’s active Hebrew-language influence campaign https://www.gov.il/BlobFolder/reports/israel-and-us-strikes-in-iran-daily-status_2_3_26/en/mashlat_Roaring_Lion_israel-and-us-strikes-in-iran-daily-status_2_3_26.pdf Government of Israel Israel Central Elections Committee — official 2026 election timetable https://www.gov.il/en/pages/time--table-26 Government of Israel Channel NewsAsia — historical Cyabra analysis of more than 40,000 fake profiles after 7 October 2023 https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/how-fake-news-israel-hamas-stokes-outrage-hatred-and-potential-violence-southeast-asian-tiktok-5603221 𝗞𝗲𝘆𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 #DISINFORMED #Episode20 #Iran #Israel #IsraelElection2026 #IranianInfluence #IranianDisinformation #ElectionInterference #ForeignInterference #FIMI #Disinformation #InformationWarfare #InfluenceOperations #FakeAccounts #FakePersonas #SyntheticIdentity #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #AIPropaganda #SocialMediaManipulation #Astroturfing #NarrativeManipulation #PoliticalDisinformation #ElectionDisinformation #X #Twitter #Bots #BotNetwork #KigVoice #YaaraShalev #MiriamKozak #DigitalInfluence #InformationManipulation #ElectionIntegrity #GoldenOwl #OSINT #MediaManipulation #WRLD
The United States cut off intelligence sharing and Starlink/Starshield access to Ukraine for about a day. Neither Trump or Elon Musk will take responsibility for the decision that gave Russia the window to launch 39 ballistic missiles at Kyiv with no warning.
The author argued that the UAE should be rewarded for choosing dialogue, responsibility and strategic partnership, and called on Europe to deepen ties with the country through an ambitious EU–UAE free trade agreement and a path towards a customs-union-style relationship. The post also referred to a bilateral initiative without specifying its details. https://t.co/Pudqig2Ixf #UAE #EU #TradeRelations #AE #EU
The author marked 80 years of Annual Meetings, saying members had gathered over eight decades to address global economic challenges. They wrote that visiting the IMF-World Bank exhibit had reminded them of the lasting value of international cooperation and the responsibility to carry that legacy forward.
The author accused Russia of involvement in a cyberattack on French supermarket refrigeration systems, while stressing that responsibility had not been established. They called for a full investigation into possible Kremlin links and urged Europe to protect its food supply. https://t.co/no4us8dn1U #Cybersecurity #Russia #FoodSupply #RU #FR
The author said the most striking aspect was that, for an entire day, no one in the U.S. government had been willing to acknowledge or take responsibility for what they described as an abrupt move to undermine Ukrainian military capabilities by restricting Starlink and Starshield. #UkrainianCrisis #Starlink #GovernmentAccountability #US #UA
The author called for support for Bulgaria, which they described as a NATO ally, and said attacks on merchant ships off its coast required an urgent response. They urged immediate NATO Article 4 consultations, stronger air and maritime defences, and protection for Black Sea shipping, and said Russia remained responsible. https://t.co/ESt0sbQH2G #България #НАТО #ЧерноМорие #BG #RU
AFRICA DAILY REPORT — 14 OCTOBER 2026 Key development fromlast 24 hours 1. DR CONGO — Ebola cases exceed 9,000 IMPORTANCE: 10/10 — CRITICAL. Government figures put confirmed Ebola cases at 9,066 and deaths at 4,381 as responders struggle to contain the Bundibugyo-strain outbreak. SOURCE: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/congos-ebola-infections-surpass-9000-government-says-2026-10-13/ 2. ETHIOPIA–ERITREA — Troops reach border town Ethiopian troops reached Zalambessa near Eritrea amid conflicting claims about Eritrean military involvement. Eritrea denies entering Ethiopia; diplomats fear escalation. SOURCE: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/ethiopian-troops-enter-town-border-with-eritrea-stoking-war-fears-2026-10-13/ 3. SUDAN–EGYPT — Probe ordered into gold-mine airstrike Sudan's army chief ordered an inquiry into an airstrike near the Egyptian border. A rights group reported 72 deaths and accused Egypt; responsibility remains unverified. SOURCE: https://www.africanews.com/2026/10/13/sudan-army-chief-al-burhan-orders-probe-into-airstrike-that-killed-72/ 4. TANZANIA — $42 billion LNG project nears agreement IMPORTANCE: 9/10 — VERY HIGH. Tanzania's finance minister said agreements for a $42 billion LNG development led by Equinor and Shell were nearing completion, but were not yet signed. SOURCE: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/tanzania-close-finalising-42-billion-lng-deal-finance-minister-says-2026-10-13/ 5. SENEGAL — IMF chief optimistic about debt treatment IMPORTANCE: 9/10 — VERY HIGH. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva expressed optimism about Senegal's debt restructuring, while talks with creditors continue. SOURCE: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/imfs-georgieva-optimistic-senegal-debt-treatment-under-improved-g20-framework-2026-10-14/ 6. G24 — Rising debt costs hinder development IMPORTANCE: 8/10 — HIGH. The G24 called for more concessional finance and warned that debt-service costs and digital infrastructure gaps threaten developing economies. SOURCE: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/growing-debt-burden-poses-significant-risk-developing-nations-g24-chair-says-2026-10-13/ 7. NIGER — Oil-well blowout prompts environmental warning IMPORTANCE: 9/10 — VERY HIGH. Niger's petroleum ministry warned of severe environmental impacts from a blowout at the Goumeri W8 well. The incident was not yet fully controlled. SOURCE: https://www.africanews.com/2026/10/13/severe-environmental-incident-declared-in-niger-after-oil-blowout/ 8. NAMIBIA — Foot-and-mouth disease spreads IMPORTANCE: 8/10 — HIGH. Foot-and-mouth disease was confirmed in the Zambezi Region, prompting vaccination, surveillance and livestock movement restrictions. SOURCE: https://www.africanews.com/2026/10/13/foot-and-mouth-disease-spreads-to-namibias-zambezi-region/ 9. RWANDA — Formula One race agreement announced IMPORTANCE: 8/10 — HIGH. Formula One announced a ten-year agreement for Rwanda to host a race beginning in the early 2030s, subject to developing a new circuit. SOURCE: https://www.reuters.com/sports/formula1/rwanda-host-f1-race-early-2030s-10-year-deal-2026-10-13/ 10. LIBYA — Tripoli floods kill two IMPORTANCE: 8/10 — HIGH. Heavy rainfall flooded roads in Tripoli, reportedly killing two people and prompting precautionary electricity shutdowns. SOURCE: https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/torrential-rains-libyas-tripoli-kill-two-2026-10-13/ #AfricaNews #AfricaDailyReport #TopNewsOfAfrica #Rwanda #FormulaOne #F1Rwanda #Tanzania #LNGProject #EnergyInvestment #Ethiopia #Eritrea #EthiopiaEritreaConflict #HornOfAfrica #DRCongo #EbolaOutbreak #Sudan #SenegalDebt #NigerOilSpill #AfricanEconomy #AfricanGeopolitics #Egypt #Gold
The author wrote that a new information structure had emerged to intimidate residents of Latvia. Citing media reports, they said the “Black Russians” had claimed responsibility for the latest threatening incident on the Latvian border and referred to the emergence of new group structures. https://t.co/H2EdspADrW #Latvia #BlackRussians #BorderSafety #LV
The author said Venezuela had a bright future but that people needed to take responsibility for making it happen. They added that every individual could make a difference, described the moment as an opportunity for the country and said they would do everything they could to support it. https://t.co/E2fucyxcp4 #Venezuela #FuturoBrillante #Cambio #VE
The author wrote that a newly emerged Belarusian extremist group called Black Rus had claimed responsibility for border incidents in Latvia. They said masked individuals had allegedly threatened Latvian soldiers, helped push migrants towards the border and entered Latvian territory. https://t.co/24pha2MXB3 #Belarus #Latvia #Extremism #BY #LV
The author wrote that governments, developers, engineers and communities shared responsibility for building safer homes as climate and disaster risks increased. They called for a commitment to making every home resilient, both now and in the future.
The author said Europe needed to stand united and prepare for the future, citing security, defence, competitiveness and economic growth as priorities requiring leadership. They described setting the direction and delivering for people as the responsibility of the European People’s Party Group, and said the group was proud to welcome Ursula von der Leyen to Taormina. https://t.co/xhEfL1LEQx #Europa #Unità #Leadership #EU #IT
The author called it an important read, saying Chowdhury had portrayed people as increasingly controlled by technology before reaffirming confidence in human responsibility.
The author wrote that the history of the Second World War showed how valuable, and how vulnerable, freedom, democracy and human rights could be when intolerance and dictatorship prevailed. They said such horrors must never happen again and that everyone had a responsibility to prevent them. https://t.co/z89dRAMLdz #Liberté #Démocratie #DroitsHumains #LU (translated)
