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The author said they were honoured to serve on the Programme Committee for HIMSS27, which they described as the world’s most prominent digital health conference. They wrote that its programme would span four stages and examine where the European Health Data Space stood in practice and what returns secondary use of data could bring.

Karmine Corp announced that its team has qualified for the Swiss Stage of the Worlds. The organization believes it has gradually regained good momentum throughout the Play-in and expressed excitement to see it play in the Main Event. https://t.co/V0fr57WuEh #Esport #LeagueOfLegends #Worlds2023 (translated)

AFRICA DAILY REPORT — 18 OCTOBER 2026 Key news of past 24 hours 1. Kenya — Ebola infections rise to seven Importance: 10/10. Four additional Bundibugyo Ebola cases were confirmed, including three health workers. All four were already quarantined; officials said there was no evidence of uncontrolled community transmission. SOURCE (DIRECT ARTICLE URL): https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/kenya-confirms-four-new-ebola-cases-bringing-total-number-seven-2026-10-17/ 2. Tunisia — Large protest against President Kais Saied Thousands demonstrated in Tunis over economic conditions, public services and political freedoms. Supporters and critics differ sharply on the president's record. SOURCE (DIRECT ARTICLE URL): https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/tunisians-stage-biggest-protest-years-against-president-saied-2026-10-17/ 3. Somalia — Rival forces take positions in Bay region Local reporting described territorial advances by forces loyal to former South West State leader Laftagareen, raising concerns about instability and civilian movement. SOURCE (DIRECT ARTICLE URL): https://www.hiiraan.net/news4/2026/Oct/206547/forces_loyal_to_laftagareen_seize_several_districts_and_strategic_areas_in_bay_region.aspx 4. DR Congo — Ebola vaccination for frontline workers Importance: 10/10. Healthcare workers in Beni began receiving Ervebo under an emergency programme. Its effectiveness against the outbreak's Bundibugyo strain remains unproven. SOURCE (DIRECT ARTICLE URL): https://www.africanews.com/2026/10/17/frontline-workers-in-drc-receive-ervebo-vaccine-amid-growing-ebola-outbreak/ 5. Egypt — Sisi says he intends to leave office in 2030 President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said he intends to leave office when his current term ends and not seek a constitutional extension. No detailed transition arrangements were announced. SOURCE (DIRECT ARTICLE URL): https://www.africanews.com/2026/10/17/egypts-president-sisi-will-step-down-when-term-expires-in-2030/ 6. Senegal — Macky Sall withdraws from UN leadership race Former president Macky Sall withdrew his candidacy for UN secretary-general amid Security Council consultations on a successor to António Guterres. SOURCE (DIRECT ARTICLE URL): https://www.africanews.com/2026/10/17/senegals-macky-sall-withdraws-from-race-for-un-top-job/ 7. Ethiopia — Former Tigray fighters register for reintegration Importance: 9/10. Former combatants in Mekelle began registering for civilian reintegration under a fragile post-conflict process. SOURCE (DIRECT ARTICLE URL): https://www.africanews.com/2026/10/17/ex-fighters-in-ethiopias-tigray-region-register-for-reintegration-programme/ 8. Morocco — First woman-led government appointed King Mohammed VI formally appointed a new cabinet led by Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, following parliamentary elections. SOURCE (DIRECT ARTICLE URL): https://www.africanews.com/2026/10/17/moroccos-king-mohammed-vi-formally-appoints-first-woman-led-government/ 9. Somalia — President visits Turkish offshore drilling vessel Importance: 8/10. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud visited the Çağrı Bey drillship as exploration at the Curad-1 offshore well continued. No commercial discovery was announced. SOURCE (DIRECT ARTICLE URL): https://www.hiiraan.net/news4/2026/Oct/206548/somali_president_visits_turkish_drillship_as_offshore_oil_exploration_advances.aspx 10. African economies — Debt and declining development aid Importance: 9/10. IMF–World Bank discussions highlighted rising debt costs, lower official development assistance and pressure to find sustainable financing models. SOURCE (DIRECT ARTICLE URL): https://www.reuters.com/world/high-debt-growing-strains-put-focus-need-new-development-approaches-2026-10-17/ #Africa #AfricaNews #AfricaDaily #TopNewsOfAfrica #Tunisia #KaisSaied #TunisiaProtests #PoliticalProtests #Democracy #PoliticalFreedoms #Ethiopia #Tigray #Peacebuilding #Disarmament #Demobilization #Reintegration #Somalia #BayRegion #SomaliaSecurity #HornOfAfrica #Kenya #EbolaOutbreak #PublicHealth #DRCongo #Egypt #Senegal #Morocco #AfricanEconomy #DevelopmentFinance #wrldorg

Trump on waiving Russia sanctions via pool: “A lot of you don't know what my decision is yet, but we'll figure it out & you'll figure it out. It's a very good decision, and it's going to be a decision that's good for the country, and I think good for the world because we're really at a world stage”

Bart Nijman stated that the media had come to the point where they reported on a BNNVARA presenter who, according to him, called and harassed underage girls via WhatsApp because of a ‘White Power’ avatar. He wrote that the presenter had appeared at an NPO award show with an antifa necklace and referred to journalism in that context as ‘late stage journalisming’. #media #journalistiek #vrijePers (translated)

Karmine Corp announced that it would face MVK_VN in the second round of the Worlds 2026 play-ins, scheduled to start at 8 PM. After a twist-filled series the day before, the team said it wanted to show its true potential on stage and get closer to the Swiss Stage. https://t.co/TJRjmLzkN3 https://t.co/1BZVK6LUYE #Worlds2026 #KCORP #Esport (translated)

The author recalled hearing, but never recording, a story about Angelina Jolie travelling to Afghanistan to build a school. They said corrupt officials and contractors took a share of the funds, leaving an empty school that was used for staged publicity, and that no one later questioned what had happened. #AngelinaJolie #Education #Corruption #AF

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

AFRICA DAILY REPORT — 16 OCTOBER 2026 Key developments of past 24 hours 1. DR Congo — Ebola reaches an eighth province Importance: 10/10 — Critical. Two health officials told Reuters that Ebola infections had been identified in North Ubangi, near the Central African Republic border. Authorities had not formally announced the provincial cases at the time of reporting. SOURCE — FULL DIRECT URL: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/ebola-confirmed-eighth-province-congo-sources-say-2026-10-15/ 2. Ethiopia–Eritrea — US urges de-escalation US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged dialogue as fighting in Tigray raised fears of a broader conflict. Eritrea disputes allegations that its troops entered Ethiopia. SOURCE — FULL DIRECT URL: https://apnews.com/article/ethiopia-tigray-eritrea-rubio-6d136d4280931d2d213d7d6cafd670ab 3. Somalia — Presidential election timetable announced Somalia's electoral commission announced a presidential election date of 15 May 2027, while practical arrangements and security challenges remain. SOURCE — FULL DIRECT URL: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/somalia-says-it-will-hold-presidential-election-may-2027-2026-10-15/ 4. Mauritius — Curfew extended following unrest Importance: 9/10 — Very high. Authorities extended security restrictions after protests related to water shortages and living costs escalated following a police shooting. SOURCE — FULL DIRECT URL: https://apnews.com/article/mauritius-protests-unrest-police-shooting-violence-7041eda8ee3106dee8d6f2df55382c31 5. Uganda — Ebola vaccine candidate begins early-stage trial Importance: 10/10 — Critical. A Phase 1 trial in Masaka is assessing safety and immune response for a vaccine candidate against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. SOURCE — FULL DIRECT URL: https://www.africanews.com/2026/10/15/phase-1-trial-of-ebola-vaccine-gets-underway-in-uganda/ 6. Africa CDC — Ebola-response funding transparency questioned Importance: 10/10 — Critical. Africa CDC reported discrepancies between donor disbursements and funds traced through response structures. Missing traceability is not proof of misappropriation. SOURCE — FULL DIRECT URL: https://www.africanews.com/2026/10/15/africa-cdc-probes-missing-millions-meant-for-ebola-response/ 7. Senegal — US backs timely debt restructuring Importance: 9/10 — Very high. US officials expressed support for Senegal completing debt restructuring within roughly a year. No final agreement has been reached. SOURCE — FULL DIRECT URL: https://www.africanews.com/2026/10/15/us-wants-to-see-senegals-debt-restructuring-completed-within-a-year/ 8. Kenya — Fuel prices rise Importance: 8/10 — High. Higher import costs contributed to increases in regulated petrol and diesel prices, adding pressure on transport and business costs. SOURCE — FULL DIRECT URL: https://www.africanews.com/2026/10/15/kenya-hikes-fuel-prices-amid-higher-import-costs-linked-to-middle-east-conflict/ 9. Cameroon — Protests demand stronger protection against femicide Importance: 9/10 — Very high. Rights advocates are demanding stronger legal protections and enforcement amid reports of increasing killings of women. SOURCE — FULL DIRECT URL: https://apnews.com/article/cameroon-femicide-women-0a651c800f503950aecf06b3aab99fbe 10. Egypt — Residential building collapses in Cairo Importance: 8/10 — High. A five-storey residential building collapsed in Cairo, killing at least six people and prompting rescue operations and an investigation. SOURCE — FULL DIRECT URL: https://www.africanews.com/2026/10/15/at-least-six-dead-after-5-storey-building-collapses-in-cairo/ #Africa #AfricaNews #AfricaDailyReport #TopNewsOfAfrica #AfricaToday #Mauritius #MauritiusProtests #MauritiusUnrest #Curfew #PoliticalUnrest #CostOfLivingCrisis #WaterShortages #Uganda #Ebola #EbolaOutbreak #EbolaVaccine #VaccineTrial #PublicHealth #Bundibugyo #AfricaCDC #DRCongo #Ethiopia #Eritrea #TigrayConflict #EthiopiaEritrea #RegionalSecurity #DeEscalation #USDiplomacy #MarcoRubio #AfricanSecurity

Beth Jenkins, a 42-year-old mother, faced six years of medical dismissal regarding her breast cancer symptoms, being repeatedly told she was too young for the disease before finally receiving a diagnosis of stage two lobular breast cancer, which she attributes to a lack of proper attention from healthcare professionals. #BreastCancerAwareness #PatientAdvocacy #WomenHealthIssues

Karmine Corp indicated that their first match in the history of the League of Legends Worlds would take place in the first round of the 2026 play-in, against Cloud9, at 8 PM. The club aims to qualify for the Swiss Stage. https://t.co/TJRjmLzkN3 https://t.co/LHJSOrqz1R #LeagueOfLegends #Worlds2026 #Esports (translated)

Operation Vivaldi has completed its four seasons. Ukrainian Defenders have liberated another 101 km² of Ukrainian land. The 3rd Army Corps and attached units have freed three more settlements - Zelena Dolyna, Lypove, Kolodiazi.During the fourth stage of "Vivaldi," Russia lost nearly 3,000 soldiers

KC Kenvy indicated to Sheep Esports FR that KC was located at the FlyQuest facilities in Los Angeles, where the play-ins were supposed to take place, while MKOI was at the Riot hotel in Allen, Texas, where the Swiss phase was to be held. He noted a time difference of two hours and wondered if, without Jojo's tweet, the team would have waited two hours in the lobby. #Esports #LoL #Gaming (translated)