Gary R. Bunt

Important issues in this article from @kdenkwrites.com @theleaduk.bsky.social

Abu Lulu, TikTok-loving 'Butcher of the Century', captured after live-streaming executions of civilians | LBC The sadistic Lulu is accused of abuses during his time with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary force as they captured the city of El-Fasher as part of the country's hellish civil war.

TikTok-loving 'Butcher of the Century' captured after live-streaming executions of civilians after bloody Sudan siege

This was a great article in today’s @theguardian.com

In a study of some 20,000 election-related posts in the Netherlands, researchers from the University of Amsterdam and the University of Mainz found that over 400 posts were AI-generated. 

What does that means for European politics and for its voters?

🔗 www.politico.eu/article/elec...

How al-Qaida-linked jihadist group JNIM is bringing Mali to its knees Political instability and fuel shortages caused by rebel group is driving Mali to brink of becoming Islamist republic

How al-Qaida-linked jihadist group JNIM is bringing Mali to its knees

Sudan’s RSF accused of ‘PR stunt’ after arresting fighters behind civilian killings Reports of indiscriminate violence and ethnic targeting in El Fasher have led to growing global outrage

Social media links to the ongoing story …

The generation that experienced WW2 knew how bad things could get. The horrors that they had directly experienced in Coventry, on Omaha, at Belsen, Bastogne, Dresden, Nanjing & Tokyo meant that they understood how dangerous THIS was. This is where all that started.

Don't stop talking about us: Palestine, Congo, Sudan.

Yale lab reports mass killings in Sudan, calls for student activism The Humanitarian Research Lab was told this week that over 10,000 people in Sudan were killed within three days.

“Individuals on the ground sent a message that reached us Monday morning that 1,200 were dead,” Nathaniel Raymond, the lab’s executive director, said. “By that evening, they said 10,000. By Tuesday, we couldn’t reach them anymore. We assume our ground contacts are dead.”

Islamic Algorithms This book examines how Islam is digitally mediated at a time of technological change, enhanced digital literacy and proactive engagement in Islamic online conte…

The paperback version of my book ‘Islamic Algorithms‘ will be available later this month, and is available to pre-order here or via your local book shop.

Satellite imagery of geolocated site of killings with marked screengrabs from footage depicted the killing and the surrounding area. The trench and berm constructed in August by the RSF is labelled. As is a large group of burned vehicles and where the corpses are visible in satellite imagery. Location of killing: 13.71387, 25.27922. Image credit: Vantor

Bellingcat has geolocated footage of a mass killing outside the recently captured Sudanese city of El Fasher. In the video, which has circulated widely online, RSF commander Abu Lulu can be seen firing his weapon at what appears to be ten unarmed men sitting on the ground. Image: @vantortech

What do Britain’s ethnic minorities think of British politics, October 2025? | YouGov Cost of living is the top issue for ethnic minority communities, while 69% see Reform UK as a racist party

New YouGov polling on ethnic minority attitudes

Labour struggling, though less than among majority group.
Greens have an opportunity

Tories struggling, some progress with Indian voters

2/3 of ethnic minorites think Reform is a racist party
1/6 like them

yougov.co.uk/politics/art...

S6 EP4: Malala Yousafzai discusses misrepresentations of Islam, the Taliban's ‘gender apartheid’, and her views on marriage Spotify video

Recommended podcast

The Pre-Upload Age: Welcome to the Muslim metaverse Al Khawarizmi, the Islamic Golden Age polymath, is probably up there somewhere right now giving a wry half smile at his invention of the Algorithm within

Just found this interesting discussion: "The Pre-Upload Age: Welcome to the Muslim metaverse" by Raza Tariq in Dazed, May ‘25 (briefly referencing ‘Islamic Algorithms‘). www.dazed.me/opinion/the-...

How AI could end Saudi Arabia’s ‘infinite workday’ ALKHOBAR: At 10 p.m. in Riyadh, a marketing executive checks her inbox one last time. She has already answered over 100 emails, managed a constant stream of Teams messages, and sat through five back-t...

An interesting discussion on that work/life (im)balance, and a suggestion that AI might help manage the information flow (although it might also put people out of work...)

A photo collage of Mohammed Ibrahim overlaid with the headline, "This 16-Year-Old American Is Among Hundreds of Palestinian Children Jailed in Israel," and the DEK, "Mohammed Ibrahim is one of more than 300 Palestinian children being held indefinitely in Israeli custody."

More than 300 Palestinian children remain in Israeli prisons, according to Defense for Children International–Palestine. Nearly half are being held without charges. interc.pt/3Lvwd2t

SHOCK: Albania AI minister expects “83 babies” | Cybernews Albania’s AI minister Diella is expecting 83 babies, a bold move to deploy digital assistants in parliament and rethink the future of government AI.

In other news …

‘Anglo Jihadi’ accused of terror plan ‘not just online fantasist’, trial told | LBC He was arrested on his way to work in Howden, East Yorkshire, in December last year with instructions on how to make mustard gas

‘Anglo Jihadi’ accused of terror plan ‘not just online fantasist’, trial told www.lbc.co.uk/article/angl...

AI-powered threats test Saudi Arabia’s cyber defenses ALKHOBAR: As artificial intelligence reshapes industries, it is simultaneously rewriting the rules of cybersecurity, forcing Saudi Arabia to confront new layers of digital risk across its critical sec...

I missed this when it came out last week. It looks interesting: "The Kingdom [KSA] now faces one of the most aggressive cyberthreat landscapes in the world. Regional data shows Saudi Arabia accounted for 63 percent of all cyber incidents in the Middle East in 2025 ..."

HP plans to build millions of computers in Saudi The computer manufacturer has made Riyadh a hub, a win for the kingdom’s strategy to boost non-oil exports.

HP KSA PCs

Meet the Palestinian Teens Trying to Win Robotics Gold Next week, five teens from Palestine will head to Panama to compete in one of the world’s largest youth robotics competitions. The goal? To win—and then teach STEM to their peers displaced by the Isra...

Some positive developments:

“Next week, five teens from Palestine will head to Panama to compete in one of the world’s largest youth robotics competitions. The goal? To win—and then teach STEM to their peers displaced by the Israel-Hamas war.”

AI use and enthusiasm for tech in UAE higher than global average, report finds | The National Country's leading role in sector is reflected in broad public use of AI, with nearly nine in 10 people experiencing its benefits

UAE AI highs

“When it comes to the use of artificial intelligence, as well as literacy, training and optimism over the technology, the UAE is ahead of the global average, a survey has found.”

Saudi Arabia appoints Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan al-Fawzan as kingdom's new grand mufti Saudi Arabia has appointed Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan al-Fawzan as the new grand mufti, the kingdom's top religious scholar.

“Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan al-Fawzan, 90, took over the position, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported. The decision came from King Salman, based on the recommendation of his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the report added.”

UAE influencers have three months to sign up to mandatory licensing scheme | The National Licence applies to free and paid-for content on social media

Licensed to Influence …

INSIDE THE CHURCH OF NIGEL FARAGEOLOGY John Sweeney, our Reform UK correspondent, previews his new series reporting on every county council controlled by the party - an organisation that, as its leader proudly claims, welcomes public scrut...

INSIDE THE CHURCH OF NIGEL FARAGEOLOGY

Read this gang from @thenerve_news Reform Correspondent: me!

www.thenerve.news/p/john-sween...

UK mosques and Muslim faith centres to get £10m security funding boost after string of hate crime attacks | LBC The new investment will provide vital security measures including CCTV, alarm systems, secure fencing and security personnel services.

From @skynewsrss.bsky.social

UK mosques and Muslim faith centres to get £10m security funding boost after string of hate crime attacks

"The ramifications of such outages could only get worse if artificial intelligence becomes as central to work and daily life as tech giants suggest it will in the coming years," writes Clare Duffy | Analysis https://cnn.it/471K894