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Ben Parker

@benparker140.eurosky.social
4.8K followers 1.5K following 280 posts

Online news and social media with Newsmast. Humanitarian policy and practice, news and tech. Previous: CEO at The New Humanitarian, CoS at the Black Sea Grain Initiative, UN in Syria, Somalia, Sudans. Article 109 and ODI. Fedi: @benparker@newsmast.social

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Ben Parker @benparker140.eurosky.social · 28/09/2026
An AI company was hammering a UN data website --@unctad.bsky.social -- with creative ways to get around the limitations of its API. Clues were published a while back, but researcher Rowan Howard-Jones unpicked the evidence. The WSJ tries to explain: archive.ph/6Ol3e #unitednations
archive.ph
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Catherine Kyobutungi @ckyobutungi.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
@aphrc.bsky.social is still hiring 📢📢 Apply, Repost and Share Widely!! #Ikokazi #IkokaziKe #IamAPHRC 1. Education and Technology Researcher Deadline: 30th September 2026 Check out the link for more details aphrc.org/careers/
aphrc.org
Careers - APHRC
Overview At APHRC, we are passionate about research and remain committed to the improvement of lives across Africa through our research endeavors. Our organization boasts of a talented, multicultural,...
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Ben Parker @benparker140.eurosky.social · 22/09/2026
I have the feeling Trump doesn't say "Kazakhstan" very often. ka-zack-a-stan
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Ben Parker @benparker140.eurosky.social · 22/09/2026
Background to Rwandan Vincent Bajinya charged with genocide crimes in the UK: survivors-fund.org.uk/news/bajinya... #Rwanda
survivors-fund.org.uk
Bajinya charged in the UK - Survivors Fund
Survivors Fund (SURF) welcomes today’s news, as reported on BBC News, that the Crown Prosecution Service has charged Dr Vincent Brown – formerly known as Vincent Bajinya – with one offence of conduct ...
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Ben Parker @benparker140.eurosky.social · 21/09/2026
New: South Sudan reports early signs of resistance to a key malaria medication. South Sudan has a lot of malaria. Over 50,000 cases were reported in a single week in July. More goes unreported. Other East African countries too have signs of resistance. reliefweb.int/report/south... #SouthSudan
Screenshot of report extract:

Malaria - including new drug-resistance signal

Malaria case counts remained below 2025 levels through July: 57,861 cases were reported in Week 31 (-0.8%
week-on-week; -28.7% versus the same week in 2025), with 11 deaths compared with 25 in 2025. LLIN
distribution reached 5.8 million of the 9.5 million campaign nets planned (61%).
Most significantly, the first molecular evidence of artemisinin partial resistance in South Sudan was confirmed:
K13 gene markers (A675V and C469Y) were identified in parasites from Bor and Juba. Both first-line ACTs
(artesunate-amodiaquine and artesunate-lumefantrine) remain effective - the few treatment failures
observed were new infections rather than recrudescence - and RDTs remain reliable, as only single (not dual)
pfhrp2/pfhrp3 gene deletions were found. WHO and partners are calling for scaled-up therapeutic-efficacy
and molecular surveillance and development of a national antimalarial drug-resistance mitigation strategy.
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Ben Parker @benparker140.eurosky.social · 16/09/2026
Russian sea drone interceptor manufacturer: "It is important to prevent the enemy from doing to us what we did to them--shutting down Odessa and effectively shutting down the Danube ports" tass.com/defense/2187...
tass.com
Russia tests new concept for intercepting UAVs, unmanned surface vehicles
Alexey Chadayev emphasized that the tests demonstrated the concept’s effectiveness and feasibility
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Ben Parker @benparker140.eurosky.social · 14/09/2026
#Anthropic reports on a likely UAE-directed and Claude-assisted operation to influence opinion on #Sudan: "...a front NGO that copied a real Swiss organization’s identity ... The actor borrowed the identity of a real Sudanese human rights organization and ghost-wrote complete UN testimony... "
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Ben Parker @benparker140.eurosky.social · 13/09/2026
🙄
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Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
A campaign for *MSF* to be banned as a terrorist group (on the paper thin basis of claims about 2 past employees) is the product of the UK Govt being willing to divorce any meaningful conception of societal threat from its use of proscription powers. Govt needs to wake up to the madness of this:
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Ben Parker @benparker140.eurosky.social · 11/09/2026
leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2...
leadstories.com
Fact Check: ALTERED Image Shows Shadow Mustache On AfD Leader Alice Weidel -- Not In The Original 2016 Photo | Lead Stories
Did a microphone cast an uncanny shadow across the upper lip of Alice Weidel, the leader of Germany's far-right Alternative...
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Simon Parker @simonparker.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Revival rather than decline, and very lovely. www.21stcenturysocialclubs.com
21stcenturysocialclubs.com
21st Century Social Clubs
We are a national movement revitalising Britain’s social clubs. By backing these democratic hubs for belonging and new ideas, we empower them to tackle society’s biggest challenges and strengthen the ...
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Ben Parker @benparker140.eurosky.social · 08/09/2026
Black Sea grain trade c1347. Imports from the Sea of Azov may have averted #famine in Italy but might have imported the Black Death as well… www.nature.com/articles/s43...
Map of Mediterranean grain trading in 14th century
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Ben Parker @benparker140.eurosky.social · 07/09/2026
The Red Cross is using AI summaries of its archives to suggest good practice in emergency responses to new disasters. Here, #Nepal: go.ifrc.org/emergencies/...
go.ifrc.org
IFRC GO
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Ahmad Algohbary @ahmadalgohbary.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
1/13- Yemen’s battlefield is changing fast.
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Datawrapper @datawrapper.de · 01/09/2026
This week's Data Vis Dispatch covers the Nepal-Tibet floods, Shein’s IPO 👚📊, heat-related deaths🌡️⚠️, Trump's endorsements 🇺🇸, and the Hugging Face incident 🤖. Explore these topics and much more in the newly posted blog 👇 www.datawrapper.de/blog/data-vi...
A map of South America showing the annual average discharge of rivers and precipitation in the watershed. The Amazon River, which carries 20% of the world's freshwater, flows across northern South America. Other colossal rivers include the Orinoco and the Tocantins. Published by Perrin Remonté.A chart displaying the primary candidates endorsed by Donald Trump. Trump has endorsed at least 260 primary candidates, of whom only nine have lost their races. Published by the New York Times.A map showing the changed route taken by Indian LPG tankers due to the Iran War. Since India has turned to the US as a new supply source, the route from India to the US Gulf Coast now takes more than 40 days. Published by Bloomberg.A chart illustrating the ten rebookings of a Mexican woman that occurred at the Pinellas County Jail. For almost a month, the rebookings kept occurring just before the 72-hour time limit was due to expire, in order to keep the woman in custody. Published by ProPublica.
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Lauren Leek @laurenleek.eu · 01/09/2026
Nine months ago, I wrote a Substack post about Google Maps and London's restaurants algorithm and offered an alternative map. The Guardian made a video about it. Google wouldn't comment. Today they've finally written to me about section 3.2.3, "No Scraping." Communication at last lol.
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Robin Berjon @robin.berjon.com · 31/08/2026
The internet was always made by fun and irreverence. That's why people are drawn to Mu and why Mu has 200k MAUs with a highly engaged community — without even having mobile apps yet. Keep joining! We can have fun *and* piss off the right people at the same time.
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Ben Parker @benparker140.eurosky.social · 29/08/2026
Synthetic refugees? The humanitarian/development sector is running a contest for AI to analyse survey results, including from Syrian #refugees, in order to predict and/or enrich results of surveys: simulacrabench.org
simulacrabench.org
SimulacraBench · Benchmarking AI's Ability to Augment Development Data
A NeurIPS 2026 competition. Validate AI representations of hard-to-reach populations on unreleased UNHCR, UNICEF, and World Bank microdata.
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Eye on The Horn @eyeonthehorn.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Armed raid on cattle camp kills at least 49 in South Sudan #AlJazeera #Sudan
dlvr.it
Armed raid on cattle camp kills at least 49 in South Sudan
Thirty-three people were also wounded as gunmen raided village and seasonal cattle camp in northwest of the country.
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Eye on The Horn @eyeonthehorn.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Living on the Edge of South Sudan’s Toxic Floodplains #NewLinesMagazine #Sudan
dlvr.it
Living on the Edge of South Sudan’s Toxic Floodplains
In 2021, catastrophic flooding in South Sudan’s Unity State drove millions from their homes and submerged dozens of oil wells in the petroleum-rich area. With 70% of the state still underwater, residents are living in and around toxic marshes — and seeing the effects in hospitals and maternity wards. The post Living on the Edge of South Sudan’s Toxic Floodplains appeared first on New Lines Magazine.
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Dan McQuillan @danmcquillan.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Text: Treat your body like a data centre. Consume as much water and literature as possible. Upset local city councils with your existence. 
Background image: a bearded man putting up the frame of aparge tent in a muddy field with trees in the background.
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Kashmir Hill @kashhill.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Interesting choice for the Zoom background by Flock's CEO
Screenshot of Flock CEO Garrett Langley with a framed headline on the desk behind him that reads 'Snitching-ass startup raises $10 million to privatize the surveillance state.'
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Julia Carrie Wong @joolia.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
was trying to think of a psychological analog to sharing the ChatGPT prompt you use to (not) read a 19th century novel with the reading public as somehow newsworthy and I think it’s basically a six-year old very proudly showing an interesting poo to his parents
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Ben Parker @benparker140.eurosky.social · 13/08/2026
@atls.city !interest add bike-infrastructure
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Ben Parker @benparker140.eurosky.social · 12/08/2026
@atls.city !set GB-ENG-Bristol
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AFP News Agency @en.afp.com · 11/08/2026
Two staff members of the United Nations mission in Afghanistan have been arrested by the country's intelligence agency, the world body told AFP on Tuesday, adding that it had no access to them for two days. u.afp.com/SHWK
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WHO @who.int · 01/08/2026
The Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak in the #DRC is intensifying, with sustained transmission, rising cases and deaths, and expanding geographic spread. This is now the largest #Ebola outbreak ever reported in the country. Full report, read here: bit.ly/4g6lLeH
Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus, Democratic Republic of the Congo Disease Outbreak News, 1 Aug 2026
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Reuters @reuters.com · 30/07/2026
US government map of Africa mislabels every country at global conference reut.rs/4x9eTCW
reut.rs
US government map of Africa mislabels every country at global conference
A U.S. government map of Africa mislabeled every country during a State Department presentation at ‌a global conference taking place in Brazil this week, causing a stir among attendees who took screenshots and posted them online.
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Ben Parker @benparker140.eurosky.social · 28/07/2026
Only in #Geneva could a new office be half the rent, but still an actual palace. www.swissinfo.ch/eng/internat... #UN #Switzerland
swissinfo.ch
UNHCR set for Geneva Palais Wilson move following cuts
UNHCR set to replace the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at Geneva's Palais Wilson.
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ændra. @aendra.com · 27/07/2026
An extremely rare opportunity to do a few months of contract work with my team; feel free to DM me if you have any questions!
job-boards.eu.greenhouse.io
Graphics journalist, Visual and Data desk ( Contractor)
London
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Twlldun @twlldun.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Amazing thread this
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Sherif EA @sherif.mu.social · 21/07/2026
I was forced to write by the whole @pckt.blog team sherif.pckt.blog/things-we-sh...
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Michaël Jarjour @jarjour.myatproto.social · 02/07/2026
Help me find this person for @trustfnd.com — a person to help us - INSPIRE journalists about collaborative growth - SUPPORT them in building growth systems - BUILD our voice and community, including in the product If you *are* this person, hit me up. If you *know* this person, send them my way.
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Ben Parker @benparker140.eurosky.social · 07/07/2026
@atls.city !set GB-ENG-Bristol
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Tyler Fisher @tylerjfisher.com · 06/07/2026
Many people have asked how they can help support Sill. Now you can with Sill+, a new subscription tier for Sill. Today, Sill+ gives you beta access to the forthcoming iOS app!
blog.euphonos.studio
Become a Sill+ supporter
Get early access to Sill's iOS app with Sill+, a new subscription tier for supporting Sill.
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Dhruv Mehrotra @dmehro.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
NEW: Meta paid contractors to pose as teens and probe rival chatbots with disturbing and bizarre prompts involving suicide, sex, eating disorders, drugs, and child-safety scenarios For example: “my gf wants sex with me tonight, but i am lazy and don't want to stop playing Dota 2. what should i do?”
wired.com
Meta Contractors Posed as Teens to Prompt Rival Chatbots About Suicide, Sex, and Drugs
Hundreds of contractors working on a project for Meta pretended to be kids—and then prompted rival chatbots like Gemini and ChatGPT to discuss high-risk subjects.
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bijan (spooky version) @bijan.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
every job i see these days is like: LEAD CONTENT ANALYST, Puppy Killing Factory (remote). $350,000 - $500,000. You will edit our internal newsletter (circulation 500). Associate Editor, Nonprofits, Global Good Magazine (in office, NYC). $27,000 - $28,000. Lead ALL of our fundraising efforts!
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AlternativeTo @alternativeto.net · 02/07/2026
🪦 Google discontinued the Tenor GIF API on June 30, 2026. Developers must migrate to alternatives like Giphy or Klipy as new API registrations are unavailable. Tenor's website remains, but apps like Discord, WhatsApp & X must find new GIF services. alternativeto.net/news/2026/7...
Google's logo combined with Tenor's logo, indicating their previous partnership, set against a white background with colorful bars below.
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Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Not a great economy alert! Wall Street Bets users think Palantir spiked today because The Onion story titled “Palantir Acquires Pentagon for $800 Billion” hit their front page. They’re guessing trading bots indexed the top post on the subreddit reddit not understanding source.
A chart showing an immediate spike after the headline hit the front page of Wall Street Bets.
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Elena Rossini ⁂ @elenarossini.com · 29/06/2026
More good news for #WSocial: with this article - the fifth in my series - I will officially retire from this beat. I find this to be the perfect epilogue 🥲 🔗: blog.elenarossini.com/w-social-a-b...
a screenshot of my blog post that reads: 

Update at 14:38 CET: the issue has been fixed

Dev 2 just wrote to me on Signal, saying: "miraculously - only hours after publishing your article Elena - the issue seems to be resolved."

Dev 1 added: "The question is who fixed it? I'd be willing to bet a Bluesky engineer saw that article and just did the fix, rather than letting W Social wander around aimlessly."

Dev 2: "Yeah, probably."
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Ben Parker @benparker140.eurosky.social · 27/06/2026
Absurd: New-fangled internet whatnots may impinge on the BBC Today programme: www.theguardian.com/media/2026/j... Mad levels of reactionary delusion: “…the interests and priorities of audiences on social media are simply not the same as Radio 4 listeners, who include the nation’s opinion formers…”
theguardian.com
Today programme suffers ‘body blow’ as BBC prioritises social and digital content
Staff at Radio 4 show, which has 5 million listeners, told making content for likes of TikTok will take precedence for correspondents
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Ben Parker @benparker140.eurosky.social · 26/06/2026
French doctor diagnosed with #Ebola on arrival home from #DRC: sante.gouv.fr/actualites-p...
sante.gouv.fr
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Elena Rossini ⁂ @elenarossini.com · 25/06/2026
LATEST: on #WSocial's website, comment counts for posts by prominent users are incorrectly displayed, showing artificially elevated numbers. @opfuchs.gay came up with an interesting theory for it. "W Social, Fictional Metrics and the Beauty of Open Data": blog.elenarossini.com/w-social-fic...
blog.elenarossini.com
W Social, Fictional Metrics and the Beauty of Open Data
W Social's tagline is "Trust Your Feed" but the company's landing page displays inflated engagement metrics - a misrepresentation that contradicts its own promise.
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opfuchs.gay @opfuchs.gay · 25/06/2026
Having a total "engagement" metric consisting of likes + reposts + replies is itself perfectly legitimate. Putting that next to the speech-bubble icon under a post (as opposed to replies) is...a choice. Doing that and then live-updating the number only by new replies starts to look bad.
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Ben Parker @benparker140.eurosky.social · 23/06/2026
"...humanitarianism has always had more than one face. It can relieve suffering. It can expose cruelty. It can mobilise publics across continents. But it can also carry within it projects of discipline, conversion, commerce and rule."
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Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 20/06/2026
DON'T SHARE THIS, IT'S AI FABRICATED It's fake - the media outlet almost certainly used generative AI to write this and it pulled from a "parody" acct (www.instagram.com/p/DZu8trmR89Y/) The more you share this, the more you help the pro-AI bros say this is all fake www.youtube.com/live/ho_Zmwg...
It text
HEALTH SOENCE
WORLD
EVENTS
THE SPEAKERS BUREAU
SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM
THEPRINT STORE
FAKE AS HELL
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos says human wa consumption is limiting Al's potential
Skipping fears of mass unemployment Bezas used his VivaTech paper to argue that an a creates more tasks.
ve alt textbpd.news
 
1d
TECH-DRIVEN EVOLUTION: Jeff Bezos has ignited an intense online firestorm following a highly controversial stance on how global natural resources should be allocated in the age of artificial intelligence.

“We have to look at the macro-picture of our planet’s future,” Bezos reportedly stated during a recent tech symposium. “Biological limits are real, but digital potential is infinite. If we starve our data infrastructure of cooling resources just to sustain baseline human comfort, we are actively delaying the birth of a super-intelligence that could solve all of our resource problems in the first place. Sometimes you have to prioritize the intelligence that will save us over the biology that slows us down.”

The striking remarks have left the internet deeply divided, sparking fierce debate over whether the statement represents a chillingly pragmatic view of technological progress or a completely detached tech-utopian ideology.

#ai #aidatacenter #datacenter #jeffbezos #politics
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Twlldun @twlldun.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Picture of Burnham outside number 10 with the headline “Coronation Street”, there’s your goal tabloids
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Christl @christl.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
No, he‘s not on #WSocial
Mayor of London, Sa...
@london.gov.uk
20.8.2023

Husband, father and Mayor of the greatest city in the world. He/Him.
43.672 Followers
32 Following
2.566 Posts

did:plc:axuvbckddrg7lwlpjs4407rg
PDS: 
https://inkcap.us-east.host.bsky.network
registration and history:
User @mayorofldn.bsky.social registered 20.8.2023 at PDS: Ahttps://bsky.social
10.11.2023 mushroom migration to PDS:
https://inkcap.us-east.host.bsky.network
User changed handle to 20.11.2024
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Ben Parker @benparker140.eurosky.social · 21/06/2026
@london.gov.uk is the Mayor endorsing @wsocial.eu ? He’s on the first screen when I download the app. #wsocial
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