Morning Brief – 24th of Oct

Today’s briefing covers worsening Ebola outbreaks, deadly drone strikes, severe weather warnings, urgent cybersecurity concerns, and notable developments across health, privacy, and the economy.

Top Stories

1. WFP Seeks $214 Million as Ebola Spreads to Eighth DRC Province – The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has spread to another province, prompting the World Food Programme to seek emergency support for food, logistics, and infrastructure.
2. Kenya Confirms Four Additional Ebola Cases as Africa CDC Pledges Continued Support – Kenya has confirmed additional cases of Ebola, while the Africa CDC has pledged continued support to the country’s health response.
3. UN Human Rights Chief Condemns Deadly Surge in Sudan Drone Strikes – The UN human rights chief has condemned a surge in drone strikes across Sudan that has killed hundreds and injured many more.
4. What to know about the AI-detected security bug impacting wide swaths of the internet | Why: A critical PHP vulnerability flagged with help from AI could enable unauthenticated remote access to websites that run PHP—t… – A critical vulnerability in widely used PHP software has prompted urgent patching and temporary shutdowns of some internet-facing sites.
5. UN Reports At Least 80 Dead in Abyei Drone Strikes as Peace Consultations Continue in Geneva – The UN says drone strikes in Abyei killed dozens and injured others, as peace consultations continue in Geneva.
6. NSW SES Urges Readiness as Severe Storms Forecast Across New South Wales – New South Wales authorities are urging communities to prepare for severe storms bringing damaging winds, large hail, and heavy rain.
7. ABC wipes staff devices after Citizen Lab report links ads to zero-click spyware campaign – ABC has wiped a small number of staff devices after a report linked malicious online advertising to a zero-click spyware campaign, although it found no signs of compromise.
8. ECB Survey Shows Slight Rise in Euro Area Short-Term Inflation Expectations for September 2026 – A European Central Bank survey found slightly higher short-term inflation expectations alongside weaker expectations for overall economic growth.
9. CSIRO Begins Stage 1 Refit of Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness – CSIRO has begun the first stage of a refit at the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness.
10. OAIC Reports Surge in Privacy Complaints and FOI Enquiries in 2025–26 Annual Report – Australia’s privacy regulator reported a sharp rise in privacy complaints and freedom-of-information enquiries, along with faster case processing.