Wikileaks - US intelligence analyst arrested over security leaks. 7 June 2010Last updated at 17:15 Still from the leaked US military video from July 2007 A US military analyst, Bradley Manning, has been arrested on suspicion of leaking classified combat video and documents to a whistle-blower website.
Specialist Manning, 22, was detained during a tour of duty in Iraq, and is being held in Kuwait pending further investigations. The WikiLeaks website posted a video which it says shows the US military shooting civilians in Baghdad in 2007. It has not confirmed Spc Manning as its source for the helicopter footage. News of his arrest first broke on the Wired.com website. A former hacker said he had turned the analyst in out of concern for US national security. 'Boasting' about leaks In a statement, the US army in Iraq said Spc Manning was "placed in pre-trial confinement for allegedly releasing classified information". WikiLeaks' organisers said they were given the footage, which they said came from cameras on US Apache helicopters.
Child casualties. Plastic bags to be put over Birmingham 'terror cameras' 17 June 2010Last updated at 19:38 A surveillance operation in parts of Birmingham with large Muslim populations has been halted after it was revealed the move was linked to counter terrorism.
Some out of 218 cameras, mainly in the Washwood Heath and Sparkbrook districts, will be covered with bags. They were part of the Project Champion scheme, paid for from a Home Office counter terrorism fund. But officials behind the project said it would have deterred various crimes. Steve Jolly, one of those who first began campaigning about the cameras, said people had been "misled". He said: "Now the truth is out, there's a lot of anger. "Certain communities have been ring-fenced and saturated with cameras, making it impossible for you to get in or out without being tracked. "What's happening here is the government is spying on its citizens covertly in some cases, without their knowledge or consent, and it's a gross invasion of privacy and civil liberties. " "The cameras are already in now.
Ancient Persians 'gassed Romans' Ancient Persians were the first to use chemical warfare against their enemies, a study has suggested.
A UK researcher said he found evidence that the Persian Empire used poisonous gases on the Roman city of Dura, Eastern Syria, in the 3rd Century AD. The theory is based on the discovery of remains of about 20 Roman soldiers found at the base of the city wall. The findings were presented the Archaeological Institute of America's annual meeting. The study shows that the Persians dug a mine underneath the wall in order to enter the city. They also ignited bitumen and sulphur crystals to produce dense poisonous gases, suggested Simon James, an archaeologist at the University of Leicester.
He added that underground bellows or chimneys probably helped generate and distribute the deadly fumes. The Romans apparently responded with counter-mines in an effort to thwart the siege. "The Roman assault party was unconscious in seconds, dead in minutes. " "They surely knew of this grim tactic. "