Getty Images

Children in Fallujah who suffer from birth defects which are thought to be linked to weapons used in attacks on the city by US Marines

 Read Article

After Waiting So Long, Rangel Dropped the Prize

US security chiefs tricked in social networking experiment

Fake analyst gained access to dozens of US security and intelligence officials

Anna Chapman need never have bothered with moving to Manhattan to become a sleeper agent for the Russian intelligence service. The experience of another femme fatale, Robin Sage, suggests the 28-year-old spy, who posted raunchy photos on her Facebook profile, should instead have honed her social networking skills.

In just a month, Sage made connections with hundreds of people from the US military, intelligence agencies, information security companies and government contractors. The 25-year-old navy cyberthreat analyst was invited to speak at security conferences and offered jobs at companies including Google and Lockheed Martin.

Her Twitter profile proclaimed: "Sorry to say, I'm not a Green Beret! Just a cute girl stopping by to say hey! My life is about info sec [information security] all the way!"

But there was a slight hitch: Robin Sage did not exist. The pretty cybergeek, supposedly educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a prep school in New Hampshire, was in reality an avatar created by a security researcher to find out how social networking sites could be used to covertly gather intelligence.

Thomas Ryan, co-founder of Provide Security, said that despite claiming to have worked professionally for 10 years, Sage attracted dozens of connections across sites including Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, including a senior intelligence official in the US marine corps, the chief of staff for a US congressman and several senior executives at defence contractors, as well as an official from the National Reconnaissance Office, which builds, launches and runs US spy satellites.

Many of her new online friends shared personal and professional information and photos, which Ryan claims could have compromised corporate and possibly even national security.

Ryan, who will present his study at the BlackHat security conference in Las Vegas next week, told Computerworld: "I had access to email and bank accounts. I saw patterns in the kind of friends they had. The LinkedIn profiles would show patterns of new business relationships."

The security analyst told the magazine that the vast majority (82%) of Sage's online friends were men, suggesting her looks lay behind her popularity. His conclusion after completing the study: "The big takeaway is not to befriend anybody unless you really know who they are."

Americans Love Political Dynasties

Read Article

George Soros tries arts philanthropy

 Read Article

US soldiers captured in Afghanistan, claims Taliban

There are conflicting reports about the fate of two US soldiers missing in eastern Afghanistan.

The soldiers, who went missing this morning, are apparently being held in Logar province, south-east of the capital, Kabul, according to a Taliban official.

But Samer Gul, the district chief of Charkh district in Logar province, said one of the men may have been killed.

He added the two men had ignored warnings and set out on their own from their base in Kabul yesterday evening into a known Taliban-held area. "They didn't pay any attention to the police. Otherwise we could have kept them from going into an insecure area and now this unfortunate incident has happened," he said.

Local radio broadcast appeals offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the safe release of the two men, Reuters reported.

"Early this morning, two coalition personnel went missing. They are believed to have been captured by insurgents somewhere in Logar province," the news agency quoted the broadcaster as saying. "They may have been separated from one another or maybe in the process of being moved to another location.

"Coalition forces are offering $20,000 (£13,000) reward for any information that leads to the successful return of these two."

The radio report said the two men, who both have tattoos, were last seen wearing standard US military camouflage. One was described as about 6ft tall, weighing 220lb with blond hair and brown eyes, and the other was described as 190lb, bald with a thin moustache.

The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force has yet to make an official comment.

A Taliban spokesman told Reuters that three servicemen had been captured but one had died.

The only US service member confirmed to be in Taliban captivity is Specialist Bowe Bergdahl of Hailey, Idaho who disappeared on 30 June 2009 in Paktika province in eastern Afghanistan. He has since appeared on videos posted on Taliban websites.

Five US soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in the south of Afghanistan today while another died in a separate incident. The latest deaths bring to 75 the number of international troops killed in Afghanistan this month, including 56 Americans.

Does Language Influence Culture?

New cognitive research suggests that language profoundly influences the way people see the world.

 Read Article

Rangel Pressed to Settle

House Democrats are trying to persuade Rep. Charles Rangel to admit wrongdoing rather than face a public trial on ethics charges that might damage the party's prospects in the November elections.

Read Article

D.C. Teachers Fired Over Test Scores

Washington, D.C., Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee fired nearly 6% of her teaching force under a new evaluation system that holds teachers accountable for student test scores.

 Read Article