BBC News

The personal details of serving and former members of UK special forces, and the security services, were included in the Afghan data breach, it can now be reported.

In total, the details of more than 100 British officials were released in February 2022, alongside thousands of Afghans' details.

The breach happened when a British official leaked a spreadsheet by mistake - it was later subject to a super-injunction, meaning no details could be reported.

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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz held a news conference after signing the first UK-Germany treaty since World War Two.

The deal includes co-operation on security and defence, bilateral trade, and scientific research.

Starmer has said the Kensington Treaty is the "first of its kind" and a "statement of intent”.

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Doctors say that eight babies have been born in the UK using genetic material from three people to prevent devastating and often fatal conditions.

The method, pioneered by UK scientists, combines the egg and sperm from a mum and dad with a second egg from a donor woman.

The technique has been legal here for a decade - but there is now proof it is leading to children born free of incurable mitochondrial disease.

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More than 350 people are reported to have been killed in sectarian clashes between Bedouin tribes - loyalist to the Islamist government - and the Druze religious minority in Syria.

Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa has said it is his "priority" to protect the country's Druze citizens, after Israel vowed to destroy government forces it accused of attacking members of the religious minority in Suweida province.

In his first televised statement since Israel's air strikes on Damascus on Wednesday, Ahmed al-Sharaa also warned that Syrians were not afraid of war.

Syrian state media reported that the military was withdrawing from Suweida under a ceasefire agreement with Druze leaders. But it is not clear whether that will hold.

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Europe's top diplomat Kaja Kallas has sounded the alarm on Russia's increasing use of chemical weapons in Ukraine - citing German and Dutch intelligence reports that Moscow has used them at least 9,000 times since the start of the invasion.

Chemical and biological weapons are prohibited under international law, but intelligence indicates they are being dropped by Russian drones into Ukrainian trenches.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump says some Patriot missile defence systems should arrive in Ukraine within days.

The Security Brief’s Mikey Kay, a former Senior Officer in the British Military, explains.

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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the House of Commons the previous government had ‘serious questions’ to answer about a major data breach from the Ministry of Defence.

On Tuesday, a major data breach which led to thousands of Afghans being secretly relocated to the UK became public knowledge for the first time.

Chris Mason joins Adam Fleming to discuss the former government’s account of events, as well as what could happen next.

Adam also speaks to Larisa Brown, Defence Editor at The Times, about how she broke the story.

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The BBC were given access to the nerve centre where America's space force can track missiles fired from anywhere in the world.

Located at Buckley Space Force base in Colorado, the team have been on high-alert in recent weeks, after Iran fired a salvo of missiles towards the US military base at Al Udeid in Qatar.

In recent years, they've been tracking movements in the middle east and Europe, providing a "strategic and tactical missile warning" to all US and allied forces, according to Colonel Ann Hughes.

The base will form a key part of President Trump’s plans for a US missile defence shield – known as the Golden Dome.

The US President has earmarked $175 billion for the ambitious programme – inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system.

The creation of the US Space Force five years ago is proof that space is now a warfighting domain. Both China and Russia have tested anti satellite missiles as well as ways of jamming their communications.

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Israel has said it has struck a "military target" in "the area of the presidential palace in Damascus".

It earlier said it hit the headquarters of the Syrian military in the city - one civilian has been killed in the attacks, the Syrian health ministry has said.

Israel said it is trying to protect members of the Druze community in south-west Syria, where there have been deadly sectarian clashes.

The strikes on Damascus follow days of Israeli attacks on the Suweida region in south-west Syria - Syria's government has condemned the "violations".

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Since the 12-day war between Israel and Iran ended, the United States has added yet more financial sanctions to try and cut the amount money Iran can earn from oil exports.

The US want to stop Tehran being able to fund its nuclear programme and support for its proxies in the Middle East such as Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis in Yemen.

As the world’s seventh biggest oil producer, Iran should be a wealthy country, but because the government of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei continues to spend huge sums on weapons, living standards have been falling for years.

Talking Business explores the impact on the lives of regular Iranians and asks what it will take to make the country prosperous once again.

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US President Donald Trump has confirmed additional Patriot air-defence systems are being sent to Ukraine.

On Monday, he announced a new delivery of weapons to Ukraine, to be paid for by other Nato members.

Trump told reporters he had not spoken to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin since warning him of more tariffs on Russia if it did not reach a ceasefire deal with Ukraine soon.

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