Perhaps not an image you’ll see on a shortbread tin, but as well as Gruinard Island and a drum maker dying of inhalational anthrax Scotland is now home to anthrax infected heroin. One has died already, with another two in hospital. All three are heroin users and Police are trying to track down quite how the anthrax got into the drug.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the alleged bomber of a Detroit plane, will put another nail into the coffin of easy air travel and spell millions of pounds/dollars/euros in improvements in airport security equipment. After attempting to ignite explosives stored in his pants (no sniggering at the back) he managed to set his leg on fire, was over-powered and arrested.

Stephen Johnson moves from consultants SCS to Thales. Tim Picciotti moves to become Vice President and General Manager of Military and Emergency Responder Business in Smiths Detection from being their US Military business leader.

The UK seems to be going through soul-searching on the causes of the Iraq war as the Commission engaged to look into the causes of the war gets going. Doctors are concerned that Dr David Kelly, head of microbiology at DSTL, did not commit suicide and that the cuts on his wrist, and the amount of co-proxamol in his blood warrant further investigation.

SIGA Technologies announced that they are expected to break cover on the size/possibility of US orders for their smallpox antiviral shortly.

A leak of a radioactive substance into drinking water in Bangalore, in India, is likely due to a disgruntled employee, local police announced. According to the BBC, officials announced that an employee mixed the radioactive substance tritium with cooler water meant for staff. Fifty-five needed treatment but all returned to duty.

Avon Protection signed a €500,000 order with the Italian Navy for the C50 respirator. Aerosekur will ask as integrator on their mask – which must gall somewhat since Aerosekur manufacture the in-service Italian Army respirator. The C50 is based on the in-service US military JSGPM respirator.

Lion clinched the FDNY order with their MT94 CBRN ensemble. New York is the largest fire brigade in the US and chose the MT94 to give them greater versatility than their previous Level A suits.

Indian officials denied that Union Carbides Bhopal facility is still leaking dangerous toxins into the drinking water. 500,000 people were exposed to methyl isocyanate, in what was the world’s worst chemical disaster, and Bhopal Medical Appeal are adamant that the damage is still being done - that water for 15 communities is still being contaminated.

Six men have been arrested for the murder of former Chilean President in 1982. The President had been murdered with a mix of thallium and mustard agent combined with his medication, three of the suspects will be charged with murder, and three with being accomplices to murder. The President’s murder was one of the abiding mysteries of the Pinochet regime - a Litvinenko gone right?

The UK’s Royal Society published a new report – Making the UK Safer: detecting and decontaminating chemical and biological agents – with recommendations to protect the UK against CBRN threats. Copies of the review are available here: http://royalsociety.org/Making-the-UK-safer-a-five-year-review/

The Canadian and US border now has a complete system of radiological portal monitors to scan all vehicles and cargo entering the US (and presumably Canada as well). This joins the Mexican border portal monitors which have been joined by mail scanning systems.