Eli Cohen's remains, Chinese network dismantled by Taiwan, MI5's new warnings and more

Israel is working to recover the remains of fampus Mossad agent Eli Cohen, hanged in Syria in 1965. Damascus has kept the burial site secret for decades, Shara's decision will give signals about the future of the region.Before the Nobel Peace Prize announcement, Polymarket odds for Machado suddenly surged from 3.75% to 73%, strongly suggesting a leak. The episode highlighted how prediction markets can generate valuable intelligence.The UK warned of growing Chinese espionage. MI5 said Beijing uses fake LinkedIn recruiters—such as “Amanda Qiu” and “Shirly Shen”—to target British personnel. Officials also cautioned against sensitive conversations or connecting devices in Chinese-made EVs due to suspected data collection.In South Africa, businessman Brown Mogotsi told the Madlanga Commission that his controversial actions were approved intelligence operations. He named figures he claimed were agents, including Vusimuzi “John Wick” Matlala, and alleged that Zulu King Misuzulu KaZwelithini and KZN Police Commissioner Mkhwanazi secretly worked for the CIA.A hack targeting Israeli officials by the “Handala” group leaked documents later uploaded to the DDoSecrets database. The files showed Jeffrey Epstein’s close cooperation with Israeli intelligence, arranging high-level meetings and brokering deals, including a 2013 Israel–Mongolia business agreement.Taiwan dismantled a Chinese spy network on November 18. Investigators said a Hong Kong-based Chinese national, surname Ding, recruited retired officers during trips to Taiwan disguised as tourism. They then pulled active-duty personnel into the ring. Ding and six others were detained—an unusual case because the handler personally entered Taiwan.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said journalists had been caught recording sensitive conversations without permission. Access to the Press Office will now require appointment approval for the first time in decades.Austria’s largest espionage trial will begin on January 22, 2026. Former counterintelligence official Egisto Ott faces charges including corruption and spying for Russia’s FSB.U.S. officials confirmed that Trump had authorized CIA covert operations inside Venezuela, targeting drug-linked units and assets tied to Maduro. Days earlier, three electrical distribution centers were sabotaged. Maduro blamed the CIA; Washington called it a false flag.A year ago, amateur astronomer Scott Tilley detected anomalous signals outside international frequency bands. They were traced to U.S. “Starshield” spy satellites embedded among Elon Musk’s Starlink constellation, and he reported the finding to U.S. intelligence.U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee hosted Jonathan Pollard at the Jerusalem embassy—Pollard’s first visit to a U.S. government facility since his 2015 parole. The meeting drew criticism in Washington, though Pollard’s ties to Israel’s right wing made it politically symbolic. He was jailed for spying for Mossad back in the U.S. Thai police, acting on an FBI tip, arrested a 35-year-old Russian cyber suspect in Phuket for attacks on U.S. and EU government agencies. Devices and crypto wallets were seized. Media identified him as Denis Obrezko; Russian officials have not commented.Mauro “Mario” Casagrandi, a famed Cuban intelligence asset, died of age-related issues. Initially working in Cuba’s business sector, he cooperated with Soviet efforts to bypass U.S. embargoes. Approached by the CIA in Madrid, he reported it to Havana and spent years feeding intelligence to Cuban services. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.