By AFP – Agence France Presse Moscow on Monday summoned the Dutch ambassador to “protest strongly” against Western efforts to “recruit” Russian diplomats in the Netherlands, the foreign ministry said. Ambassador Gilles Beschoor Plug was called in to hear Moscow “protest strongly against an attempt to recruit the military attache of Russia’s embassy in The Hague on October 20 by a representative of the British intelligence services,” the ministry said. “Such provocative actions are unacceptable… […]
Tag: espionage
Norway arrests suspected Russian undercover spy
Oslo, Norway | AFP | Norway’s counter-espionage service PST said on Tuesday it had arrested a suspected Russian spy masquerading as a Brazilian academic. The suspect was detained on Monday morning as he was making his way to his job at Tromso university, in northern Norway, public broadcaster NRK said. “We think he’s working undercover for the Russian authorities,” PST deputy director Hedvig Moe told broadcaster TV2. “An undercover agent is someone who gathers information, […]
UK spy chief to warn of ‘huge’ China tech threat
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain’s GCHQ spy agency chief will warn Western countries Tuesday of the “huge threat” from China seeking to exploit its tech dominance to control its own citizens and gain influence abroad. Jeremy Fleming, the director of the cybersecurity agency, is set to tell a British defense studies body that the Chinese Communist Party views technologies such as satellite systems and digital currencies as a “tool to gain advantage”. In excerpts […]
Apple devices getting beefed-up defense against spyware
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Apple on Wednesday unveiled a new way for activists, journalists and other targets of state-sponsored espionage to protect themselves from spyware. A Lockdown Mode being added to iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers is intended to counter threats from a thriving industry that provides sophisticated espionage tools to governments. “While the vast majority of users will never be the victims of highly targeted cyberattacks, we will work tirelessly to protect […]
Taiwan general charged in China spying case
TAIPEI, June 24, 2022 (AFP) – A retired Taiwanese general and another senior officer were indicted on Friday for their involvement in developing a spying network for China, prosecutors said. Taipei and Beijing have spied on each other since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, when the losing Nationalist side fled to the island. The major general, identified by his family name Chien, and a retired lieutenant colonel surnamed Wei were charged […]
Canada bans Huawei and ZTE from 5G networks
by Michel COMTE Canada will ban Chinese telecommunications giants Huawei and ZTE from its 5G wireless networks due to national security concerns, officials said Thursday. The long-awaited move follows the United States and other key allies, and comes on the heels of a diplomatic row between Ottawa and Beijing over the detention of a senior Huawei executive on a US warrant, which has now been resolved. The United States has warned of the security implications […]
US intel paints Putin as aggrieved, angry over Ukraine war
by Michael Mathes US intelligence chiefs on Tuesday branded Russia’s Vladimir Putin an “angry,” isolated leader craving global clout, frustrated about how his Ukraine invasion has not gone to plan, and lobbing provocative nuclear threats at the West. The long-standing president in Moscow has been “stewing in a combustible combination of grievance and ambition for many years,” CIA Director William Burns told US lawmakers. He called the invasion of Ukraine a matter of “deep personal […]
US Navy engineer admits trying to sell nuclear sub secrets
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A US Navy engineer admitted in federal court on Monday that he tried to sell secrets about nuclear submarines to a foreign power, the Justice Department said. Jonathan Toebbe, 43, pleaded guilty before a federal judge, more than four months after being arrested with his wife Diana Toebbe. In exchange for his guilty plea, he is expected to be sentenced to between 12.5 to 17.5 years in prison. […]
Twitter spy case highlights risks for big tech platforms
by Rob Lever Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The allegations of spying by former Twitter employees for Saudi Arabia underscore the risks for Silicon Valley firms holding sensitive data which make the platforms ripe for espionage. The two Saudis and one US citizen allegedly worked together to unmask the ownership details behind dissident Twitter accounts on behalf of the Riyadh government and royal family, according to a federal indictment. Analysts say the […]
Palace: Lorenzana to probe Chinese telco-military deal
(Eagle News)–The Palace on Monday, Sept. 16, said Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana was unaware of the deal between a Chinese telco and the military that would supposedly allow for the construction of telecommunications facilities inside military camps. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Lorenzana, however, will probe the deal between the military and Dito Telecommunity Inc., which Senator Kiko Pangilinan had slammed as raising security concerns. He said Lorenzana and National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon would […]
Israel ex-minister sentenced to 11 years for spying for Iran
JERUSALEM (AFP) — An Israeli ex-minister was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Tuesday for spying for his country’s main enemy Iran after a plea bargain in the case, the prosecutor said. Gonen Segev, who served as energy and infrastructure minister from 1995 to 1996, had previously agreed to a plea bargain on charges of serious espionage and transfer of information to the enemy. Court hearings were held in secret due to the […]
De Lima seeks probe of P10-billion deal between Chinese telco, DILG for installation of CCTVs in Davao, M. Manila
(Eagle News)–Senator Leila de Lima is seeking a probe into what she said was a P10-billion loan agreement between the Department of the Interior and Local Government and a Chinese telecommunications firm for the installation of an initial 12,000 closed-circuit television cameras in public areas in Metro Manila and Davao City. In filing Senate Resolution No. 978, De Lima said the deal between the DILG and the China International Telecommunications and Construction Corp. (CITCC) could “compromise the rights […]
