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Spotlight | Saudi Arabia
Discreet but strategic competition underway for Saudi Arabian anti-drone system

Riyadh is poised to choose from three contenders to lead a major military programme to provide Saudi Arabia with anti-drone cover.

Subscribers only Defence

Lebanon, Syria
Lebanese intelligence chiefs told to stem fuel drain on Syrian border

Lebanon, which is already battling with a fuel shortage, is having to watch part of its meagre supplies disappear into Syria, which is itself in short supply. The government has turned to the intelligence service to try to reduce the cross-border trafficking.

Free access Agencies

Australia, France, Israel, United States
Counter-UAV tech, the new frontier in interception

As interception specialists face increasing legal exposure, many are putting their skills to use in counter-drone tactics instead.

Subscribers only Cybersecurity

France, Russia
French CAC40 companies hire private security guards the old-fashioned way in Moscow

Flagship French companies including the supermarket chain Auchan and food company Bonduelle employ local security firms in Russia without knowing much about their background.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

France
Auditor general picked to lead France's customs intelligence service

Florian Colas will take over from Corinne Leostrate at the head of France's Direction nationale du renseignement et des enquêtes douanières (DNRED).

Subscribers only Agencies

China, France
Top French China "fixer" Gérard Houa prepares for life without HNA

The recent collapse of HNA Group is a major blow to Gérard Houa, the French businessman and consultant who is reputed to have one of the best contact networks in the Chinese establishment. The problems he is currently encountering are throwing fresh light on the role he has played in the past in France and China's business dealings.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

France
French intelligence blindsided by Mali coup, Elysée wants answers

While the French army faces a UN probe into an airstrike that killed Malian civilians in January, Intelligence Online can reveal that France's intelligence services have been wrapped up in another Malian file for months: their failure to anticipate the coup d'état in Bamako on 18 August 2020.

Subscribers only Defence

China, France
United Front strengthens ties with France-China business associations

The Association des Commerçants pour le Développement France-Chine (ACDFC) is the latest France-China business group to attend meetings with China's United Front Work Department in recent months.

Subscribers only Information wars

France, Russia
Former French generals' think-tank touts anti-NATO stance

An open letter was published in the French media repeating arguments put forward by the Kremlin to attack the "NATO 2030" reform initiative.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

United States
Cyber experts get into cryptocurrency investigation

Washington's battle against the use of illicit cryptocurrencies has opened up a burgeoning new marketplace. A host of private companies have sprung up to assist the SEC, the IRS and federal agencies in fighting cryptofraud.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

France, Israel
LumenAI, the Israeli touch to French ComCyber's factory

Lumen AI, the fourth start-up to integrate the Rennes-based Commandement de la Cyberdéfense's factory has an investor with ties to Israeli cyber sector.

Subscribers only Cybersecurity

Australia, UAE
EDGE brings in Australian cyber experts to boost its hybrid warfare capacity

Australia's offensive stance on cyber warfare has enabled it to become a leading member of the Five Eyes alliance but has also attracted interest from the United Arab Emirates. Emirati state defence group EDGE has been recruiting Australian cyber specialists in large numbers.

Subscribers only Cybersecurity

Europe, Russia, United States
Bellingcat, a talent incubator for private intelligence firms

The lastest must-have in the world of corporate intelligence is a former contributor, often a volunteer, from the British open source investigation site.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

Europe
China-focused parliamentary groups and think tanks increasingly in the limelight

Three groups composed of or advised by politicians - the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), the China Research Group (CRG) and a new British think tank, the Council on Geostrategy - are riding on the current wave of growing wariness about Beijing's ambitions.

Free access Corporate Intel

Israel, United States, Vietnam
New prime minister Chinh acts to restore order in the country's arms procurement business

Former master spy Pham Minh Chinh, who has just been appointed prime minister, has already taken decisive action to try to take back control over the country's arms imports.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

France, Germany, Israel, United Kingdom, United States
Western intelligence agencies take pride in LGBTQ+ inclusion

The CIA, MI6, BND, Unit 8200, DGSE and others are moving towards greater gender quality and inclusion of LGBTQ+ minorities in the workplace as they vie for new recruits. We report on this new race for inclusion among the Western world's intelligence services.

Subscribers only Agencies

France, Russia
Pressure mounts on French journalists in Moscow

While Russia's borders remain sealed as the country continues to fight the pandemic, some French correspondents are finding it increasingly hard to work there.

Subscribers only Information wars

France
Tracfin transforms to meet French government priorities

In the midst of structural reform (IOL 867, IOL 864), the small but strategic French financial intelligence service Tracfin is [...]

Subscribers only Agencies

India, Russia
Lavrov tries to derail Reaper deal

In addition to the usual regional issues for discussion, such as Afghanistan and China, Sergey Lavrov's visit to New Delhi [...]

Subscribers only Defence

Iraq
Militias target intelligence service INIS

When an officer of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service (INIS), Mohammed Latin, was assassinated at his home in the Mansour [...]

Subscribers only Operations

China, Syria
Guoanbu helps Damascus in Idlib

A Chinese delegation made an unprecedented visit to Idlib governorate a few weeks ago to meet with Mohammed Natouf, the [...]

Subscribers only Back-door diplomacy

China, Switzerland
FIS expected to join new China coordination body

Switzerland's Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) ) will be invited to participate in the new China coordinating body created as part [...]

Subscribers only Agencies

United States
Diplomatic Spymaster Holmgren has White House inside track

Nominated by Joe Biden at the end of March as Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), [...]

Subscribers only Agencies

France
DGSI adapts to new European intelligence landscape

The French internal intelligence service, the DGSI, is in the [...]

Subscribers only Agencies

France, Lebanon
Macron initiative under pressure from complaint against Riad Salame

After three complaints filed in London, the Swiss foundation Accountability [...]

Subscribers only Back-door diplomacy

United Kingdom
New economic intelligence unit not overseen by ISC

The UK government does not want its new Investment Security [...]

Subscribers only Agencies

Libya, Syria, Turkey
Reports of MIT Libyan proxy withdrawal greatly exaggerated

While Paris and Berlin welcomed the announced withdrawal of Syrian [...]

Subscribers only Operations

Israel
Libya: Jerusalem keeps close watch on Libyan sons' battle

According to our sources, Israeli officers recently met Saddam Haftar, [...]

Subscribers only Back-door diplomacy

China
Security agencies tighten hold over discipline programme

China's security apparatus is preparing to further crack down on [...]

Subscribers only Agencies

Israel, UAE
Pardo goes to Abu Dhabi to support Avnon

Tomer Avnon, the chief executive of the Israeli defence and intelligence company Avnon Group, and Aviad Grinfeld met several Gulf [...]

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

Europe, Qatar, United States
Doha tries to sell drones to Europe

John Hardwick, the new chief executive of Barzan Aeronautical (IOL 873), toured Europe last month with the firm's counsel Christopher [...]

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

Europe, United States
Competition heats up for NATO Sahel compound contract

A major contract to build and operate a NATO compound in the Sahel is due to be awarded this month. [...]

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

United Kingdom
Benton teams with Prevail ex-commandos to recover assets

The recently established corporate intelligence firm Prevail Intelligent Sanctuary, which organised a series of webinars on anti-corruption last month, is [...]

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

France, Ukraine
Zelensky eyes spy satellite

According to our sources, the Ukrainian defence ministry has entered talks with the French government about procuring a military observation [...]

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

United States
Capitol Counsel partner helps produce BRI report after lobbying for Beijing

The task force for the Council on Foreign Relations ' [...]

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

Russia
Oligarchs deal with Covid-19

While President Vladimir Putin was vaccinated against Covid-19 on March [...]

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

China, France
Thales and Airbus consultant Chunyan Li promotes book with help from Raffarin

Chunyan Li, a consultant who heads the Paris-based outfit Feida [...]

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

United Kingdom
Arcanum ploughs ahead

Although the corporate intelligence firm Arcanum Global Intelligence has been [...]

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

United Kingdom
Stokoe makes fresh attempt to get Grayson in witness box

The London law firm Stokoe Partnership, which is representing Karam [...]

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

United States
K2 recreates Kroll in Chicago

Father and son Jules Kroll and Jeremy Kroll's K2 Integrity, [...]

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

China
Weapons group Poly teams with satellite services player Unistrong

Unistrong, headed by Guo Xinping, is a supplier to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the Ministry of Public Security, or Gonganbu.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

United States
VOR Technology makes itself indispensable to US cyber-defence

As Washington displays an increasingly offensive cyber posture, intelligence and defence companies are stepping up to the table, among them the ambitious VOR Technology.

Free access Cybersecurity

Europe
After sensors, Frontex turns to big data

Having increased its Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capacity, the European border protection agency is now looking to build its big data platform.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

UAE
Al Nahyans' Royal Diamond shifts attentions from Western defence companies to Chinese oil interests

Concern is rising in Washington that a rapprochement between the UAE and China in strategic areas is increasingly being reflected in direct alliances with members of the UAE's ruling Al Nahyan family.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

Jordan
Royal clash concerns Amman's allies

The unusually public royal tensions in Jordan have exposed the country's weaknesses, much to the concern of its allies, who count on Jordan's stability for most of their operations in the region.

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Russia
Evgeni Primakov Jr renews Russian soft power as head of Rossotrudnichestvo

An influence tool and relay of Moscow's intelligence apparatus, the Rossotrudnichestvo, Moscow's cultural relations arm, is seeking new opportunities.

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China, France
Interior ministry finally studies risk of using Chinese DJI drones

The French interior ministry, which is preparing to renew its drone fleet with solutions from the Chinese manufacturer DJI, commissioned an audit to look into warnings it has received about the firm.

Subscribers only Cybersecurity

United Kingdom
Red Maple, boutique cyber security consultant

London is ramping up its cyber rhetoric and inspiring firms like Red Maple Technologies to flock to the town that is home to Britain's fabled eavesdropping agency, the GCHQ.

Subscribers only Cybersecurity

France
Intelligence newbies consortium, Aleia, aims for Artémis and OTDH

With its platform, offering a collection of tools developed by various start-ups, Aleia wants to be part of France's military intelligence and internal security data analysis programmes.

Subscribers only Space

Spotlight | Israel, Thailand
Bangkok develops a taste for Israeli cyber intel

Two years after the introduction of the Cybersecurity Act, which grants Thai intelligence agents sweeping new powers, Western cyber intelligence firms' local partners are busy but it is Israeli actors that are reaping the most rewards.

Subscribers only Cybersecurity

Israel
Prelysis, symbol of advertisers love for surveillance tech

SmartMedia Marketing, an online game content publisher, invested in the Israeli integration company Prelysis, further blurring the line between marketing and intelligence.

Subscribers only Cybersecurity

Spotlight | Ukraine, United States
Mordechai Korf, Igor Kolomoisky's American buddy

Prominent member of the Jewish Chabad community in Miami, Mordechai "Motti" Korf is also the US business associate of Igor Kolomoisky. Today, this relationship is being put to the test by PrivatBank's worldwide hunt for the Ukrainian oligarch's assets.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

Switzerland, United Kingdom
VIP investigator Charlie Carr splits with his holy sponsor

The corporate intelligence firm that caters to London-based oligarchs, C and F Partners, has finalised a shareholding change agreed to months ago.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

Qatar, United States
Gulf veteran John W. Miller to push for Qatar-US navy rapprochement

Qatar has been using the expertise of the retired US navy vice admiral to facilitate naval purchases and cooperation with the United States.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

Ukraine
SBU takes on private military company DBC, linked to both Kolomoisky and Saakashvili

Ukraine's internal security service, the SBU, which conducted raids on 24 March as part of a months-long investigation, suspects two men, Yevgen Shevchenko and Semen Semenchenko, "created a paramilitary organisation". Shevchenko is close to anti-corruption unit and the SBU's rival, NABU.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

United Kingdom
Ex-MI6 intelligence officer Richard Barrett bets on big data to analyse terrorism

Commercialised by his company The Global Strategy Network (TGSN), the ExTrac platform also brings together researchers Charlie Winter and Abdullah Alrhmoun.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

France
CEIS on the roads of territorial intelligence

The company is expanding its activities in this growing market, driven by increasing demand from mostly local, but also national authorities.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

Iraq, Lebanon
Qaiwan, the Iraqi oil firm behind Lebanon swap solution

So that it can fulfil its commitment to supply Beirut with oil to help ease the country's energy crisis, Irak has called in trader Qaiwan to set up a swap system as Kudistan crude is too high in sulphur to be used in Lebanon's power plants.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

Israel
Tel Aviv-promoted EastMed pipeline takes on water

Israel is counting on the EastMed pipeline to sell its natural gas to Europe and redefine its regional position but the project has been marred with technical difficulties and now its financial viability is being questioned as oil prices struggle to pick up.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

Iraq, United States
Washington worried it will lose control of contractors in Baghdad

Called by Washington, Baghdad's decision to lift restrictions on visa deliveries should make life easier for the many contractors working in Iraq. But it could stop the US from keeping an eye on these private operators, now allowed to set up shop in Baghdad entirely on the own.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

China
Cybersecurity firm Winicssec eyes IPO

Winicssec, a cybersecurity firm headed by a former Huawei employee, is working with China's Ministry of Public Security to set security standards at industrial sites.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

Saudi Arabia, Turkey
STII is Turkish drone maker Baykar's Riyadh go-between

The young Saudi company, which is well-connected with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's defence structures, is handling the Riyadh' marketing of the TB-2 drone built by Baykar, which is close to the Turkish president's office.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

Spotlight | France, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States
Zelensky's navy on fast track to NATO-compatibility

The embryonic Ukrainian navy was not invited to participate in NATO's Sea Shield naval exercise in the Black Sea, which ended on 29 March. But, given the latest military contracts handed out by Kiev, its ships should soon be compatible with those of the alliance.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel

Lebanon, Russia
Syria dominates Hezbollah's Moscow trip

The focus of Hezbollah's first visit to Moscow since 2011 was to be Lebanon and Lebanese politics but the conversation quickly turned to Syria.

Subscribers only Back-door diplomacy

Ukraine
Kyiv's unborn economic security bureau caught in NABU-SBU feud

Ukraine's fledgling Bureau of Economic Security was billed as a stalwart against corruption. But its launch under Washington's watchful eye has been fraught with problems.

Subscribers only Agencies

China
Cheng Guoping orchestrates security cooperation with Afghanistan

Beijing's top security diplomat Cheng Guoping, a former liaison officer for the Ministry of State Security in Moscow, is keeping a handle on potential terrorist threats along the country's border with Afghanistan.

Subscribers only Back-door diplomacy

France
French military intelligence audited by former deputy director

Armed forces inspector François de Lapresle recently conducted an inspection of the DRM, the French military intelligence service he served in as deputy director from 2017 to 2019.

Subscribers only Defence

Spotlight | United States
Future ODNI's General Counsel wears Prada

The well-connected Chris Fonzone is headed back to US intelligence at a time when a rethink is underway on the legal framework for cyberspace.

Subscribers only Agencies