Spy Way of Life

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 09/12/2022

National Tailors, the Dubai ruling family's bespoke garment-maker

Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens where they meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online steps into the world of the Al Madani family's National Tailors in Dubai. The small boutique creates kanduras, the traditional United Arab Emirates dress for men, for the emirate's ruling Al Maktoum family and any prince, businessman or prominent figure close to the country's leadership. [...]

UNITED STATES 02/12/2022

Washington's private Cosmos Club: where CIA officials socialised and conducted confidential business

Declassified CIA files reveal the agency luminaries who mingled at the Cosmos Club, which was a spy refuge for decades. [...]

AUSTRALIA 25/11/2022

Teddy Picker's, the lavish Canberra cafe serving all day "brekky" loved by Australian spies

Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens where they meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online pushes open Teddy Picker's door, a unique yet typical cafe in Canberra where Australian intelligence officers like to feast on tasty local fare with their sources. [...]

BELGIUM 18/11/2022

The Fraternelle des Agents Parachutistes, a venue steeped in history for Belgian commandos and NATO generals

Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens where they meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online gets a glimpse into The Fraternelle des Agents Parachutistes in Brussels, where members of Belgium's special forces and senior NATO officials share drinks by the fireplace in this cosy venue inspired by traditional British gentlemen's clubs. [...]

The Fraternelle des agents parachutistes (FAP) in Ixelles (Belgium).

RUSSIA 11/11/2022

The Imperial Tailoring Co., Putin's bespoke tailor

Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens where they meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online steps into the plush interior of the Moscow store behind an empire of custom-made Kotwani suits, the must-have for any diplomat or politician wanting to play by the post-Soviet rule book. [...]

The Imperial Tailoring Co shop in Moscow.

IRAN UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 04/11/2022

Al Ustad Special Kabab, an Iranian hang-out officially approved by Dubai's crown prince

Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens where they meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online explores Al Ustad Special Kabab, a long-established Iranian eating place in Dubai's Old Town. Its clients include the inner circle of Crown Prince "Fazza", which makes it a favourite meeting place for diplomats, senior civil servants and businessmen looking for direct contact with the emirate's future ruler. [...]

The Al Ustad Special Kabab restaurant in Dubai.

UNITED KINGDOM 28/10/2022

In & Out Naval and Military Club perpetuates the tradition for the new generation

Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens where they meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online visits the In & Out Naval and Military Club in London, a much-loved haunt of the new generation of British army and intelligence officers. [...]

The In & Out Naval and Military Club in London.

CHINA 21/10/2022

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' bar makes for Politburo observation box

Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens where they meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online visits a small bar on Beijing's Jianguomennei Street, just in front of the doors to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a place where researchers mingle with those closest to the CCP's Politburo. [...]

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in Beijing.

IRAQ 14/10/2022

Barzanis rule over Kurdistan's tight-security Erbil Rotana hotel

Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens where they meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online visits the heavily guarded Erbil Rotana hotel in Iraqi Kurdistan where the region's key players cross paths and rub shoulders. [...]

RUSSIA 07/10/2022

Shokoladnitsa on Ilinka Street, a sweet retreat for Kremlin staff

Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens where they meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online visits Shokoladnitsa in Moscow, a simple cafe that serves as an annex and an anteroom to Russia's presidential administration. [...]

The Chokoladnitsa café, located at 19/13 Ilinka Street, near the presidential administration in Moscow.

ITALY 30/09/2022

Piazza di Pietra: a charming square steeped in secrets

Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens where they meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online visits Piazza di Pietra, an elegant square in Rome where master spies like to stroll and eat, sharing secrets along the way. [...]

Piazza di Pietra, in the heart of the Colonna district in Rome.

AZERBAIJAN 23/09/2022

From the Hyatt to the Landmark: hotels of choice of financiers on Azerbaijani oil and gas quest

Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens where they meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online visits the Landmark Hotel, an establishment highly prized by investors wanting to rub shoulders with Caspian oil and gas executives. [...]

CHINA UNITED STATES 16/09/2022

The King Cole Bar at the St. Regis Hotel, a hotbed of intrigue on Fifth Avenue

Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens, where they meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online visits the luxurious King Cole Bar in New York, the birthplace of the Bloody Mary where celebrities, spies and occasionally sparring politicians like to meet. [...]

HONG KONG 09/09/2022

Yat Lok, Chinese spies' Michelin-starred Hong Kong hangout

Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens, where they meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online visits Yat Lok restaurant in Hong Kong, where security officers meet their local and foreign sources, and devour some of the best glazed geese in the city. [...]

FRANCE 02/09/2022

Café Max, cherished hangout of French corporate security directors, changes ownership

Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens, where they meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online visited Café Max, a favourite Parisian haunt of retired spies and senior police officers now running the security departments of France's largest companies, or working as corporate investigators. [...]

BAHRAIN UNITED KINGDOM 26/08/2022

Bahrain Rugby Club, a hub of British beer and influence in the Gulf

Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens, where they meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online explores an institution inherited from the time of British presence in the country, the Bahrain Rugby Club. [...]

Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad al-Khalifa with Bahrain Rugby Club players.

GERMANY 19/08/2022

In Berlin, spies are back and seeking an ideal meeting place

All over the world, spies like to meet in favourite spots where discreet conversations and chance meetings can occur. This week Intelligence Online visits the emblematic Einstein UdL in Berlin, a city where spying is making something of a comeback. [...]

Einstein café at Unter den Linden, Berlin, Germany.

UNITED KINGDOM 29/07/2022

The Travellers Club: where big business meets big secrets

Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens, where they meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online tiptoes through the lounges of the Travellers Club, a historic venue on the grand Pall Mall. [...]

The facade of the Travellers Club, at 106 Pall Mall, London.

FRANCE 22/07/2022

Le Zimmer, a Belle Époque cafe for artists and spies

Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens, where they meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online explores Le Zimmer, a central Parisian cafe that makes for a handy meeting point for French foreign intelligence officers and their sources. [...]

Le Zimmer café, place du Châtelet, Paris.

DENMARK 15/07/2022

Hotel Phoenix provides a royal refuge for the Danish crown's secret agents

Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens, where they meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online explores the favourite haunts of the Danish intelligence services, which are generally chosen for their discretion and four-star comfort. [...]

Barzan Holdings, Qatar's defence industry giant springing up out of the desert

Badr Jafar - the businessman 2.0 taking hold in the UAE