The World from PRX

The James Lawrence King Federal Justice Building in seen in Miami, Monday, Dec. 4, 2023.

Longtime US diplomat charged as Cuban secret agent 

Full Episode

The James Lawrence King Federal Justice Building in seen in Miami, Monday, Dec. 4, 2023. Manuel Rocha, 73, a former career American diplomat was charged Monday with serving as a secret agent for communist Cuba going back decades in what prosecutors portrayed as one of the most brazen and long-running betrayals in the history of the US foreign service.

Rebecca Blackwell/AP

A former career American diplomat has been charged with serving as a secret agent for communist Cuba. Manuel Rocha is accused of being a Cuban mole inside the US government for decades. And, negotiators at the UN climate summit in Dubai are grappling with whether to call for a phase-out of fossil fuels. Australia, a major fossil fuel producer, is under a lot of pressure from Pacific countries and Western allies to join this pledge. Also, Israel and Hamas continue to battle in the Gaza Strip as the death toll from fighting climbs higher. The focus is now centered around the town of Khan Younis, where civilians have been told to evacuate by the Israel Defense Forces. Plus, the sound of Danish dystopian punk.

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In This Episode

Longtime US diplomat charged with being Cuban secret agent
The growth of the far-right in Ireland
Major fossil fuel exporter Australia treads carefully at COP28
What is Israel’s strategy in southern Gaza?
In Vietnam, a $12.5 billion corruption case worth 3% of its GDP
Why Mexico is trying so hard to save its favorite amphibian: The axolotl
Scottish snow plows and gritters named by public
Point of view of a soldier on a field with a building in view
The Ukrainian counteroffensive and what’s next
Special Coverage
Concern over AI motivates Copenhagen punk band, Fabled Mind