Spying activity makes the news (12)
I believe the answer is:
intelligence
This clue could be a double definition.
'spying activity makes' is the first definition.
'intelligence' can be an answer for 'spying' (thesaurus). I am unsure of the 'activity makes' bit.
'news' is the second definition.
(intelligence can mean news or information)
'the' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for intelligence that I've seen before include "Information from spies" , "Military information" , "Covertly gathered information" , "army section?" , "Secret information" .)