An elite foreign spy group called 'A-Team' has been targeting Australian students, academics, law enforcement officials, a former politician and even a prime minister’s family members.  
That's the assessment of Australia's top intelligence agency, ASIO, which released its annual assessment of the biggest threats to our national security overnight. 
On this episode of The Briefing, Bension Siebert speaks with Joey Watson, 'spy watcher', investigative journalist and host of Secrets We Keep: Nest of Traitors. He reveals why foreign espionage and spying has overtaken far-right extremism and other threats become our intelligence services' top concern. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet the "A-Team", the spies who tried to steal Australia's secrets

A daily news podcast, The Briefing gives you the latest headlines, discussion and explainer interviews, all in under 20 minutes. Bringing you the news you need to know at 6am and 3pm Monday to Friday, and profiles across the weekend, The Briefing is Australia's go-to news podcast for your commute, coffee or exercise.
Hosted by a cast of rotating journalists including Sacha Barbour-Gatt, Katrina Blowers, Antoinette Lattouf, and Bension Siebert.

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Nathan Paddison spent 13 years of his life in and out of prison for a range of crimes - some small and others violent. But he says art saved him.
Antoinette Lattouf and Nathan went to school together in western Sydney and reconnected at his latest art exhibition.
You cannot downplay some of his crimes, including a charge of domestic violence, but rarely do we hear about how criminals try to turn their lives around.
In this chat with Antoinette Lattouf, Nathan opens up about what what leads young men to go down criminal and violent paths and crucially how to break that cycle.
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WEEKEND LIST

TO EAT - Easy veggie lasagna
TO VISIT - Vivid Sydney
TO LISTEN - Sounds like a cult, the cult of tradwives
TO DO- Adult colouring books

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Nathan Paddison says art saved him from a lifetime in jail

Fiona Harvey is a Scottish lawyer who was depicted as a stalker in the Netflix hit, Baby Reindeer.  She’s denied the claims and is suing the streaming giant for $170m. 
The program depicted Harvey – via a character named Martha – as a serial stalker who bombarded the British comedian Richard Gadd with tens of thousands of emails and text messages.  She says it never happened. The show said she was convicted of stalking and spent nine months in prison. Harvey says it’s nonsense.   
In this episode of The Briefing, we take a deep dive on Harvey’s motivation to sue – and what her chances are of beating a streaming behemoth like Netflix.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Woman identified as Baby Reindeer stalker sues Netflix for $175 million

North Korea has launched a series of balloons packed with household waste over the border into South Korea.
Pyongyang says it’s in response to Seoul distributing anti-North propaganda leaflets into cities and towns across the North.
In this episode of the Briefing we take a deep dive with Justin Hastings, Professor of International Relations at the University of Sydney, on why the campaign was launched and what it means for hostilities between the two nations separated since the Korean War in the 1950s.
Headlines:
World leaders come together to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day  
Peter Costello denies assaulting journalist at Canberra Airport   
Israeli strike kills at least 33 people at Gaza school that IDF claims was being used by Hamas  
Elon Musk's SpaceX records first successful test flight   
 
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  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why North Korea is flying rubbish-filled balloons into South Korea

Another climbing season for those attempting to summit Mount Everest has come to a close.  
This year, the Nepalese government offered fewer climbing permits in an effort to reduce congestion on the mountain and improve safety, after a record-breaking 18 climbers lost their lives in 2023.  
Still, this year saw five climbers die on the climb, with three others still missing. 
So what is it really like to climb the tallest mountain on Earth, and should the Nepalese government be putting more safety measures in place? 
In this episode, The Briefing’s Simon Beaton speaks with Dan Stretch from Global Rescue, who coordinates high-altitude rescues on Mount Everest.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are people lining up to die on Mount Everest?

New CoreLogic data has found rent in three quarters of Australia's biggest regional areas are now higher than ever – with WA and Queensland topping the list.
The biggest increase was in Batemans Bay in NSW rising by around 6 percent in the past three months – which is about $32 extra a week.
In this episode of The Briefing, we’re joined by CoreLogic’s Eliza Owen to find out why regional rents are soaring and what can be done to make regional areas affordable for Australians unable to afford to rent in cities.
Headlines:
$300 energy bill rebate unlikely to affect inflation   
The government and the opposition condemn Greens for involvement in pro-Palestinian protests
Victorians can now report dodgy rentals with Consumer Affairs 
First British bank notes featuring King Charles and a banana milkshake 
 
Follow The Briefing:
TikTok: @listnrnewsroom
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YouTube: @LiSTNRnewsroom
Facebook: @LiSTNR Newsroom See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet the "A-Team", the spies who tried to steal Australia's secrets

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