A five-minute drive from the cliff where Ben Roberts-Smith allegedly murdered Afghan farmer Ali Jan, there is a small mud-brick room used for storing almonds.

It was in this room, locals say, that a separate group of Australian soldiers killed two Afghan men in a shocking and brutal way.

Despite the intense publicity around the killing of Ali Jan, almost nothing has been heard about what happened in the almond room, and nobody has been held accountable. 

Today, anthropologist and writer Michelle Jasmin Dimasi on what the families of the Afghan men told her about the alleged crimes of Australian soldiers.

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Guest: Journalist and anthropologist Dr Michelle Jasmin Dimasi.

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For two-and-a-half years, Ukraine has been fighting Russia with the goal of “total victory” – to not only beat President Vladimir Putin’s forces back to the border, but to reclaim all territory annexed by Russia since 1991. 

But as both President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin’s popularity and resources fade, and as another winter approaches, it’s possible that a more pragmatic end to the war could be in sight. 

Today, editor-in-chief of The Economist Zanny Minton Beddoes, on what it would take for a permanent end to the fighting, and the future for Ukraine if that can’t be reached. 

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Guest: Editor-in-chief of The Economist Zanny Minton Beddoes

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Protecting Australia’s environment is a matter of urgency – or at least that’s the message the Albanese government campaigned on two and a half years ago. 

But now, with environmental legislation stalling in the Senate and a series of announcements lacking detail, there’s a sense that the government’s priorities have shifted.  

Today, director of the Australia Institute’s climate and energy program Polly Hemming, on the rhetoric of “nature positivity” and the inaction it hides. 

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Guest: Director of the Australia Institute’s climate and energy program Polly Hemming

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One year on from the October 7 attacks against Israel, the region is bracing for more war. 

It seems almost certain Israel will launch a retaliatory attack against Iran, after it fired ballistic missiles at Israel last week. 

Meanwhile, over the weekend, Israel continued its airstrikes on Lebanon, with multiple explosions reported in the suburbs of the capital Beirut. 

Today, Israel correspondent for The Economist Anshel Pfeffer on where the Middle East is headed, and how, or if, the fighting can end. 

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Guest: Israel correspondent for The Economist Anshel Pfeffer

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Charlotte Wood became a mainstay in Australia’s literary firmament in 2016 following the release of her award-winning novel, The Natural Way of Things. Her latest book, Stone Yard Devotional, is a meditation on grief, solitude, what it means to live a good life, and what we owe one another. It has been shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize. On this episode of Read This, Michael sits down with Charlotte to discuss her new book, and she shares the psychic catastrophe that informed its final form.

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There’s a greater than 50 per cent chance that there will be a terrorist attack – or a planned attack – in Australia in the next year.

That’s the reality behind the head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation’s recent decision to upgrade the nation’s terror threat level to “probable”.

So the need for all states and territories to be working on a united strategy with the federal government to prevent terrorist attacks is greater than ever.

But that’s not what’s happening. The states and territories have taken the unprecedented step of abandoning the Albanese government’s planned counter-terrorism strategy, in favour of figuring it out themselves.

Today, special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis, on why the national strategy on counterterrorism has collapsed – and what it means for our safety.

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Guest: Special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis

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As much as they would hate to admit it, both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris fit the definition of “coastal elite”. The United States presidential candidates are a wealthy New York businessman and reality TV star running against a San Francisco liberal with a career in public office.

That’s why they’re both hoping their vice-presidential candidates and running mates will speak to a specific group of voters – the blue collar, working class area of the Midwest.

And yesterday’s debate showed that both J.D. Vance and Tim Walz are taking that opportunity seriously.

Today, ABC journalist and host of the Global Roaming podcast Geraldine Doogue, on how the two candidates are using their roots to appeal to voters in very different ways.

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Guest: ABC journalist and host of Global Roaming, Geraldine Doogue.

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There are hundreds of angry posts on X, TikTok and Reddit from citizen journalists archiving Coles and Woolworths' published prices and noticing some strange patterns.

The posters complain that the two supermarket giants have misled their customers with their “Down Down” and “Prices Dropped” promotions.

Now, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has launched legal action, alleging the big two presented discounted promotions that were actually higher, or the same, as the price that had been charged for the same items just weeks beforehand.

Today, economist and contributor to The Saturday Paper Peter Martin, on the “illusory” discounts and how a Cadbury Caramello Koala helped fuel the outrage.

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Guest: Economist and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Peter Martin.

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When Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in Beirut over the weekend, Michelle Jasmin Dimasi felt the blast from her apartment. 

Michelle’s an Australian journalist and she’s been based in the city for a few months.

Now, as Israeli airstrikes continue, she is preparing to leave, likely by plane. 

But for a million displaced people within Lebanon, that calculation of where to go, and how to get out, is much more complicated.

Today, Michelle Jasmin Dimasi on the reality of life in Lebanon right now and why thousands of people, including Syrian refugees, are fleeing back into Syria.

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Guest: Journalist Michelle Jasmin Dimasi

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The leader of Hezbollah has been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.

Hassan Nasrallah led the group for more than 30 years, building it into a powerful political force within Lebanon and the most heavily armed non-state militia in the world.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly ordered the killing from his hotel room in New York, before his speech at the United Nations general assembly.

Joe Biden has called the killing a “measure of justice”.

But Lebanon is entering three days of mourning, at a time when more than half a million people are displaced there and airstrikes continue.

Today, Middle East correspondent for The Economist Gregg Carlstrom on Hassan Nasrallah’s legacy and what his death means for Lebanon, and for Israel.

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Guest: Middle East correspondent for The Economist Gregg Carlstrom

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