Laura Murphy-Oates introduces a bonus episode of our new podcast Guardian Australia Reads. Lifestyle editor, Alyx Gorman, recommends this piece by Brigid Delaney on an ancient way to pursue happiness

Guardian Australia Reads: The secret to happiness in uncertain times? Give up pursuing it

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At about 7pm on Monday night, a teenager wearing a black hoodie walked up to a bishop conducting a service in an Orthodox church in western Sydney and allegedly stabbed him repeatedly. Police have labelled it an act of terrorism, and community leaders are calling for calm. Reporter Mostafa Rachwani tells Nour Haydar why emotions are running high in the Assyrian Christian and Muslim communities

Sydney church stabbing: how an alleged attack reignited tensions

After Iran launched an attack on Israel, is the region heading for all-out war? Emma Graham-Harrison reports

Is the Middle East on the brink?

Bruce Lehrmann has lost his defamation case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson, bringing to an end a sprawling legal saga which has gripped the nation. In a live oral summary that took two and a half hours, Justice Michael Lee said the former Liberal staffer was not defamed by Wilkinson and Ten when The Project broadcast an interview with Brittany Higgins on Monday 15 February 2021 in which she alleged she was raped in Parliament House. He found that on the balance of probabilities Lehrmann raped Higgins. Guardian Australia’s media correspondent Amanda Meade tells Nour Haydar how Justice Lee reached his verdict.

The Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial verdict

Seven people have died in a stabbing attack at Sydney shopping centre Bondi Junction Westfield, including the perpetrator, Joel Cauchi. Police said he suffered from mental health problems. NSW state correspondent Tamsin Rose tells Nour Haydar what happened on Saturday afternoon, and production editor Nikki Marshall describes what it was like inside the shopping centre at the time of the attack You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport

How the Bondi Junction stabbing attack unfolded

This week, the foreign minister, Penny Wong, spoke about finding a pathway to peace in the Middle East, calling for a two-state solution and the recognition of Palestine as a state. In response, Australia’s opposition leader, Peter Dutton, attacked Wong, calling her reckless and accusing her of alienating Australia’s international allies. Gabrielle Jackson speaks with editor Lenore Taylor and head of newsroom Mike Ticher about the response to Wong’s calls to recognise Palestinian statehood

Guardian Australia Reads: The secret to happiness in uncertain times? Give up pursuing it

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