Cumberland Councillor Steve Christou says Monday night’s church stabbing is “not in the spirit of Western Sydney” and calls for “peace, love and unity” as it marks the second stabbing in three days for the city. A religious leader was stabbed multiple times at his pulpit by a teenager in Western Sydney on Monday night. New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb has declared the incident a terrorist act. “What happened last night was very shocking and disturbing to most of the community in western Sydney,” Mr Christou told Sky News Australia. “I would like to express my sincere sympathies and wish the bishop and anyone hurt last night a very speedy recovery. “This is uncalled for; it was a random act of violence, and this is not in the spirit of western Sydney. “We call for peace, love and unity at this trying time. Especially after what we witnessed – the horrific events of the weekend down at Bondi Junction.”

A black ribbon was lit up on the sails of the Sydney Opera House Monday night in tribute to those killed in the Bondi Junction mass stabbing on Saturday. Six people were killed as a result of the heinous attack. A further six people remain in hospital. None of them are believed to be in a critical condition. This includes the nine-month-old girl who is in a serious but stable condition in intensive care.

The Australian’s Foreign Editor Greg Sheridan believes Israel “will strike back” against Iran but they will let them “stew in the technical failures” of their attack for a while. There are growing calls for restraint as the world reacts to Iran’s aerial bombardment of Israel. It is Tehran’s first-ever direct attack on its neighbour. Israel says more than 300 missiles and drones were fired by Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, but most were intercepted before entering Israeli airspace. “I think Israel will strike back against Iran in due course,” Mr Sheridan told Sky News host Andrew Bolt. “But they’re going to let Iran stew in the technical failures that it racked up for a while.”

If Labor were “really serious” about driving down high food prices, they would tackle inflation and not target companies, argues Shadow Finance Minister Jane Hume. It comes as the chief executives of Woolworths and Coles are set to face a Senate Inquiry into supermarket prices in Canberra. “If Labor was really serious about getting down the cost of groceries, they would tackle the big issue, which is inflation," Ms Hume told Sky News Australia. “The drivers of those cost of grocers. “They would be tackling high energy prices. “They wouldn’t be imposing restrictive industrial relations laws on companies like Coles and Woolworths.”

The Australian’s Foreign Editor Greg Sheridan says Iran “needed to show their militia groups” they were prepared to “put some skin in the game”. There are growing calls for restraint as the world reacts to Iran’s aerial bombardment of Israel. It is Tehran’s first-ever direct attack on its neighbour. Israel says more than 300 missiles and drones were fired by Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, but most were intercepted before entering Israeli airspace. “They [Iran] certainly calibrated this strike … they gave everyone notice,” Mr Sheridan told Sky News host Andrew Bolt. “But I’m sure they thought that some more would get through than did get through. “I think they needed to show their militia groups that they, themselves, the Iranians, were prepared to put some skin in the game.”

CommSec’s Tom Piotrowski says gold prices have “surged overnight” following rising tensions in the Middle East. “The geopolitical issue in the Middle East is so much front of mind for investors,” Mr Piotrowski told Sky News Australia. “That saw gold prices surge overnight, once again, not hitting record highs but up 1.6 per cent. “Oil prices were actually lower for a decent part of the session, down by as much as two per cent, but they have gravitated back towards that $86 mark in terms of West Texas Intermediate. “That’s important because, yesterday, mining and energy stocks were able to hold the market up.” Presented by CommSec.

Strategic Analysis Australia Director Peter Jennings says direct conflict with Iran is not “highly likely”. His comments come after Iran launched drones and a missile barrage against Israel. Mr Jennings said he thinks the next thing that might be seen is a “large-scale Israeli campaign in the North of Israel going into southern Lebanon to attack Hezbollah”. “I think direct conflict with Iran is not highly likely,” he said. “Israel is justifiably fearful of Hezbollah being able to do on a much larger scale what Hamas did down in the south. “If Hezbollah attempts to do that in the north of the country that’s a large, populated area, it really does present an existential threat to the future security of Israel.”

Independent MP Dai Le is calling for people to “remain very peaceful” following the stabbing at a Sydney church. Ms Le’s comments come after a Western Sydney Bishop was rushed to hospital after being stabbed multiple times during the service. The Western Sydney MP described him as a “wonderful bishop”. “His congregation just love him,” she told Sky News Australia. “He would absolutely want us to remain very peaceful and to pray and continue to spread the message of peace. “I think he would be very disappointed if people are all angry over this, I know he’s a very forgiving man.”

Sky News host Rita Panahi says the US city of Chicago has seen “another horrific weekend of violence”. At least 40 people were shot and seven killed with the victims including a seven-year-old girl who was shot in the head and later pronounced dead. “If this was a school shooting, the left media would be all over it,” Mr Panahi said. “This violence in cities like Chicago is largely ignored. “40 shot and seven killed in one weekend – what can be done.”

Strategic Analysis Australia Director Peter Jennings says there is “real concern” in the “risk of conflict” growing in the mid-2020s. Mr Jennings raised concerns for Australia’s military capabilities saying Australia is the “only advanced military in the world which does not have an armed drone”. “We’ve used drones for reconnaissance services, for a range of other tasks," he told Sky News host Peta Credlin. “But not for carrying weapons. “Drones are changing the nature of air warfare.”

The Australian New South Wales Political Reporter Alexi Demetriadi says there has been “huge calls” from elected representatives “urging calm” after a stabbing at a Western Sydney church. Unverified footage has shown a Bishop at the front of the church being repeatedly stabbed, understood to be in Fairfield, in Sydney’s West. There is now a significant police presence at the Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Western Sydney. “To allow the police or different squads there to do their jobs,” Mr Demetriadi told Sky News host Paul Murray. “I know that all the elected MPs at the area are ... trying to keep social harmony intact.”

Sky News host Rita Panahi has slammed the “pathetic, dangerous simpletons” who were being taught to chant ‘Death to America’. “Let’s start with a pack of self-loathing American lefties, many of them born and bred in the United States, being taught how to chant ‘Death to America’ in Farsi,” Ms Panahi said. “They forced me to chant that when I was at primary school in Tehran. “That’s the indoctrination of the Islamist-Iranian regimes there. “As a five-year-old, I had more pride in the US because I refused to do it.”

Sky News contributor Gary Hardgrave says Meta has been making money out of “somebody else’s efforts”. There are growing concerns Meta will introduce a news ban if the Labor government designates the social media giant as a news media outlet in the Bargaining Code. “Making them a publisher makes a lot of sense to me,” Mr Hardgrave said. “There are a lot of ways of getting our news but there are professional journos doing this day in, day out; they do have to be paid. “I think it is reasonable that people start to subscribe to stuff if they want the information and to stay informed as a result.”

Sky News host Sharri Markson says a riot has broken out after a reported stabbing at a Fairfield church in Western Sydney. Unverified footage has shown a Bishop at the front of the church being repeatedly stabbed, understood to be in Fairfield, in Sydney’s West. “People are so angry, understandably so, that their local church leader has been stabbed in this horrific way,” Ms Markson said. “He is still alive, he has been taken by ambulance to Liverpool Hospital. “We are hearing reports now that there is a riot forming.”

Sky News host Sharri Markson reacts to live footage of the stabbing of a popular local bishop which just occurred in Fairfield. “A bishop was stabbed in front of his congregation tonight, stabbed multiple times,” Ms Sharri said. “One of the most horrific stabbing attacks livestreamed on YouTube.” Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone joined Ms Markson to provide an update on the unfolding incident and to provide a health update on the bishop who was stabbed. “I believe that the bishop will be taken to hospital and he should be okay,” Mr Carbone told Ms Markson. NSW Police have also just released a statement saying, “The injured people suffered non-life threatening injuries and are being treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics”. It went on to say, “The community is urged to avoid the area".

Author and energy expert Alex Epstein says the Biden administration pushing for the climate disclosure is a “violation” of the First Amendment. Mr Epstein joined Sky News Australia host Rita Panahi to discuss the Biden administration’s latest push for climate action. “Really coercing companies into spewing anti-fossil fuel climate catastrophe propaganda. “What that does is then every corporation is saying climate change is an existential threat, we’ve got to get off fossil fuels. “Well then that helps dupe the American public.”

Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Birmingham says Iran’s attacks on Israel deserve the “strongest condemnation”. It is Tehran’s first-ever direct attack on its neighbour. Mr Birmingham said the attacks are “unprecedented”. “Of course, none of us wish to see a broader conflict ensue,” Mr Birmingham told Sky News Australia. “But that doesn’t change the reality that Israel was subjected to an unprecedented attack from Iran.”

After the weekend's tragic events at Westfield Bondi – the owner of the shopping centre, Scentre Group, is also coming to terms with it. One Westfield security guard, Faraz Tahir, 30, a refugee from Pakistan, was killed – with reports suggesting it was his first week on the job. Scentre Group CEO Elliott Rusanow spoke about the loss, and plans to re-open, outside the Bondi Junction centre. “The process of reopening is one which is a challenging one,” Mr Rusanow said. “Westfield Bondi plays a very important role for many, many members of the community. “But we have to recognise that this has been the scene of very tragic circumstances ... and we have to respect the loss of life, the victims and the victims' families.”

The ASX 200 ended the day down on Monday by 0.46 per cent. “Tech stocks were the worst performer, down two per cent,” Sky News Business Reporter Edward Boyd said. “Basically anything affected by interest rates remaining higher for longer was hit pretty hard on the market. “ASX 200 opened down about 0.4 per cent this morning. “Most sectors were in the red.”

The Department of Home Affairs concedes people smugglers may use the government’s proposed detainee reforms as a way of attracting new business. “There have been accusations from the government that the Opposition’s language around this debate may have been enabling people smugglers,” Sky News Political Reporter Cam Reddin said. “A concession and something of an acknowledgment of a broader problem too from the Home Affairs Department. “Some of the language and also potentially the new laws that the government is proposing on detainees may be captured by people smugglers and used as part of their marketing. “These are laws the government tried to rush through in the final sitting week before the break – it was unsuccessful there which has taken us to a committee today.”