Midday News Bulletin 13 July 2025

SBS Australia

a day ago

TRANSCRIPT
New South Wales Police throws its support behind officers who fatally shot a Western Sydney man.
The Prime Minister launches a tourism campaign in China.
Australian sprinter Kaden Groves comes his closest yet to a stage win at the Tour de France. New South Wales police has voiced staunch support for the officers involved in the shooting death of a man at a Western Sydney car park yesterday. Police say officers were called to a brawl that reportedly occurred between a group of women in Mount Druitt, before the partner of one of the women allegedly approached the group with a machete. Police say the man was shot by officers when he failed to put down his weapon. Assistant Commissioner Gavin Wood has surveyed footage from the incident and says he is confident in the actions of both detectives, who stood between the machete-wielding man and the women. "The investigation will be subject to scrutiny as it should be, but their actions were brave. I spoke to both police last night and the enormity of what had happened was starting to sink in. We will put our arms around those police, as we do and they deserve that. But they are good people, and good police officers. They did not come in to work yesterday knowing they would have to shoot somebody." Chinese actor Yu Shi will spearhead a new campaign, aimed at luring Chinese travellers to Australia. The campaign is being launched by the Prime Minister, who is in Shanghai today as part of a six-day visit to China. The push comes after Beijing put Australia back on its approved destination list for organised tour groups, In the year to March 2025, 860,000 trips were taken to Australia from mainland China, contributing $9.2 billion to the local economy. While Mr Albanese has told reporters the visit is focused on the economy, there are regional security concerns that will likely be the substance of meetings behind closed doors. The Prime Minister will meet with President Xi Xinping in Beijing later this week. Palestinian hospital officials say 31 Palestinians have been fatally shot on their way to an aid distribution site in the Gaza Strip. Israeli airstrikes have also reportedly killed at least 28 Palestinians, including four children. The reports follow two days of meetings between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with no signs of a breakthrough in ceasefire talks. President Trump had previously said he was closing in on an agreement between Israel and Hamas that would wind down the war. Meanwhile, thousands of Israeli protesters have taken to the streets in Tel Aviv, calling on their government to end the fighting. Maayan Sherman is the mother of former hostage Ron Sherman. "After 34 days in captivity, he was killed by IDF bombing. I'm here to remind everybody that there are 50 more hostages that must come back to Israel, must come back to their families." New South Wales police are investigating the alleged shooting of a child on a hunting trip this weekend. Police are inquiring after a nine-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to his right leg, was treated in hospital on Friday night. The incident allegedly occured during a group hunting trip in Bourke. Police have spoken with five men and four children aged between 9 and 15, all of whom are from Victoria. An inquiry is underway into the group's firearm licenses after 17 weapons - including air rifles, rifles and a shotgun were seized. An ancient indigenous rock art collection in Western Australia's Pilbra region has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Traditional owners travelled to Paris for the decision, where member nations unanimously voted-in the Murujuga Cultural Landscape, despite threats from nearby gas projects. The engravings pre-date anything found in ancient Egypt or the Roman empire. Peter Jeffries is from the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation (MAC), which has led the twenty year campaign to have the area- just outside of Karratha -internationally recognised. "It's been in motion now for two or three decades, and we've lost a lot of our old elders in the process. So this is also in recognition of their support, as well." In cycling, Aussie sprinter Kaden Groves has made the podium for the first time at this year's Tour de France. Scoring third place, the Australian team led the pack in the last kilometre of a mostly-flat eighth stage. Groves went early and couldn't hold off Italian Jonathan Milan, who claimed victory. Speaking with S-B-S on the ground, Groves says it was a difficult fight, but he was pleased to have a place on the podium. "These final roundabouts were quite interesting. I almost crashed in the last one. So yeah, super hard. If you weren't in position there you were out of the sprint. In the end we went a bit early, but super happy with the team." Reigning champion Tadej Pogacar has held onto the overall tour lead, retaining the yellow jersey.