Midday News Bulletin 28 June 2025
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts .
TRANSCRIPT
Donald Trump says he's terminating all trade discussions with Canada
US announces funding for Gaza aid operation amid UN criticism
Australia claims a resounding win against the West Indies.
US President Donald Trump says he's terminating all trade discussions with Canada in response to a tax on digital technology firms set to come into effect on Monday. He says the United States will let Canada know within the next week what tariffs will be imposed on Canadian goods. Mr Trump says Canada has acted foolishly by trying to tax U-S tech companies. "They put a tax on companies that were American companies that they shouldn't, a very severe tax. And yeah, I guess they could remove it, they will, but I don't really, I mean, it doesn't matter to me. We have all the cards, we have all of the cards. You know, we do a lot of business with Canada, but relatively little. They do most of their businesses with us. And when you have that circumstance, you treat people better. " The digital services tax will hit companies including Amazon, Google, Meta, Uber and Airbnb with a 3 per cent levy on revenue from Canadian users. The U-S State Department says it has approved $30 million in funding for a controversial aid operation in Gaza which has been criticised by the United Nations. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation took over aid distribution across the strip using private security contractors after Israel partially lifted its months-long blockade in late May. Since then, shooting events around the foundation's aid sites have led to at least 410 deaths, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. On Friday, U-N chief Antonio Guterres says the UN has the experience to better deliver aid. "The problem of the distribution of humanitarian aid must be solved. There is no need to reinvent the wheel with dangerous schemes. We have the solution. A detailed plan grounded in the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. We have the supplies, we have the experience. Our plan is guided by what people need. It is built on the trust of communities, donors and member states. And it worked during the last ceasefire, so it must be allowed to work again." Israel's Military Advocate General has ordered an investigation into possible war crimes over allegations that Israeli forces deliberately fired at Palestinian civilians near Gaza aid sites. The United Nations says hundreds of Palestinians have been killed over the past month in the vicinity of areas where food was being handed out. Israeli newspaper Haaretz recently quoted unnamed Israeli soldiers who say they were told to fire at crowds to keep them back. The Israeli military denies this, saying it has not instructed soldiers to deliberately shoot at civilians. The Victorian Government is encouraging children to head outdoors and go fishing after the stocking the state's waterways with fish that are large enough to be legally caught. The government is promoting the activity as low-cost school holiday fun as it seeks to promote the state as the best place to fish in the country. Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos says the government has stocked 220 waterways across Victoria. "We are really proud of the investment, because meaningful. It's meaningful for many reasons. Time out away from screens and from the busyness of life, spend time with people you love, bring the kids, go and catch fish, if you want, cook it that night. It is such an easy and wonderful activity to do. " A fishing license is required in Victoria, except for people aged under 18, or over 70. A bowling masterclass from Josh Hazlewood has helped Australia claim a resounding 159-run victory over the West Indies on day three of the Test series opener in Bridgetown. After a hotly contested first two days, Australia dominated with Hazlewood taking 5-43 as the tourists bowled their hosts out for 141 in their second dig.
The Windies were thwarted by a collapse of 6-26 in pursuit of 301 for victory.
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SBS Australia
2 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Evening News Bulletin 28 June 2025
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts . Donald Trump says he believes Gaza ceasefire possible within a week... Victorian Opposition slams government for new delays to over-budget metro line... Queensland superstar Kalyn Ponga ruled out of the State of Origin series decider with a foot injury. United States President Donald Trump says he believes it is possible that a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict will be reached within a week. At an Oval Office event celebrating a Congo-Rwanda peace deal, Mr Trump has told reporters he believes a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is close, but has failed to provide additional detail. "I think it's close. I just spoke with some of the people involved and we think within the next week we're going to get a ceasefire and we're supplying, as you know, a lot of money and a lot of food to that area because we have to. It's too bad other countries aren't helping out. Nobody's helping out, we're doing that because I think we have to on a humanitarian basis." The United Nations says at least 410 Palestinians have been shot and killed while waiting for food aid to be delivered by a U-S and Israeli-approved organisation over the last month and Israel continues to block other efforts from the international community to deliver aid to the region. The Victorian government is attempting to downplay reports of delays in construction and testing of the $15 billion Melbourne Metro Tunnel, with the train line now not set to open for regular commuter services until early 2026. The Age reports the government is planning, what they call, a "soft opening" of the Metro in November of this year for limited off-peak much-delayed and over-budget project was initially slated to be finished by September 2024, and the Allan government has reportedly offered the construction companies over a billion dollars if they could finish the project by this Opposition leader Brad Battin says the delay and increasing cost of the project is unacceptable. "No one knows when it's going to open. No one knows which stations will open and no one knows how many trains will be able to go through during peak and off-peak times. How can a government spend billions of dollars and not have the plan ready and know exactly what time those stations will open and how often trains can operate. And the government won't come out and be honest on exactly how they've wasted that money. It's too important here in Victoria to understand, for every Victorian, where is our money going?" The New South Wales government has defended a controversial bill aimed at reforming the state's workers compensation scheme, including changes making it more difficult to receive ongoing support for psychological injury. Unions, academics and healthcare professionals have raised alarm about a proposal in the bill which will more than double the threshold for workers seeking ongoing support for a psychological injury beyond two-and-a-half years. Unions New South Wales has told an inquiry into the bill that this increase would disqualify 95 per cent of workers with permanent psychological injuries. The Coalition has agreed and have so far helped block the bill, with state Opposition leader Mark Speakman saying the change would punish the most severely injured workers. Sophie Cotsis, New South Wales Minister for Work Health and Safety, says the government is investing close to $128 million in prevention efforts to avoid lasting injury. "We will have an additional 51 safe work inspectors. This is historic. There will be 20 inspectors dedicated to psycho-social matters at work. This is a huge investment supporting early intervention, prevention, supporting workers and businesses." The Greens have condemned what they've described as brutal and excessive police force shown towards former candidate for Grayndler, Hannah Thomas, who has now undergone surgery after an arrest at a pro-Palestine protest. The 35-year-old lawyer and activist who ran against Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in his Inner-West seat last month was photographed with a bruised and bloodied face after picketing a business reportedly supplying parts for jets used by the Israeli military. She has now reportedly undergone surgery for serious facial injuries. Greens MP Sue Higginson and Senator David Shoebridge have issued a statement calling for Police Minister Yasmin Catley to investigate the arrest as a critical incident. Police say four others were arrested at the protest, including a 24-year-old man who they claim temporarily stole a police body worn camera. Kalyn Ponga is out of the State of Origin series decider, after scans confirmed the Queensland superstar has suffered a foot injury. Newcastle has confirmed Ponga is set for a lengthy stint out, less than 12 hours after picking up the injury in the loss to Canberra. The injury is a serious blow to the Maroons, given their game-two win in Perth had offered Billy Slater the prospect of keeping the team intact for the Sydney battle. It will potentially open the door for Reece Walsh to return to the Queensland number-one jersey, after his own return to form for Brisbane. The State of Origin decider kicks off on Wednesday, July 9 at Accor Stadium in Sydney.
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Israel's Netanyahu slams Gaza aid shooting report
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz emphatically reject a report that claimed Israeli soldiers were ordered to shoot at Palestinians approaching aid sites inside Gaza. They called the left-leaning Israeli daily Haaretz's findings "malicious falsehoods designed to defame" the military. More than 500 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded while seeking food since the newly formed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began distributing aid in the territory about a month ago, according to Gaza's health ministry. Palestinian witnesses say Israeli troops have opened fire at crowds on the roads heading toward the sites. Reacting to the Haaretz piece, Israel's military confirmed it was investigating incidents in which civilians had been harmed while approaching the sites. It rejected the article's allegations "of deliberate fire toward civilians". The foundation, which is backed by an American private contractor, has been distributing food boxes at four locations, mainly in the far south of Gaza, for the past month. "GHF is not aware of any of these incidents but these allegations are too grave to ignore and we therefore call on Israel to investigate them and transparently publish the results in a timely manner," the group said in a social media post. Palestinians trying to find food have frequently encountered chaos and violence on their way to and on arrival at the aid sites. Tens of thousands are desperate for food after Israel imposed a two-and-a-half month siege on Gaza, blocking all food, water and medicine from entering the territory pending the set-up of the GHF sites. The bodies of eight people who died on Friday had come to Shifa Hospital from a GHF site in Netzarim, although it was not immediately clear how they died, Dr Mohamed Abu Selmyiha, the hospital's director, told The Associated Press. A GHF spokesperson challenged the report, saying they did not know of any incidents at or near their sites on Friday. Twenty other bodies his hospital received on Friday came from air strikes across north Gaza, he said. Thousands of Palestinians walk for hours to reach the hubs, moving through Israeli military zones where witnesses say Israeli troops regularly open fire with heavy barrages to control the crowds. The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots. The group Doctors Without Borders on Friday condemned the distribution system as "a slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid" and called for it to be immediately shut down. More than 6000 people have been killed and more than 20,000 injured in Gaza since the ceasefire collapsed on March 18. Since the war began, more than 56,000 people have been killed and 132,000 injured, according to the health ministry. The Israel-Hamas war started following the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, when some 1200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage. About 50 of them still remain in captivity in Gaza. The latest deaths include six people killed and 10 wounded in Israeli strikes on a group of citizens near the Martyrs Roundabout in the Bureij Camp in central Gaza Strip, officials at Awda Hospital in Nuseirat said on Friday. The United Nations chief, meanwhile, urged leaders to show "political courage" and agree to a ceasefire like the one forged between Israel and Iran. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also urged a return to the UN's long-tested distribution system for aid in Gaza, where he said Israeli military operations have created "a humanitarian crisis of horrific proportions". "The search for food must never be a death sentence," Guterres told reporters.
Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Sky News AU
US President Donald Trump riding high after historic immigration Supreme Court victory, finalises rare earth minerals deal with China
US President Donald Trump has secured a litany of significant wins, including the Supreme Court limiting the power of judges to block presidential policies and expediating a rare earth export agreement with China as part of a finalised trade deal. The Trump administration has been touting a string of recent accomplishments, including brokering a ceasefire deal between Israel and Iran after it struck three Iranian nuclear facilities in a targeted military operation known as Midnight Hammer. The US President also managed to increase the defence contributions of NATO states, with members agreeing to bolster annual defence spending to five per cent of GDP by 2035. The President's widely anticipated 'big, beautiful bill' is also progressing with haste, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune telling Senate Republicans he expected to see the legislative text of the budget reconciliation package on Friday evening. The US Supreme Court handed President Trump a historic win on Friday by curbing the ability of judges to impede his policies nationwide, changing the balance between the federal judiciary and the executive branch. The 6-3 ruling, authored by conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett, did not let Trump's directive restricting birthright citizenship go into effect immediately and directed lower courts that blocked it to reconsider the scope of their orders. The ruling also did not address the legality of the policy, part of Trump's hardline approach toward immigration. The Republican President lauded the ruling and said his administration could now try to move forward with numerous policies such as his birthright executive order that he said, 'have been wrongly enjoined on a nationwide basis.' Trump called the ruling a "monumental victory for the Constitution, the separation of powers and the rule of law." "We have so many of them. I have a whole list," Trump told reporters at the White House. The court granted the administration's request to narrow the scope of three so-called "universal" injunctions issued by federal judges in Maryland, Massachusetts and Washington state that halted enforcement of his directive nationwide while litigation challenging the policy played out. The court's conservative justices were in the majority and its liberal members dissented. The ruling specified that Trump's executive order cannot take effect until 30 days after Friday's ruling. The ruling raises the prospect of Trump's order eventually applying in some parts of the country. More than 150,000 newborns would be denied citizenship annually under Trump's directive, according to the plaintiffs who challenged it, including the Democratic attorneys general of 22 states as well as immigrant rights advocates and pregnant immigrants. The ruling was issued on the final day of decisions on cases argued before the Supreme Court during its nine-month term that began in October. The court also issued rulings on Friday backing a Texas law regarding online pornography, letting parents opt children out of classes when storybooks when LGBT are read and preserving Obamacare's provision on health insurers covering preventive care among others. The US President also abruptly cut off trade talks with Canada on Friday over its tax targeting U.S. technology firms, saying that it was a "blatant attack" and that he would set a new tariff rate on Canadian goods within the next week. The move plunges US-Canada relations back into chaos after a period of relative calm that included a cordial G7 meeting in mid-June where Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed to wrap up a new economic agreement within 30 days. It also came just hours after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent struck an upbeat tone on trade, touting progress had been made with China on reviving the flow of critical minerals for the U.S. manufacturing sector and in other key tariff negotiations. During US-China trade talks in May in Geneva, Beijing committed to removing the measures imposed since April 2, but those critical materials were not moving as fast as agreed, Bessent said in an interview with Fox Business Network, so the US put countermeasures in place. "I am confident now that we, as agreed, the magnets will flow," Bessent said. - With Reuters
