Let's return now to our breaking news out of Australia. Police in Sydney say they're responding to a major incident at a major shopping center. These are live pictures coming to us from a helicopter hovering above the Westfield Shopping Center at Bondi Junction. There are reports multiple people have been stabbed. Well, let's get the latest on this with our reporter, Phil Mercer, who's in Sydney. What can you tell us, Phil?

Well, this all began just over an hour ago local time. At 4:00 PM, the police say that they were called after receiving multiple alerts from the Bondi Junction Shopping Center, the big Westfield Shopping Center there. It's a very modern complex, about 2 kilometers from Sydney's famous Bondi Beach. As you rightly say, we are hearing reports that multiple people have been stabbed and also reports of gunshots. In the last few minutes, we've received We've received a statement from the police, the New South Wales State Police here in Eastern Australia, confirming that one person has been shot. We don't know who that person is and how they are involved in this incident. Now, the Ambulance Service here in Sydney is suggesting that there have been two alleged offenders, and one of whom has been shot by the police. But at the moment, as you can imagine, it's a very fluid, chaotic situation. Shoppers forced to flee the Westfield Shopping Center and reports, too, that there are people still inside. As you would expect, an enormous response by the emergency services, armed police combing through. We understand the shopping center combing the roof. This is, once again, a very chaotic, fluid incident here in the city of Sydney.

Phil, late afternoon, early evening in Sydney. Presumably, there would have been many people at the mall at that time. What are the members of the public being advised to do?

To stay away from the area, we heard a report from one man who was actually inside the shopping center saying that he heard the commotion, he heard shots ring out, and that the member of staff working in the shop behaved extremely heroically, ushering all the shoppers into the back of the shop, locking up the premises, and leading those people outside to safety. So the police are urging people to avoid the area. This is the start of the school holidays in Sydney. So many people would have been enjoying what has been a very warm autumn's day here in Sydney, heading to the Westfield Shopping Center, one of the busiest in Sydney, as I say, only a short distance from Sydney's famous Bondi Beach. At the moment, the police are working their way through the center. We understand to establish who's responsible and what exactly has happened.

Phil, thank you very much. That's our correspondent in Sydney, Phil Mercer.