Australia's coastline could soon play a key role in transforming its national energy grid, with multiple bids to install hundreds of offshore wind turbines around the country. But, it's facing strong opposition.

Wollongong

Extreme weather events are occurring more frequently amid rising sea-levels and increasing temperatures.

Climate Crisis

Plans for offshore windfarms face opposition in Australia

It's a Thursday morning in early summer. I've never found anywhere quite as beautiful as this, having dolphins, whales, turtles. Dolphins and whales are Frank Future's life's work. And a huge drawcard for tourists to his home in Port Stephens. We kicked off whale watching in 95 and that filled the gap in the winter because this place died in the winter. But there's a new industry moving to town. I'm very concerned about anything that affects our natural environment and that's got me involved in this turbine issue. The Hunter region, just north of Sydney, is set to become one of Australia's first offshore wind zones. Hundreds of floating turbines would be installed from Noora Head in the south to Port Stephens in the north. The closest would be about 20km from shore. This area alone could generate 5.2 gigawatts of power, almost double the closest coal-fired power station near Newcastle. And it's one of a number of projects around the country, with advanced proposals in Gippsland, the Illawarra and Southern Ocean, and others being looked at off southern and central Queensland and WA's south-west. Australia should be one of the leading countries in offshore wind around the world. We have 34,000km of coastline. Most of our population lives along the coastlines. And the Hunter is already a picture of contrast. Pristine beaches bring in tourists from across the country, while Newcastle hosts the busiest coal port on the globe. People in Newcastle are used to industry. You come just an hour up the road and up here our main industry is tourism. And it's eco-based tourism, marine tourism. The vocal community opposition has taken the industry and the federal government by surprise. Concerns vary from visual impacts, to what the turbines might mean for whales migrating down the coast. If we don't take a more custodial attitude towards our natural environment, it doesn't speak for itself. You know, we've got to stand up for it. The industry's backers are frustrated, with what they label as misinformation about the threat to whales, and how it's managed to rapidly spread. We're going through the normal process of having a number of things put on the table, a lot of the reality coming out. During the consultation period, we were let down by our own department in some ways, and I feel that quite strongly. It's easy to understand why some are sceptical about wind turbines offshore. Many are attached to the coastline and protective of it. But Australia is falling behind and meeting its renewable energy targets. And there's a real urgency in getting more power into the grid. With thousands of kilometres of coastline, the potential and possibility of offshore wind is hard to ignore. There's a lot of people that are concerned, but we've got to keep the lights on too. And I don't think it matters where this project goes, there's going to be some opposition. Others are wondering what a whole new industry might mean for jobs, and local manufacturing in particular. We want to be part of it. The trouble is it's such a big project, there's going to be so much metal used in this project that finding contractors and suppliers and companies that can undertake such projects are going to be difficult. If and when coal starts to fade from this region, a massive new project, and the work that comes with it, could be timely. We know that they are really well paid jobs, akin to potentially offshore oil and those sorts of jobs. It will be a long-term employer of not only modern jobs, but jobs where we've got existing skill sets, whether it be in coal mining, power generation or the like, that can transition into these roles. Change coming on the wind. Tom Lowry, ABC News, Port Stephens.

The funeral proceedings of the late football players Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva took place in the church of Gondomar in their hometown in the east of Porto. Family members, teammates and coaches joined thousands of mourners to pay their final respects.

Gondomar

Thousands gather to bid farewell to Liverpool's Diogo Jota

McMahon's most recent projects included Netflix's whodunit "The Residence" and the Nicolas Cage drama "The Surfer," which premiered earlier in the year at SXSW.

Melbourne

Australian-American actor Julian McMahon dies, 56

Diplomatic efforts are ongoing as U.S President Donald Trump looks to secure a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Israel has previously accepted the US proposal, meanwile Hamas has "submitted a positive response" to the mediators.

Doha

Middle East Conflict

Israeli hostage negotiation team to fly to Doha to hold talks with Hamas

A forestry worker injured in a wildfire in the western Turkish province of Izmir has died from his injuries, raising the death toll in recent days from the fires to three, as emergency crews also continued to battle a blaze in a province bordering Syria.

Hatay

Turkiye’s wildfires declared national emergency

Search and rescue operations continued overnight after flash floods slammed central Texas, killing dozens, officials said. More than 20 children are still missing from Camp Mystic, an all-girls camp hit by the floods, the Kerr County sheriff said.

Kerrville

Rescues continue in central Texas after deadly flash floods

Officials in the U.S. state of Texas say at least 13 people have died in overnight flash floods after torrential rains triggered an overflow of the Guadalupe River. Nearly 20 children attending a summer camp in the south-central area are missing.

Kerr County

Deadly Texas floods: Search efforts underway for missing children

Türkiye has been battling wildfires for more than a week, with its western province of Izmir among the hardest hit. Thousands have been forced to flee as flames threaten homes and villages.

Ödemiş

Turkiye wildfires: At least two dead as fires burn for eighth day

It was not clear if Hamas’ statement meant it had accepted the proposal from US President Donald Trump for a 60-day ceasefire.

Jerusalem

Hamas says it is  'positive' about latest ceasefire proposal

President Trump brought pomp and circumstance to his signing of the "big, beautiful bill" on Friday, with an Independence Day ceremony at the White House that included a B-2 bomber flyover.

Washington

Global Tariffs

Trump signs "big, beautiful bill" as tariff deadline looms

Heavy rainfall in central Texas caused the Guadalupe River to overflow and unleash a torrent of water. The bodies of at least 13 children and adults have been recovered and more than 20 girls are missing from a sleepaway camp.

Floods kill at least 13 in Texas, over 20 missing from summer camp

The talk comes a day after President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Ukraine, Iran and other issues in a call the Kremlin described as "frank and constructive."

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

Zelenskyy, Trump agree on joint defense efforts in phone call

Russia pummeled Kyiv with the largest drone attack of the war, injuring at least 23 people and damaging buildings across the capital only hours after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Russia's Vladimir Putin, officials said.

Russia hits Kyiv with largest drone attack after Trump-Putin call

U.S. President Donald Trump marked the passage of the new spending bill, which includes changes to food assistance, student loan programs, and clean energy credits. Robert Costa joins "CBS Mornings" to break down what's in the legislation.

Trump set to sign "big, beautiful bill"

More than 80 Palestinians were killed in Gaza on Thursday (July 3), according to health officials, as Israel intensified its strikes, hitting a school-turned-displacement facility. CNN’s Paula Hancocks looks at the damage and humanitarian toll.

More than 80 people killed in Gaza in one day

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv will do "anything" to advance EU accession talks. Zelenskyy spoke alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, President of the European Council António Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

Ukraine will do 'anything' to advance EU accession talks: Zelenskyy

President Donald Trump said Washington will start sending letters to countries on Friday specifying what tariff rates they will face on imports to the United States, a clear shift from earlier pledges to strike scores of individual deals.

Trump: Letters telling countries their tariff rate going out Friday

Indonesian rescuers on Thursday (July 3) temporarily halted a search for 30 people still missing after a ferry carrying 65 people sank near the island of Bali with the loss of six lives, the national search and rescue agency said.

Gilimanuk

Indonesia suspends search for 30 missing after ferry sinks near Bali

After marathon debate sessions in the Senate and House, President Donald Trump’s budget bill passed in the House. Republicans secured the biggest win of Trump’s presidency.

Trump’s landmark ‘big, beautiful bill’ narrowly passes U.S. House

Florida says the first group of migrant detainees have arrived at the new immigration detention center known as "Alligator Alcatraz." CBS News correspondent Shanelle Kaul has more.

Ochopee

First group of detainees arrive at "Alligator Alcatraz," Florida says

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday (July 3) that he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that he plans to hold a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. CBS News White House reporter Willie James Inman has more.

Trump speaks with Putin, plans call with Zelenskyy

CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez reports on a lawsuit from lawyers for Kilmar Abrego Garcia alleging he suffered “torture and mistreatment” after he was wrongfully deported and held in El Salvador’s notorious mega prison.

Tecoluca

Kilmar Abrego Garcia claims he was tortured in El Salvadoran prison

The Kremlin welcomed the development, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov claiming it proves Western arsenals are being depleted and predicting that less aid will hasten the end of the conflict.

U.S. pauses military aid to Ukraine over depleted weapons stockpile

Two contractors employed by UG Solutions spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity as they were revealing their employers’ internal operations.

U.S. contractors say live ammo used at Gaza aid distribution site

Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke for hours on the House floor about potential impacts of President Trump's "big, beautiful bill" that Republicans are looking to pass before July 4. Following debate, the House is set for a final vote on the massive budget bill.

House debates Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' ahead of final vote

CBS News political contributor Caroline Polisi joins "CBS Mornings" to break down the jury's verdict in Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal trial and the judge's decision to deny bail for the music mogul ahead of his sentencing.

Manhattan

Sean "Diddy" Combs denied bail after split verdict

Liverpool soccer player Diogo Jota has died aged 28, just weeks after marrying his childhood sweetheart. The footballer passed away in a car crash in northern Spain.

Madrid

Liverpool soccer player dies in car crash 10 days after wedding

The Pentagon said that U.S. strikes 10 days ago had degraded Iran's nuclear program by up to two years, suggesting the U.S. military operation likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public.

Tehran

Iran nuclear program degraded by up to two years: Pentagon

Days before his 90th birthday, the Dalai Lama announced the Gaden Phodrang Trust, a non-profit he founded, will have the sole authority to recognize his future reincarnation, but China insists it will choose the successor of the Tibetan spiritual leader.

Lhasa

China rejects Dalai Lama’s succession plan

The U.S. Congress inched towards approving President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, despite attempts by Democrats to stop it. The bill is Trump’s signature legislation which includes massive spending increases on the military and immigration enforcement while slashing social programs.

Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill nears approval

Sean (Diddy) Combs was found guilty on prostitution-related charges, but was acquitted on more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking giving him a maximum sentence of 20 years. But the courtroom victory was subdued following a judge’s ruling to deny him bail.

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