What’s making headlines todayBy Good morning and welcome to our live news coverage for Thursday, July 16. I’m Clare Sibthorpe and I’ll be keeping you up to date with all the headlines. Here’s what’s making news so far.US strikes Iran again as Tehran warns of ‘existential war’: The US has launched another wave of strikes on Iran’s coastal defences and missile sites after reimposing a naval blockade of its ports, while Iran has threatened to shut off more regional energy exports, saying it is engaged in an “existential war” with America.Revealed: The optometrists punished for putting patients before sales: Optometrists are being pressured to hit sales targets, rush consults and turn away clinical appointments during peak spending periods at multimillion-dollar optometry chains that their employees say prioritise profits over health.Malcolm Roberts faces fresh condemnation for over notorious antisemitic mural post: A 2024 post made on X in May 2024 has drawn fresh condemnation from Jewish leaders after the One Nation senator continued to promote a string of conspiracy theories laced with antisemitic tropes, including the continued use of “globalist parasites” and claiming climate change was driven by policies “cabal” of “the major banking families in the world”.Stoush over whether burning waste for energy is renewable: A heated dispute has erupted in the renewable energy sector over whether generating electricity from incinerating waste should count as clean energy, with one of the peak bodies slamming it as dirty and deceptive.Latest Posts6.38am‘Like Titanic’: Search continues for three people after boat sank in San Francisco BayBy Rescuers were still searching for three people missing after a boat involved in a memorial service sank in the cold, fast-moving waters of San Francisco Bay near Alcatraz Island, authorities said Wednesday.The boat sunk near Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay, California.AP Photo/Noah BergerOne person was pulled from the water but later died, and 16 others were rescued Tuesday afternoon after the boat took on water and capsized, San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen said. He said the passengers on board were mostly family members, and that a dog also died.Witnesses reported “rough seas,” the fire chief said, with rescuers saying swells reached up to 5 feet (1.5 metres). However, marine weather conditions were not severe enough to warrant a small craft advisory.The vessel was a 50-foot (15-metre) pleasure craft with a cabin and upper deck named Volare, said Lt. Mariano Elias, a fire department spokesperson. It was registered out of Stockton, California, which sits at the eastern edge of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.6.33amWhite House weighs releasing controversial intel on China and US elections, sources sayBy The White House is considering releasing sensitive intelligence on China and its ability to interfere in US elections that some Trump officials worry could be misleading, according to four people with knowledge of the deliberations.Donald Trump.AP Photo/Alex BrandonTrump may disclose the intelligence, which was collected and analysed during his first term, in a speech that he is due to deliver on Thursday night, when he is expected to outline information about alleged vulnerabilities in the voting infrastructure that could allow for foreign interference in US elections, the sources said.Reuters could not determine the details of the intelligence, but sources said it is classified and related to whether China had the intention or ability to disrupt US elections in 2020. The sources, who were granted anonymity to discuss classified material, said the intelligence did not show Beijing had manipulated or changed votes.Trump has continued to repeat the debunked claim that the 2020 election was rigged, suggesting a foreign actor was involved in flipping votes despite legal rulings that Democrat Joe Biden won.His speech on Thursday may reveal new information about a year-long effort by the Trump administration to collect and review material on what the White House says are vulnerabilities in the nation’s voting infrastructure.Reuters6.26amASX set to edge up, Wall Street rises as oil prices swingBy US stocks are gaining ground following strong profit reports from BlackRock and other big companies and an update on the path of inflation.Wall Street’s benchmark index recorded its fourth gain in five days.APThe S&P 500 rose 0.4 per cent and was on track for a fourth gain in five days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 175 points, or 0.3 per cent, in mid-afternoon trade, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.6 per cent.The Australian sharemarket is set to inch higher, with futures at 5.54am AEST pointing to a gain of 11 points, or 0.1 per cent, at the open. The ASX added 0.4 per cent on Wednesday. The Australian dollar is stronger at US70.12¢ at 5.11am AEST.Investment giant BlackRock surged 6.5 per cent after the company behind some of the most popular investment funds reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. CEO Laurence Fink said its iShares funds topped $US6 trillion ($8.6 trillion) in assets under management during the quarter, roughly doubling in three years.Pinned post from 6.21amWhat’s making headlines todayBy Good morning and welcome to our live news coverage for Thursday, July 16. I’m Clare Sibthorpe and I’ll be keeping you up to date with all the headlines. Here’s what’s making news so far.US strikes Iran again as Tehran warns of ‘existential war’: The US has launched another wave of strikes on Iran’s coastal defences and missile sites after reimposing a naval blockade of its ports, while Iran has threatened to shut off more regional energy exports, saying it is engaged in an “existential war” with America.Revealed: The optometrists punished for putting patients before sales: Optometrists are being pressured to hit sales targets, rush consults and turn away clinical appointments during peak spending periods at multimillion-dollar optometry chains that their employees say prioritise profits over health.Malcolm Roberts faces fresh condemnation for over notorious antisemitic mural post: A 2024 post made on X in May 2024 has drawn fresh condemnation from Jewish leaders after the One Nation senator continued to promote a string of conspiracy theories laced with antisemitic tropes, including the continued use of “globalist parasites” and claiming climate change was driven by policies “cabal” of “the major banking families in the world”.Stoush over whether burning waste for energy is renewable: A heated dispute has erupted in the renewable energy sector over whether generating electricity from incinerating waste should count as clean energy, with one of the peak bodies slamming it as dirty and deceptive.1 of 1