Latest updates on Key Economic Indicators:

Australian Dollar: $0.7415 USD (up $0.0035 USD)

Iron Ore Nov Spot Price (SGX): $123.65 USD (up $1.65 USD)

Oil Price (WTI): $81.40 USD (up $0.84 USD)

Gold Price: $1,796.84 USD (up $4.08 USD)

Copper Price (CME): $4.6130 USD (up 0.1205 USD)

Bit-coin: $57,758.05 (up 1.28% in last 24 hours)

Dow Jones: 34,912.56 (up 534.75 points on yesterday's close)

All changes compared to 7am yesterday.

Kongsberg Bow & arrow attack terrorism

A deadly bow and arrow attack in Norway which left five people dead appears to have been an act of terror, Norway's security service (PST) said.

The suspect, a 37-year-old Danish citizen named Espen Andersen Brathen, had converted to Islam and there were fears he had been radicalised.

However a motive has not yet been determined.

He is accused of killing four women and a man on Wednesday night in the southern town of Kongsberg.

A police lawyer told public broadcaster NRK he would be assessed by psychiatrists. During a press conference PST head Hans Sverre Sjovold said the suspect had been "In and out of the health system for some time".

Residents have been deeply shaken by the violence.

Flags were flown at half-mast on Thursday while flowers and other memorials were placed in Kongsberg's main square.

The victims were all aged between 50 and 70, regional police chief Ole Bredrup Saeverud told reporters at a Thursday morning news briefing.

The attack was Norway's deadliest since far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik murdered 77 people, most of them teenagers, on the island of Utoya in July 2011.

NSW Regional travel on hold

Sydneysiders will have to wait at least another week until they can travel to regional NSW.

There are now 77.8% of people aged 16 and over fully vaccinated, with more freedoms set to return when the state reaches 80% coverage.

Regional travel was meant to be among the restrictions lifted at this milestone — expected to happen on Monday— but will now be delayed.

Mayors from the regions are worried about the unequal vaccination rates between their areas and Greater Sydney, and how the virus could easily spread if regional travel was open to all.

In the Byron Bay local government area (LGA), only 47.1% of those eligible to get a vaccine have had two doses.

Prince William blasts space race billionaires

Britain's Prince William has taken a thinly veiled swipe at the billionaires embroiled in a space tourism race, saying the world's greatest brains should instead be focused on solving the environmental problems facing the Earth.

During a BBC interview at Kensington Palace, William appeared to criticise Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Briton Richard Branson, whose rival ventures are all vying to usher in a new era of private commercial space travel.

"We need some of the world's greatest brains and minds fixed on trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live," William said of the space race.

His comments come after Mr Musk spoke about missions to Mars, and Mr Bezos, who in July described his inaugural space flight as part of building a road to space "So that our kids and their kids can build a future".

(See full story on PortMac.News today)

TGA approves first COVID-19 self-testing kits for use in Australia

The Age - Page Online : 15 October 2021 - Original article by Rachel Clun - PortMac.News Summary

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has approved the in-home use of three rapid antigen test kits.

They comprise a nasal swab and two oral fluid tests, and they will be available from 1 November.

Health Minister Greg Hunt says more self-testing kits are expected to be approved in coming weeks; he adds that making these kits available to Australians will help support the national plan for reopening the economy.

The self-testing kits will be available to purchase via pharmacies, convenience stores and online.

Nurses, police apply to challenge COVID vaccine mandate

Brisbane Times - Page Online : 15 October 2021 - Original article by Chloe Reid - PortMac.News Summary

The Nurses' Professional Association of Queensland has applied to the Supreme Court to have the state's mandatory vaccination of health workers overturned on the grounds that it is unlawful.

The application was made on behalf of a Metro North nurse, while the Association claims none of its members were consulted about the mandate.

The Queensland Industrial Relations Commission held a hearing on 14 October in regard to additional police officers who are challenging Commissioner Katarina Carrol's mandatory vaccination mandate.

Fitch upgrades Australia amid 'rising confidence'

The Australian - Page 20 : 15 October 2021 - Original article by Patrick Commins - PortMac.News Summary

Fitch Ratings expects Australia's economic recovery to continue, despite the impact of recent COVID-19 lockdowns.

The credit ratings firm has concluded that the lockdowns resulting from the Delta variant will have a "Modest" impact on the federal government's Budget bottom line.

Fitch has upgraded its outlook on Australia's AAA credit rating from 'Negative' to 'Stable', and has forecast that the nation's deficit will be reduced much more quickly after the 2022 fiscal year than the government had projected in the Budget in May 2021.

Clamp on foreign investment 'Not targeting China'

The Australian - Page 4 : 15 October 2021 - Original article by Patrick Commins - PortMac.News Summary

Foreign Investment Review Board chairman David Irvine has told the Citi Australia Investment conference that Australia's toughened foreign investment laws are not aimed at China.

From the start of 2021, any foreign investment that is deemed be potentially not in Australia's national interest has had to automatically go to the FIRB for review.

Irvine told the conference that a fifth of the 250 or so separate foreign investment applications that it has recommended for approval in the past 12 months included some Chinese involvement.

'Unworkable': Global tech giants urge Australia to amend new cyber laws

The Sydney Morning Herald - Page Online : 15 October 2021 - Original article by Anthony Galloway - PortMac.News Summary

Industry bodies representing technology companies such as Google, Adobe and Microsoft are calling on the federal government to amend its proposed cyber security laws.

The legislation would enable the government to declare an emergency that would give agencies such as the Australian Signals Directorate the power to 'plug in' to the networks of companies that operate vital infrastructure if they were under a cyber attack.

However, the technology industry bodies contend that the new laws will create an "Unworkable set of obligations and set a troubling global precedent".

Services Australia pays $1.2m for controversial spyware

The Guardian Australia - Page Online : 15 October 2021 - Original article by Josh Taylor - PortMac.News Summary

The Greens intend to use Senate estimates in October to ask Services Australia why it uses technology traditionally used by the police to extract data from smart phones.

Services Australia has so far paid Israeli company Cellebrite $1.2 million for the use of its technology, with Services Australia stating it uses the software to conduct "Investigations into fraud and other criminal behaviour".

Janet Rice from the Greens says that after all the distress that Services Australia caused with its Robodebt program, it is concerning to see it spend over $1 million on what seems to be "Be more surveillance of people receiving income support".

Break up big jobs to avoid boom, bust, inquiry told

The Australian Financial Review - Page 23 : 15 October 2021 - Original article by Jenny Wiggins - PortMac.News Summary

Federal Parliament's standing committee on infrastructure, transport and cities has been told that governments should spend more time on planning infrastructure projects rather than just "Rushing into them".

It has also been told that governments should look to adopt collaborative "Alliance-style" contracts in preference to fixed-price contracts, which can turn sour if problems emerge.

Tim Gosbell from WSP Global has told the committee that governments should try to break large projects up into smaller components, as this would help to make it easier for smaller contractors to be part of them.

Warning to Nats on net zero failure

The Australian - Page 1 & 4 : 15 October 2021 - Original article by Greg Brown, Geoff Chambers - PortMac.News Summary

Billionaire iron ore miner ­Andrew Forrest has urged Prime Minister Scott Morrison to "Go it alone" on a 2050 net-zero emissions target and risk a split within the Coalition if the Nationals are not willing to accept a target.

Forrest's comments were made in a speech to the National Press Club on 14 October, while Reserve Bank deputy governor Guy Debelle noted in a speech on the same day that "Investors will adjust their portfolios in response to climate risk".

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg noted that the push to net zero is impacting how banks and investors are allocating "Their assets into the way they price risk".

Don't skip Glasgow, Forrest urges PM

The Australian Financial Review - Page 7 : 15 October 2021 - Original article by Mark Ludlow - PortMac.News Summary

Fortescue Metals Group chairman Andrew Forrest says it is a "No-brainer" that Prime Minister Scott Morrison should attend the upcoming COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.

Forrest contends that it would be a "Cop-out" if Morrison did not attend the summit, while he has accused National Party MPs of "Scaremongering" over the possible impact on regional areas if Australia adopts a target of net zero emissions by 2050.

Forrest has recently been touting  the benefits of 'Green' hydrogen and his company Fortescue Future Industries, and he has attacked the fossil fuel sector over its promotion of 'Blue' hydrogen; he says is just an excuse to "Keep coal and gas projects in the energy grid for longer".

National security trial laws 'Risk bias'

The Australian Financial Review - Page 12 : 15 October 2021 - Original article by Michael Pelly - PortMac.News Summary

Former NSW Supreme Court judge Anthony Whealy has criticised provisions of the National Security Information Act that relate to the conduct of national security cases.

Described as Australia's most experienced terrorism judge, Whealy contends that orders that the court be closed to the public so that evidence can be given remotely could cause jurors to adopt a biased view towards the accused, as could orders that can keep material hidden even from the accused.

Retiring NSW MPs still receiving salaries

The Sydney Morning Herald - Page Online : 15 October 2021 - Original article by Tom Rabe, Alexandra Smith - PortMac.News Summary

New South Wales Labor leader Chris Minns has told coalition MPs who have recently announced plans to depart state parliament to hurry up and resign.

They include former premier Gladys Berejiklian and deputy premier John Barilaro, both of whom will receive a salary of around $14,000 a month until they formally resign.

The by-elections for their seats will cost an estimated $1 million each.

Melanie Gibbon, the MP for Holsworthy, also intends to quit state parliament and run for Liberal preselection for the federal seat of Hughes.

Minns says Labor estimates suggest that 6,000 people in Gibbon's seat have lost their job since the start of the current lockdown, and that her priority should be their jobs rather than her own.

Banks join mandatory jabs list

The Australian - Page 17 : 15 October 2021 - Original article by Cliona O'Dowd - PortMac.News Summary

Westpac CEO Peter King has defended the bank's decision to require all staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19, contending that the health and safety of employees and customers is its top priority.

Employees in New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT will have to be fully vaccinated by 1 December, while staff in other jurisdictions will be given until 1 February to do so.

The Commonwealth Bank and the Bank of Queensland have also adopted a phased approach to implementing a mandatory vaccination policy.

However, National Australia Bank and the ANZ Bank will not make vaccination compulsory at this stage.

Cruise line pulls plug on summer

The Australian - Page 7 : 15 October 2021 - Original article by Lisa Allen - PortMac.News Summary

Royal Caribbean Cruises has cancelled all sailings of its cruise ship 'Ovation of the Seas' departing from Sydney from 13 December to 31 March.

This is due to the federal government's ongoing ban on foreign-flagged cruise ships, which currently runs until 17 December.

Royal Caribbean Australia MD Gavin Smith notes that when foreign-flagged cruise ships are allowed to resume operating in Australia that all crew and passengers will be fully vaccinated, wear masks and undergo PCR tests.

Crown braces for Melbourne casino D-Day

The Australian - Page 15 : 15 October 2021 - Original article by Lachlan Moffet Gray - PortMac.News Summary

The report of the Royal Commission into Crown Resort's suitability to retain its Melbourne casino licence is expected to be released by the end of October, as is the Victorian government's response.

Crown executives are believed to think that it is likely that commissioner Raymond Finkelstein will find Crown an unsuitable licensee of Victoria's only casino, as recommended by Counsel assisting the commission Adrian Finanzio SC.

Finkelstein's report may also recommend that Crown Melbourne be run as a standalone entity, and that shareholdings in Crown be capped at five per cent without regulatory consent

Thomson to front media inquiry

The Australian - Page 5 : 15 October 2021 - Original article by James Madden, Sophie Elsworth - PortMac.News Summary

News Corporation CEO Robert Thomson will shortly appear before the Senate's inquiry into media diversity.

Three other executives from the media group have previously fronted the inquiry, but executives from other large media companies have yet to do so.

Australian Press Council CEO Yvette Lamont is also slated to appear before the inquiry in the next week.

The inquiry was established by Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young.

Fears for lost generation of musos

The Sydney Morning Herald - Page Online : 15 October 2021 - Original article by Linda Morris - PortMac.News Summary

Singer-songwriter Pete Murray has expressed support for a proposed government-backed insurance scheme for the live music industry.

Murray has told a Senate inquiry that he is particularly concerned about young musicians who are starting out in the industry, warning that they will opt for other careers without the support they need.

The inquiry has been told that 90% of music festivals that were scheduled for 2021 have been cancelled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, Arts Minister Paul Fletcher has advised that 99 venues will receive grants in the third round of the federal government's Live Music Australia program.

Sydney house prices to rise 27% says Westpac

The Australian Financial Review - Page 34 : 15 October 2021 - Original article by Nila Sweeney -PortMac.News Summary

Westpac has upgraded its house price growth forecasts as the residential market continues to surge.

The bank now expects dwelling prices to rise by 22% nationally in 2021, which is 4% higher than its previous forecast.

Dwelling prices in Sydney are now forecast to rise by 27%, compared with Westpac's earlier forecast of 22% growth. Westpac has also upwardly revised its house price growth forecasts for the other major capital cities.

Growth in house prices will slow in 2022, although the rate of growth will be higher than Westpac's previous forecast.

Key safety documents withheld from apartment building investigation

The Sydney Morning Herald - Page Online : 15 October 2021 - Original article by Matt O'Sullivan - PortMac.News Summary

A structural engineer hired by owners of apartments in a complex known as Vicinity on Charles Street in the Sydney suburb of Canterbury to investigate defect concerns has issued his final report.

Having previously indicated that he had concerns about the safety of one of the buildings within the complex, he indicated in the final report that his concerns were 'Amplified' by not being able to access important safety documents for 18 months.

He also noted he warned the owner's corporation in May 2020 that he would inform fire authorities and the local council if he did not get access to crucial information within 48 hours.

ASX Tech stocks lead borse to first gain this week

The Australian Financial Review - Page 30 : 15 October 2021 - Original article by Alex Gluyas - PortMac.News Summary

The Australian sharemarket posted a modest gain on 14 October, with the S&P/ASX 200 adding 0.5% to close at 7,311.7 points.

Evolution Mining rose 4.8% to $3.90, WiseTech Global was up 7.2% at $53.51 and Netwealth rallied 15.6% to end the session at $16.52.

However, the Commonwealth Bank was down 1.3% at $101.91 and Redbubble shed 12.5% to finish at $3.99.