PM

One of the largest Atlantic hurricanes in recent times is bearing down on Haiti. Hurricane Matthew is the largest storm to hit the region in a decade. Many are worried the Caribbean nation is unprepared for the storm or its aftermath. Only six years have passed since Haiti was hit by an earthquake that destroyed more than 188,000 homes and claimed an estimated 200,000 lives. Interim President Jocelerme Privert has urged his people to evacuate. Hurricane warnings have also been issued for Jamaica and Cuba.

The head of Australia's biggest bank has told a parliamentary inquiry that no Commonwealth Bank staff have been sacked over scandals involving its insurance policies. Commonwealth CEO Ian Narev was the first boss to be grilled by a parliamentary committee examining the big four banks. Mr Narev also defended his institution's multi-billion-dollar profits and suggested there'd be more compensation for customers who've been mistreated.

As expected, the Reserve Bank left the official cash rate on hold today at a record low of 1.5 per cent. But the announcement of the decision wasn't without it's own drama. Normally, the Reserve Bank publishes a document at precisely 2.30pm, eastern time, explaining its decision - a document which traders depend on. Today, an error message appeared instead, raising questions about how vulnerable we've all become to smooth flow of basic digital services.

In South Australia, storms and heavy rain have swept across the Adelaide Hills, flooding properties and filling creeks and rivers to dangerous levels. A flood warning remains for the Mt Lofty Ranges and emergency services are still on alert, with the Bureau of Meteorology predicting flash flooding this evening.

Five days after the massive storm in South Australia, political debate around the state's use of renewable energy continues. The Federal Government says it accepts that the blackout was caused by the weather, but the Industry Minister has used the natural disaster to blame the South Australian Government for exacerbating the power outage. Federal Labor claims the Government is using the storm to 'play politics'.

The Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea is fast becoming a potential flashpoint for regional conflict or - even war. China has poured millions of tonnes of concrete into the Shoal, raising reefs that used to be permanently underwater in order to hold military barracks and airstrips. Journalist Peter Greste, who covers the story in tonight's Four Corners program on ABC TV, speaks with Mark Colvin. He says that China's assertiveness has led to confrontations at sea and warns that a relatively minor incident in the South China Sea could easily escalate into something much bigger - which would inevitably lead to a confrontation between China and the United States.

Malaysia's secrets about the missing flight, MH370, may be revealed in a few weeks. The High Court in Malaysia gave the State-run carrier until October 20 to hand over documents related to the plane and its disappearance to the next of kin of the flight's passengers and crew. Today a new book pointed to another potentially massive problem for the airline. A year before MH370 went missing, a safety audit found that none of its wide-body fleet was sending and receiving communication signals often enough, and recommended that all be grounded until modifications were done.

Germany's biggest commercial bank, Deutsche Bank, may have arm-wrestled its way out of a business-destroying fine. There were fears heading into the weekend the bank would have to pay $18 billion to the US Justice Department for selling dodgy financial products in the lead-up to the Global Financial Crisis. Market commentators were speculating that the bank didn't have the capital to actually pay the money, sparking fears that Europe could be on the verge of another credit crunch. Since then, French press have quoted an unnamed sources suggesting Deutsche has been able to reduce the fine considerably.

Scientists in Samoa have issued a dire warning about the fate of the national bird, which features on the country's bank notes and coins. The manumea has been on the brink of extinction for several years, but scientists believe there are only a few dozen left. Conservationist Gianluca Serra, who leads a team employed by the Samoan Government to stop the bird from disappearing, says that the situation is desperate.

Doctors are warning of ethical complexities if a couple with Down syndrome seek assisted reproductive technology. A Queensland couple, Michael Cox and Taylor Anderton, are planning to start a family, but the couple's parents fear they lack the skills to raise children. Disability advocates argue that they should have the same rights as others in the community.