Today's forecast is a top of 28 with a mostly sunny morning followed by an afternoon that is likely to have showers. There's a chance of a thunderstorm some time too.

The weekend could be a wet one as the weather bureau predicts showers and a high of 30 on Saturday and 28 on Sunday.

Here are the top headlines.

The MH17 tragedy stays in the mind of Australians, not least its government. The new foreign policy white paper released on Thursday makes mention of the crisis amid other comments signalling it would "work with partners to resist Russia's conduct when it is inimical to global security."

One Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade staffer, sent hours after the crash to Ukraine, has recounted the intense pressure and sleepless days and nights following.

Nigel Stanier's job was to help recover the bodies of Australian residents who died after the plane was shot out of the sky.

Read here to find out why, to this day, he hasn't read about the personal lives of the victims.

Plans to move the Canberra Bowling Club have been placed on hold after its owner suffered a financial loss for the second year running.

This came as a shock to both the Elders Street site's owner and the ACT government, who had been working to move the bowlers to Gungahlin.

The club's future is uncertain as the bowlers lease runs out about Christmas and the site's owner, Nik Bulum, is working to redevelop the block into townhouses.

Mick Inman reports on the surprise announcement.

Three Clubs ACT members are getting lobbying firms to help them win the ear of territory ministers after relations between the government and the clubs sector soured.

Former Clubs ACT chief Jeff House has also set up shop as a lobbyist for two of the clubs, presenting an alternative to the peak body and its union-linked competitor Canberra Community Clubs.

Most members remain in the group, but Federal Golf Club defected to the CCC earlier this year in an effort to revive its Red Hill development plans.

Chief Assembly reporter Daniel Burdon with this story on Clubs ACT's decision.

As Papua New Guinea police sealed off a camp on Thursday and ordered asylum seekers to leave, world champion marathon runner and former Australian of the Year Robert de Castella has called on the federal government to end its "unacceptable treatment" of people held on Manus Island.

The Canberra resident has signed an open letter to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, urging them to address the crisis in the decommissioned Australian immigration detention centre.

A group of about 380 men shut themselves inside the camp for more than three weeks as PNG tried to close it.

Tom McIlroy spoke to Mr de Castella about the situation.

The ACT has some bad news when it comes to health, as a new report shows it holds among the highest rates of overweight and obese adults of any metropolitan area.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report released today showed of all 15 metropolitan primary health networks, only the Nepean Blue Mountains (NSW), Eastern Melbourne (Victoria) and Western Sydney (NSW) had higher rates of overweight or obese adults.

The ACT's rate was well above the metropolitan average.

Daniella White takes us through the results in this story.