Laura Bryant is a chronic pain sufferer who finds relief using cannabis. Photo: Melissa Adams
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The ACT could be missing an opportunity to improve the lives of many seriously ill Australians, according to medicinal cannabis patients and advocates.
Since sharing her personal story of turning to cannabis Ms Bryant has been inundated with hundreds of messages of support, but also scores of pleas for help from other sufferers like her.
- The Tax Office is on track to slash nearly one third of middle-management in just over two years, the latest figures show.
- Greens Minister Shane Rattenbury could move to introduce legislation creating a medical marijuana scheme for the ACT within a year, despite Labor and Liberal politicians moving to block the plans in a committee report.
- The University of Canberra is preparing for legal action against the Commonwealth for what it argues is an unlawful cancellation of a $26 million federal grant to set up a Centre for Quality Teaching and Learning.
- Tony Abbott's government is embroiled in a new political crisis just weeks after the Bronwyn Bishop affair, with the Prime Minister digging in on Thursday against calls to dismiss his hand-picked head of the royal commission on trade union corruption, Dyson Heydon.
- An 18-month-old baby was abducted from a Belconnen care home on Thursday afternoon by a man armed with a knife and replica gun.
- A sailor is suing the Department of Defence for the cost of bringing up her child after navy medical staff failed to detect her pregnancy.
- Canberra professionals are pocketing more money than anyone else in Australia each week as wage growth slows in Western Australia.
- The ACT government is beefing up police powers to monitor child sex offenders, including new powers to force offenders to hand over digital information and be photographed.
- Forrest has emerged as Canberra's most expensive suburb in a nationwide ranking of the country's dearest places to purchase property.
Nick Kyrgios during his match against Stan Wawrinka in Montreal. Photo: Getty Images
Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios has been fined $10,000 and may face further punishment for an astonishing sledge he directed at Stanislas Wawrinka during a tennis match in Canada.
The 20-year-old has since apologised for his comment, made after losing the first set at a second-round Rogers Cup match in Montreal. Kyrgios' mum claimed there was previous bad blood between her son and Wawrinka.
- Wallabies winger Henry Speight isn't worrying about booking a ticket to the World Cup, he's just excited to face "the best winger in the world in the best team in the world".
- Raiders hooker Josh Hodgson has given the strongest indication he wants to stay in Canberra for the long-term and help the club's exciting young roster fulfil its massive potential.
- Often regarded as one of the most intimidating venues in the NRL, Canberra Stadium has become a walk in the park for visiting teams.
- Wallabies coach Michael Cheika believes he would have shown weakness as a coach if he had backed away from picking Quade Cooper.
- Ashes 2015: Shane Warne has attacked John Buchanan, leaping to the defence of outgoing captain Michael Clarke.
- Canberra Cavalry chief executive Donn McMichael says they've got the pick of the second edition of the Australian Baseball League draft.
9:20am: Traffic is still reduced to one lane on Kingsford Smith Drive in Belconnen after a two-car crash at Spalding Street, police say.
There are still reports of delays while the cars are removed.
Meanwhile, the crash on Adelaide Avenue at Hopetoun Circuit has cleared however, there are still reports of delays in the area.
8:35am: Traffic is banking up after a three-car crash on Adelaide Avenue at Hopetoun Circuit, police say.
Two cars are in the left hand lane. Expect delays.
Meanwhile, on the northside two vehicles have collided on Kingsford Smith Drive at Spalding Street, sparking delays. Police say traffic is being diverted down one lane.
8:31am: Watch out if you're driving through Belconnen - there's been a crash on Kingsford Smith Drive at Spalding Street.
We've also heard reports of a crash on Adelaide Avenue at Hopetoun Circuit in Deakin causing some hassle. More to come.
Dylan Moran, star and creator of Black Books is back in Australia with a brand new show, Off the Hook. He'll be at the Canberra Theatre from 8pm.
Rug up and embrace winter with a degustation dinner, wine tastings performances and more at various Canberra region venues as part of this year's Fireside Festival. Until August 31.
From a pinecone fashioned in 1923 out of clayey soil turned at the site of provisional Parliament House to porcelain bowls which celebrate Canberra's native plants and hills, A Potted History Of Canberra celebrates the diverse ceramics created in the region at Canberra Museum and Gallery until August 30. Free.
Artist Samantha Small holding the original model of her work Stalemate in her Fyshwick studio. Photo: Melissa Adams
When Samantha Small got a phone call from the organisers of Sculpture by the Sea she was convinced she'd left something out of her application.
"I was expecting just your regular email to announce who was selected, so it was a huge shock," she said.
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Damaged vehicles destroyed by the explosions. Photo: Reuters
The extraordinary force with which a quick succession of fiery explosions shook China's north-eastern port city of Tianjin is laid bare by the scale of destruction it has left in its wake.
For kilometres around the blast epicentre, high-rise apartment buildings lay empty; electricity cut, glass from their windows shattered, residents having fled in a panic.
Hundreds of vehicles at a car park adjacent to the container port are charred and gutted. The blasts were detected by the earthquake monitoring centre in Beijing, some 150 kilometres to the north.
TODAY: A mostly sunny afternoon after light morning frost. Light winds. Min 0, max 15.
Saturday: Partly cloudy with patchy morning fog and light winds. Min -1, max 15.
Sunday: Partly cloudy with light winds. Min 2, max 14.
Monday: Cloudy. Light winds becoming westerly 15 to 20 km/h during the morning. Min 3, max 14.
Tuesday: Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. Light winds. Min 0, max 13.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny. Light winds. Min -3, Max 14.
