Dr Muayad Alasady prepares to operate on Joshua Potts to fit a revolutionary type of pacemaker. Photo: Rohan Thomson
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One moment Josh Potts, a fit young bloke from Harden, north-west of Canberra, was standing in his home. The next – six days later – he was waking up from a coma in the intensive care unit of the Canberra Hospital.
At just 19, he'd suffered a sudden cardiac arrest after no previous history of heart problems. Luckily a friend found him in time.
On Thursday, seven weeks after the arrest, he became the first patient in the ACT to receive a new alternative to a pacemaker which he hopes will give him a normal life.
- WikiLeaks says the prosecution of a junior Canberra bureaucrat alleged to have posted secret information online should serve as a cautionary tale to potential whistleblowers.
- Bronwyn Bishop is technically still federal Speaker and still getting paid the generous $341,000 Speaker's salary.
- Spouse travel for territory politicians is set to be banned altogether and gifts rules look set to be overhauled in the wake of Speaker Vicki Dunne's decision to take her husband on a trip to Malaysia in April.
- Extensive asbestos finds at the Currong apartment block in Canberra has seen the cost of demolition double, from an expected $3 million to $6 million.
- A last-gasp effort to renew a contract between Australia's largest health insurer, Medibank Private, and Calvary Health Care has failed.
- Scottish police have made a last-minute threat to shut down the Edinburgh fringe festival show of Australia's "Dr Death", Philip Nitschke, the controversial euthanasia advocate says.
- Malaysian aviation experts are confident that a window and other debris found on the remote Indian Ocean island of Reunion in the past few days are from missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
England's Stuart Broad, right, celebrates with teammate Joe Root. Photo: AP
Australia came into the Trent Bridge Test needing to make history as the first team in almost 80 years to overturn a 1:2 Ashes deficit. Within one session they made history for a contrasting reason: crumbling for 60 in what became the shortest first innings of a match in Test history.
While pitch and weather conditions were helpful for fast-bowling it was nevertheless unfathomable, even given Australia's capitulation last week at Edgbaston, they could be bowled out in just 18.3 overs. The biggest runs contributor for Australia was, humiliatingly, courtesy of England: extras with 14.
- A turf war threatens to erupt in Canberra with the ACT Brumbies concerned the AFL will rain on their Anzac Day parade and bring back-to-back premiers Hawthorn to Manuka the same day the Canterbury Crusaders play at Canberra Stadium.
- Wallabies representative Christian Lealiifano's surprise addition to the Tuggeranong Vikings for Saturday's John I Dent Cup grand final has drawn a mixed reaction from the Canberra rugby community.
- Sydney Thunder batsman Aiden Blizzard is optimistic Canberra can have a team in the Big Bash League when the time comes for expansion.
- Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander says she'll use Australia's opening two Netball World Cup matches to find the starting line-up that will purr most against arch-rivals New Zealand.
- If you thought the All Blacks presented a significant challenge for David Pocock, spare a thought for what he had to go through the last time he started a game of rugby at No.8, namely puberty.
- Cronulla forwards Andrew and David Fifita have copped six-week NRL bans for an incident at a Sydney match last month, with the former also receiving a $30,000 fine for referee abuse.
9:12am: Keep an eye out if you're travelling in the Kowen area. Two cars have collided on Sutton Road, blocking one lane, police say.
8:55am: There's been a crash at the Sutton Road and Kowen Road intersection in Majura.
A Sport for Jove Theatre Company brings Of Mice and Men to the stage at Canberra Theatre Centre. Until August 8. Tickets: from $25.
Jack Carty and Jordan Millar are bringing their intimate and by request format to Canberra. They'll be at The Street Theatre from 8pm. Tickets are $25 with the box office opening at 6.30pm.
Salut! Baroque's August concert, The Master Luthier, will showcase some of the composers who worked in Italy when Antonio Stradivari was creating many of his masterpieces as a violin maker. At Albert Hall from 7.30pm. Tickets: from $35.
The Canberra Craft and Quilt Fair is a hub of creativity at Exibition Park in Canberra until Sunday. 10am-4.30pm. Cost: $15.
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.
Canberra Symphony Orchestra chief conductor Nicholas Milton will remain at the podium. Photo: Lindi Payne Heap
Canberra Symphony Orchestra's chief conductor and artistic director, Dr Nicholas Milton, will remain at the helm for another three years, celebrating 10 years in the role in 2016.
The announcement came at the orchestra's 2016 season launch on Thursday.
The orchestra's chairman, Air Chief Marshal (rtd) Angus Houston, said it was the most successful in Australia and attributed much of the success to Milton.
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The Last Post ceremony at the Australian War Memorial on Thursday. Photo: Jay Cronan
Saturday: Partly cloudy with light winds. Areas of frost and fog in the morning. Min -1, max 13.
Sunday: Another partly cloudy day with light winds. Min -1, max 11.
Monday: Cloudy with a possible shower. Light winds becoming northwesterly 20 to 30 km/h in the morning. Max 1, min 11.
Tuesday: Another partly cloudy day with a shower or two. Northwesterly winds 20 to 30 km/h. Min 1, max 11.
Wednesday: Partly cloudy, again, with a shower or two. Northwesterly winds 20 to 30 km/h. Min 1, max 11.
