Good morning Canberra. We're in for a hot start to the weekend with a top temperature of 30 degrees forecast today. Here's what's making headlines.

Lucky escape as 'ball of fire' rips through coast

Scorched trees fell in the distance as Barrie Curtis began the long clean-up at his Bawley Point home on Friday after fire tore into the town. Charred bushland surrounding the house showed how close it came to destruction.

Featured

Dainere's story continues to inspire Canberrans

Canberra teenager Dainere Anthoney passed away in 2013 as the result of cancer but her legacy continues to inspire and change lives.

Six again? Never again as NRL brings in challenge

Subscriber only: A controversial captain's challenge has the power to rid the NRL of the controversy that cost Canberra this season.

'They put their lives at risk': Holland's nervous wait

Subscriber only: Australian sevens rugby skipper Lewis Holland is waiting for a phone call he hopes will never come.

Chinese checkers in the great spy game

Subscriber only: It's not actually news the Chinese government takes an interest in Australia's internal affairs, writes Jack Waterford.

Times Past

What could possibly be worse than Soviet spies trying to bring down Australian society? How about Nazi war criminal Soviet spies. An alarming report from the US Justice Department raised this prospect on this day in 1986. John Loftus, a Nazi-hunting lawyer, said a Menzies inquiry report tabled in Australian Parliament didn't go far enough in exposing former Nazis living here. READ MORE