Hunter trains: There is a good service on the Hunter line but there are delays on the Central Coast and Newcastle line.

The 6.15am Central to Hamilton train is cancelled due to the train requiring mechanical repairs at Central. Passengers can catch the 6.45am Central to Hamilton train instead. Passengers should allow additional travel time, listen to announcements and check indicator boards.

Hunter weather: Mostly sunny day in Newcastle (23 degrees), mostly sunny day in Raymond Terrace (22 degrees), mostly sunny for Maitland (24 degrees) and mostly sunny for Scone (22 degrees).

Hunter beachwatch: It’s going to be another warm winter’s day beachside but make the most of it as it will cool back down for the weekend. The wind today will be north to north-west with the swell only small from the east around half to one metre. Wave conditions will be nice and clean but the sets will be few and far between and many breaks will struggle. Around town try the Cowrie Hole, Newcastle, Bar Reef, The Cliff, Merewether and Redhead. To the south try Frenchman’s, North Catho, Frazer Park and Soldiers.At Port Stephens try Samurai and Birubi. Once again all beaches will be fantastic for a swim and you will need the sunscreen. The water temperature is 17 degrees.

► THE Baird government’s decision to have 500 new train carriages built in South Korea “places a massive question mark” on the Hunter’s future as a rail manufacturing hub, Labor opposition leader Luke Foley has warned. More here.

► A MAN accused of killing his workmate after a minor prang at a Sandgate transport company will face a two-week trial under the state’s new “one-punch” laws in April next year.   More here.

► ANIMAL lovers and activists who discovered two dead kangaroos on the side of a major arterial road with severe injuries and rope tied around their legs are concerned more cruelty has made its way to Coalfields streets. More here.

► In an intriguing move, Wests Group chief executive Phil Gardner is standing down from the Knights’ board, just as the process of selling Newcastle’s NRL franchise is about to kick off in earnest. More here.

► The Lower Hunter will be the focus of world-first soil carbon capture program that could revolutionise agricultural land use in Australia.  More here.

► Some appeared almost human. Others dazzled with flashing lights while sitting the palm of their creator’s hand. Regardless of their appearance, everyone agreed, the array of robots on display at this year’s Robo Cup, Junior contest at the University of Newcastle was something to behold. More here.

► A MAN who sparked a wild all-in brawl inside and out of Hamilton Station Hotel after he suddenly king-hit another man playing pool, knocking him out for more than three minutes, told police he punched the man because he was poked in the eye with the pool cue. More here.

► IT was an 11-second wait that caused one woman’s death, and changed the lives of many others. Rural Fire Service volunteer Ian Wells has been found guilty of negligent driving causing the death of Katina Mihailidis in October, 2012 after a judge found he should have waited 11 seconds for cars to pass before attempting a U-turn on the freeway at Mount White. More here.

► The female victims of a vicious online pornography ring should not be shamed because their pictures fell into the wrong hands, Maitland MP and NSW Shadow Minister for Women Jenny Aitchison says. More here.

► While Maitland’s recent Aroma Festival was a resounding success, some visitors said the experience was spoiled by a weekend survey. More here.

► KRISTYN Rourke had just dropped off her partner at Morisset Station when her Hilux and another vehicle collided on the M1 Pacific Motorway at Mandalong in 2014. More here.

► Rio may be half a world away but two-time Paralympian Maddi Elliott will have the comfort of knowing she has a ready-made cheer squad back home. More here.

► DRUMMER Jake Ellis is still revelling in the rush his metal core band Below Oceans felt when performing at the all-ages gig at Morisset PCYC in February. More here.

► MEDOWIE Rural Fire Brigade has added a fourth truck to its fleet. However, the new truck will not be used to fight fires. In fact, it cannot even store water. More here.

► THIRTY years ago, 36 women gathered at the Girl Guides hall in Raymond Terrace to form the town’s first ladies Probus club. More here.

► SIX-year-old Jack Russel named Gus is the Examiner’s pet of the week for this edition. More here.

►Two Australian swimmers have been disciplined after a night out in Copacabana that saw one robbed and both of them denied a spot at the Games closing ceremony. Find out more

►Cyclists may sacrifice world titles in bid to improve at Olympics after Australia’s disappointing Rio campaign. Read on

► Photographers were all over Rio for Day 12 of the 2016 Olympic Games. See the photos.

►Need a national news snapshot first thing? We've got you covered. But also check out what's happening around regional Australia …

►HORSHAM: A judge has demanded answers about why it took police six years to charge a man for sexual acts with a child, despite his victims coming forward in 2007. Read on

►WOLLONGONG: Three of four staff at a Bellambi child care centre were tied up with administrative tasks – one of them a Facebook-style app for updating parents – when a five-year-old autistic boy slipped away unnoticed, a court has heard. Read on

►WODONGA: The accused murderer of Whorouly woman Karen Chetcuti called his lawyer with a fake story of being abducted by two Lebanese men in the days after her death. Wangaratta solicitor Geoff Clancy was forced by the Magistrates’ Court on Thursday to reveal details of a phone call from Michael Cardamone on the afternoon of January 16 this year. Read on

►WARRNAMBOOL: Colourful character Allan ‘Swampy’ Marsh has decided to sell his beloved chicken farm and travel his way to retirement. Mr Marsh, who was integral in maremma dogs guarding penguins on Middle Island, which then inspired hit movie Oddball, is selling his Purnim property as he prepares for a six to 12-month European adventure. Read on

►BATEMANS BAY: Batemans Bay Men's emergency accommodation facility Hope House is in danger of closing due to a funding crisis. Manager Shirley Diskon said that without urgent financial assistance, Hope House would not last another two months. Read on

►DEVONPORT: A man is sad and angry after a cruel thief broke into his backyard and kicked Molly, his four-month-old boxer-cross puppy to death. Read on

►BUSSELTON: Bikers taking part in the 2016 Black Dog Ride tour roared down the Bussell Highway on Thursday morning as they began their 4500 kilometre journey around WA. Read on

►TASMANIA: The state government hopes to start receiving the first cohort of the 500 additional Syrian refugees before the end of the year, Premier Will Hodgman says. The government wrote to the federal government in September to say it wanted to help at the height of the Syrian refugee crisis by settling an additional 500 asylum seekers in Tasmania. Read on

►NSW: It's the agonising decision: watch your child's tiny body writhe under the strain of an endless procession of severe seizures, or risk prosecution under Australian drug laws in the hope that cannabis could relieve the contortions. Read more

►USA: If it appears that Donald Trump isn't even trying to win the US presidential election, it's because at this point, he is trying desperately to lose it, according to documentary-maker Michael Moore. Trump's controversial – and confounding – presidential campaign grew out of a desire to raise his bargaining power within the entertainment world for his shows The Apprentice and The Celebrity Apprentice, Moore has written. Read on

►CHINA: The Chinese government has warned Australian "protectionism" could harm ties and threaten future investment between the two countries in the wake of the federal government's preliminary decision last week to block the sale of Ausgrid to buyers from China and Hong Kong. Read on

Veterans, school groups and community leaders came together on Wednesday to mark the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, and acknowledge the six Bendigonians who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. More photos

A Nowra horse breaker believes the NSW government could learn from departments overseas which are successfully controlling their wild horse populations. 

The NSW government plans to reduce the number of feral horses in Kosciusko National Park from 6000 to 600 over twenty years by trapping, mustering, fertility control and ground shooting, leaving a small core population.

While Henry Goodall said he was no expert, he has worked with horses all his life, ridden in the high country and has written a thesis on the economics of different control procedures. Read more