Trains: Good service on the Hunter and Newcastle lines.

Weather: Sunny in Newcastle, Toronto, Raymond Terrace, Nelson Bay (all 18 degrees) and Wallsend (19 degrees).

Beachwatch: Stronger offshore winds for the start of the week with the first of the changes through this morning.Sure to keep the surf small and clean and best time to get a wave in will be on either side of the mid day high. A combination of small South to East swells at 0.5 to 1m.Wind freshening from the West tending S/W by the afternoon. There is some good small wave banks at Nobbys,South Bar,Cliff and Dixon.Bar Reef and Cowrie on high tide.Shorebreaks at Dudley,Hams and Fraser to the south.Stockton and Samurai to the north. Stay in the flags if in for a swim and crystal clear water with temps on a mild 19C.

A HUNTER mine worker who sought nearly $1.2 million compensation after slipping has lost his case after a court heard he slipped after leaving a covered cement walkway at a point where a sign said “Use Designated Walkways”. Read more.

MICHAEL Ramsay thought he could never have a worse day than burying his two stepsons in the days after they had been killed in a horrific Lake Macquarie crash. Yet Mr Ramsay and his family say they have had to endure a six-and-a-half-year legal nightmare as they wait for the man allegedly responsible for their deaths to face trial. Read more.

Crowds flocked to the Hunter Valley Avicultural Society bird sale on Saturday. Read more.

THE state government says it will not “speculate” on the deaths of two former Stockton Centre residents after their move into a nearby group home, saying they are matters for the Ombudsman. Read more.

AUSTRALIAN Reptile Park director John Weigel has donated $36,700 to offset his carbon emissions from jetting and driving around North America while setting a record for birdwatching. Read more.

Newcastle golfer Andrew Dodt is one good round away from a $1.25 million pay day after storming to the lead in the European Tour’s flagship event in England. Read more.

WESTS coach Matt Lantry knew there was something special about Willis Alatini. Read more.

Need a national news snapshot first thing - well, we have you covered. 

Regional news

►ILLAWARRA: Hollywood actor John Travolta will be on board the Boeing 707 aircraft he’s donating to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) when it touches down in the Illawarra. Full story.

►BERRY: Two people have been seriously injured in a crash that closed the Princes Highway at Berry for two hours.

A man and a woman were trapped in their respective cars, following a head-on collision about four kilometres north-east of the township, Friday afternoon. Full story.

►BENDIGO: Firefighters from around Bendigo are being put through their paces with a mobile training unit at the Kangaroo Flat Fire Station.

The unit allows firefighters to hone their skills at tackling house fires, with three scenarios available – a gas stove fire, a couch fire and a TV fire. Full story.

►GOULBURN: Two men convicted for the Centrelink fire in Goulburn in June 2016 will serve up to eight- and seven-year jail sentences, respectively. Full story.

►DUBBO: She started dancing at Dubbo Ballet Studio and now Ella Havelka has made it onto the big screen.

Ms Havelka is the star of documentary ‘Ella’. Full story.

►TASMANIA: Legislation to allow for euthanasia to take place in Tasmania has been voted down for the third time in less than a decade. Full story.

►QUEENSLAND: A WOODBERRY family has been left reeling after fire devastated their home on Saturday morning.

Firefighters were called to the blaze on Sophia Jane Avenue shortly after midnight, but they were unable to save the home. Full story.

National news

► BRISBANE: Of Schapelle Corby's 13-year sojourn in Bali, perhaps the most polite thing that can be said is this: the return home was a hell of a lot better planned than the departure. Full story.

►SOUTH AUSTRALIA:  A South Australian nursing home has been slapped with serious penalties to protect residents from "an immediate and severe risk" to their "health, safety and wellbeing". Full story.

►VICTORIA:  "It was supposed to offer hope, but that's just been trashed".

It's not the way you'd expect the head of one of Victoria's peak disability groups to describe Australia's rapidly growing national scheme for people with disabilities. Full story.

►BANGKOK: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has joked with troops imposing martial law across his country's violence-hit south that they could rape up to three women, provoking online outrage. Full story.

►BEIJING: China has rebuked the powerful G7 group of nations for issuing a communique expressing concern at developments in the South China Sea. Full story.

►WASHINGTON: You've got to hand it to the Saudi princes. There they were last weekend, arming themselves to the teeth by throwing down orders for $US110 billion worth of American weapons, but desperately hoping Donald Trump will tame Iran for them. Full story.

►RIO: On April 21 last year, a torch was lit at the site of the original Olympic Games in Greece to begin its journey to Rio de Janeiro. Hours later, a wave swept away a section of the brand new oceanfront bike path advertised by Rio's mayor, Eduardo Paes, as "the most beautiful in the world", killing two men. Full story.

1919 Charles Strite files patent for the pop-up toaster.

1951 1st North Pole flight in single engine plane-CF Blair

1960 Everly Brothers "Cathy's Clown" hits #1

1967 Australian Paul McManus water skis barefoot for 1:30:19

1970 USSR performs underground nuclear test

1972 The Official IRA announce a ceasefire

1987 Michael Jackson attempts to buy Elephant Man's remains

1990 Boris Yeltsin is elected President of the Russian Republic

1999 Space Shuttle Discovery completes the first docking with the International Space Station.

KEITH Dawson celebrated his 104th birthday the way he wanted – with family, friends, cake and plenty of story telling.

Read all about it.