► PARKES: Parkes was one of the areas hit with the severe storm overnight. About 7pm on Friday a severe storm cell struck with strong wings, hail and heavy rain.

As a result of the storm a number of buildings have been damaged and numerous roads are blocked due to fallen trees. Take a look.

► MOUNT ISA: The long-running saga of the Buffs Club coward attack on Melissa Abdoo was finally resolved on Friday with defendant Boy Allan Page sentenced to serve three months in jail before being eligible for parole. Read on.

► HUNTER: It was five hours after he dealt with the heartbreaking deaths of two children in separate emergencies, minutes apart, before NSW Ambulance call taker Matt* said he was relieved of his duties, pulled aside and asked if he was OK. He immediately fell to pieces. Read the full story.

► BALLARAT:  Young, cash strapped Melbourne students are being recruited to drive Ballarat’s $8 million commercial cannabis supply market by out of town criminals who use the proceeds to fund both international and domestic crime. Read on.

► LOGAN: Bright lights, an extravagant show and an array of entertainment are a few aspects to imagine when thinking of the circus. However, when the curtains are drawn, the picture in mind – for some – dims.

Concerns for animal welfare have seen some turn away, and it’s starting to take a toll on business, according to fifth generation lion tamer Warren Lennon, from Lennon Bros Circus. Read on.

► NEWCASTLE: A humpback whale and calf called into Newcastle Harbour this morning providing a rare spectacle for Novocastrians.

Dan Bunt, senior deckhand on the Stockton ferry filmed the mighty mammals as they cruised the local area. Watch the video.

​► GLENROWAN: A six-metre tall Ned Kelly statue at Glenrowan should be pulled down, a descendant of a policeman killed by the bushranger believes.

Leo Kennedy, whose great grandad Sergeant Michael Kennedy was slain at Stringybark Creek, believes the landmark should be replaced with a statue of Thomas Curnow, the teacher who alerted police to the Kelly Gang’s plan to derail a train at Glenrowan. Read on.

► As astronomical house prices shatter the home ownership dreams of many Sydneysiders, government research has found the equivalent of 20 years of housing supply is tied up in empty bedrooms. More here.

► Late this week, NSW Premier Mike Baird reached out to his old friend and surfing buddy Tony Abbott. He wanted to talk Liberal Party reform, ahead of Saturday's meeting of the NSW party.

Abbott has been lobbying publicly and hard for party changes which, he says, will end factionalism and return power to members. Read on.

► President of the European Council Donald Tusk has warned Europe may never sign another free trade agreement – a big blow to Australia, which is about to start trying to negotiate one.  Read on.

► Jakarta: The infamous Jakarta rat is wanted dead or alive (preferably alive) with a hefty price on its head, as the city outsources its vermin eradication program to the people. Read on.

► London: Russia's show of naval strength in the English Channel may have backfired, with black smoke belching from the country's recently-refitted aircraft carrier hinting at engine troubles, a military analyst says. More here.

► Budapest: Janos Boris was 12 when he watched the statue of Stalin being toppled.

It was the Hungarian Uprising in 1956 – 12 days of Hungarian revolt and Hungarian Communist-Soviet reprisals – and, to a boy his age, it was at once exciting and frightening. Read on.

1721: Tsar Peter the Great becomes "All-Russian Imperator"

1879: Thomas Edison perfects carbonized cotton filament light bulb

1884: International Meridian Conference in Washington, D.C. adopts Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) worldwide, creating 24 international time zones with longitude zero at the Greenwich meridian

1907: Panic of 1907, a run on Knickerbocker Trust Company stock leads to US wide run on banks

1962: US President John F Kennedy imposes naval blockade on Cuba, beginning the missile crisis

Luke Styles, 22, lives in a tent on the Hunter River at Raymond Terrace with his partner. 

Mr Styles came to blows with his step dad five years ago and decided to get out. He’s now a regular at the drop in centre for food vouchers. They’ve even steered him to Housing NSW to try and place him and his partner into accommodation.

To qualify for accommodation he must produce a diary from inspections on five properties a week. He’s inspected places in Newcastle and Maitland but says it’s hard.

“I have a car but I don’t have a licence,” he said.

“You can only get a bus every hour here unlike Newcastle where they come every five minutes.”

Read his story.