As US investigators built their case against Indian call centre scam mastermind Hitesh Madhubhai Patel they accessed his gmail account and searched for the keyword "script".

Two private schools in Sydney's eastern suburbs have sent students home after positive coronavirus cases were discovered.

Tests of hydroxychloroquine on COVID-19 patients have been halted following a recent report that the anti-malarial drug could increase the mortality in coronavirus patients, the World Health Organisation says.

Australians weren't just stockpiling toilet paper during the COVID-19 crisis - they have also been hoarding crisp new banknotes.

Millions of dollars raised by Celeste Barber's bushfire appeal can't go to interstate charities but can be used to support injured firefighters and the families of those who died, a NSW court has ruled.

CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS* Australia has recorded 7118 cases. There are 485 active cases.

Coronavirus outbreaks will be contained locally rather than by returning to the sweeping statewide shutdowns which succeeded in squashing the deadly disease.

Victorian powerhouses Collingwood and Essendon look likely to play in Geelong in 2020 and might even head to Tasmania if football returns this season in the state.

After a day of mixed messages, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says state borders are a matter for Australia and doesn't expect their reopening before the establishment of a trans-Tasman bubble.

The massively underspent JobKeeper scheme could be used to support the battered tourism sector, while the government remains firm it won't be expanded to workers who missed out.