Authorities are preparing for conditions to worsen again by Saturday in NSW and Victoria, where thousands of properties have already been razed and at least 18 people have lost their lives.

Remote areas are already on the brink of a severe humanitarian crisis caused by contaminated water and low food and fuel supplies with many also cut off from medical help.

Satellite images taken on Saturday showed wildfires burning around East Gippsland and Kosciuszko National Park.

Australia's worst bushfires in living memory aren't just leaving a trail of devastation in New South Wales and Victoria. They are also threatening to push the economy into a recession.

AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver has said the bushfires engulfing Australia could wipe off up to 1 per cent of the nation's GDP growth this year - a staggering $13billion.

Staff from New South Wales Health will help federal biosecurity staff to monitor travellers following an outbreak of a new strain of coronavirus which is believed to have spread from Wuhan.

Six people in two Australian states are being tested for the deadly new coronavirus spreading from China as the global death toll rose to 26 with 844 confirmed cases.

Dane Wheway, 25, caused a horrific crash which killed Jeremy Harvey on the M1 north of Sydney in March 2018. He was driving his Ford Ranger 'dangerously and erratically'.

Fake social media posts are claiming coronavirus is spreading in several Sydney suburbs, and is even found in Lipton ice tea.

A Sydney man who flaunted his extravagant lifestyle on social media is now facing life in prison for plotting to bring $150million dollars of cocaine into Australia. 

New South Wales Health said the outbreak of the virus, which has infected more than 450 people nationally, had further raised demand already sitting at record highs at the end of last year.

A young mother-of-two broke down in tears at a pharmacy in Sydney's Bondi Beach on Tuesday after discovering that coronavirus hoarders had bought all of the Children's Panadol Baby Drops.

Dimitri Moskovich, one of Bondi's most recognisable citizens, has renewed his campaign to rid the beach of mounted police, claiming they treat the world-famous landmark as a 'horse toilet'.

NSW Health is looking into expanding testing to those even with the mildest symptoms in a bid to further flatten the curve of the deadly virus.

UEFA announced plans on Tuesday to move this month's international fixtures, suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, to the early June international slots, subject to review.

Researchers studying a potentially more lethal, airborne version of bird flu have suspended their studies because of concerns the mutant virus they have created could be used as a devastating form of bioterrorism or accidentally escape the lab.

An estimated 250,000 people turned out to watch the 28th annual Australia Day fireworks display in the western Australian city, despite fears weather conditions could disrupt the event.

Isla Fisher and Naomi Watts looked absolutely gorgeous as they led the red carpet arrivals for this year's Australians in Film Awards in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.

Actress Ruby Rose donated $50,000 to bushfire relief during her short break back home in Australia.

Sweden started the match brightly as they threatened the Austrian goal but in the end were the cause of their own downfall after a horror own goal put them at a disadvantage early on. 

The 38-year-old striker, who rejoined the club on December 27 in a surprise switch, will have his contract automatically extended for a season should Milan qualify for the Champions League.

British No 1 Jo Konta has recovered sufficiently from lingering knee issues and expects to be fully fit for the Australian Open.

Nicola Sturgeon's plans for an independent Scotland suffered a hammer blow today after a leading think tank warned splitting from the UK would mean 'more not less austerity' north of the border.

The X Factor star, 30, posted a video to the tune of The Vamps & Matoma's 2017 hit All Night, in which she revealed Rex's teeth had left the duo with no sleep

Australian parents have been warned by child safety experts to monitor children who use the app 'Likee'.

An Australian cruise ship has been forced to evacuate 2,000 passengers in Singapore after a contagious virus caused mass vomiting and diarrhoea.

Unleaded petrol prices in Brisbane have soared to the highest level since November 2004 even though the benchmark price of crude oil has actually fallen during the past week.

Motorists in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are set to be stung in January as the 20-day petrol discounting cycle ends - just as global crude oil prices rise to a three-month high.

Paul Leslie Quirk, 48, has been charged with murder after his wife Christina Khoo Gek Hwa, 43, was found dead in a third floor condo in the Singapore estate of Compassvale Bow last Friday.

An estimated one billion animals have been killed as massive bushfires ravage across Australia.

McDonald's has launched a new McVeggie burger in selected Australian stores to gauge how their customers react to vegetarian-friendly patty options.

The girl and her parents were unaware she had the highly contagious virus when they arrived in Australia on Qantas flight 52 early on January 17.

Antonia Kidman has spoken about her family's difficult decision to return to Australia after almost 10 years of living in Singapore. She labelled the move back home as 'bittersweet'.

The employment platform closed three offices on Monday, ordering more than 1,000 staff in Dublin, Sydney, and Singapore to work from home.

Kiara Titan and her fiance Ryan Robertson planned to say their vows on board Princess Cruises ship from Fremantle, Western Australia, to Singapore on February 22.

The P&O Indonesian Explorer cruise was due to depart Singapore on February 28 and arrive in Sydney 14 days later.

Nicole Kidman's younger sister Antonia and her family have moved back to Sydney after a decade living in Singapore.

ANU economist Professor Warwick McKibbin said the idea would not work for all sectors but could increase productivity in some areas. He spoke at the AFR business summit.

Australia is likely to have at least 1000 coronavirus cases in just two weeks, a respected biosecurity expert has warned.

All international arrivals at Australian airports have been handed sheets of paper with quarantine regulations directing them to self-isolate for a fortnight to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Bridget Wilkins, 29, was diagnosed with coronavirus in early March after flying from London to Brisbane , via Singapore , for a wedding.

Singapore-based Australian scientist Professor Dale Fisher said the country is facing a deadly few months as the country deals with an unprecedented outbreak.

The Australian government missed critical opportunities to secure the country's borders against a coronavirus outbreak, a leading health expert says, as the nation plunges into shutdown.

Australians could be tracked via their mobile phone amid coronavirus crisis

Two hundred flights will leave for China, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates in the next six months under the deal as borders globally are shut to slow the spread of the virus.

Angela Nguyen was in Singapore setting up VOHCO for a month when Prime Minister Scott Morrison made the announcement Australia would be closing its borders on March 14.

Virgin Australia suspended customers ability to transfer of points from its Velocity scheme to partner Singapore Airline's KrisFlyer scheme under the changes made last week.

Tonnes of rock lobster left Perth for Shanghai in recent days as part of a deal with mining billionaire Andrew Forrest and the Western Australian government to import the medical equipment.

Health authorities are mulling over how closely Australians could be monitored once travel restrictions and social distancing rules are relaxed.

Australia is aiming to use similar technology to allow health officials to check if people have been in contact with known coronavirus cases.