Huge flames are filmed shooting up the side of a Middle Eastern residential tower shortly after residents finish their nightly Ramadan meal.

Regional Queensland communities with no coronavirus cases want to reopen their businesses, saying their local economies should not suffer because of outbreaks in the state's south east.

Almost 7,000 square kilometres of land will be released for coal and gas exploration in central and north Queensland as part of measures to ensure the survival of the resources sector through the coronavirus pandemic, the State Government says.

A major redevelopment was hoped to revitalise WA's historic port city, but the coronavirus pandemic has instead left businesses empty with workers, tourists and locals forced to stay away.

The collective European economy will contract by 7.7 per cent this year and debt will skyrocket, with Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal among the hardest hit by the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Australian share market falls but iron ore mining stocks make gains after Australia posted a $10.6 billion trade surplus in March and iron ore exports rose.

Premier Daniel Andrews defends the work of contact tracers as 13 more coronavirus cases are linked to a cluster at Cedar Meats in Melbourne's west.

At least 11 people have been killed and hundreds more are in hospital after a chemical gas leak at an LG Polymers plant in southern India.

Premier Daniel Andrews says his Government will explain changes to the state's coronavirus restrictions on Monday, after the National Cabinet agrees to a three-step process of lifting restrictions to create a "COVID-safe economy".

The rate of new homes being built in WA falls to a historic low, as the housing industry is hit by the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic just after it was emerging from a five-year slump.

SunRice says it will guarantee Australian-grown rice returns to supermarkets in April if the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is changed so environmental water can be used to grow rice.

Anthony Lynham is under pressure from the Opposition to "fall on his sword" over the latest mining disaster, which saw four men critically injured in an underground blast at Anglo American's coal mine in central Queensland.

Disposable cups are currently the only option for most cafe owners to provide takeaway coffee to customers, but environmentalists are worried about the consequences.

The number of Adelaide rail services has been radically reduced after a mechanical fault, with remaining trains becoming packed with passengers apparently in breach of social distancing.

SA's Premier announces a sweeping repeal of many of the state's current coronavirus restrictions, with outdoor dining at restaurants and cafes to resume from Monday — but caps on gatherings will remain.

After thousands of customers reported missing money from mortgage redraw facilities, the bank apologises for not communicating with customers and promises to do better.

The US economy lost a staggering 20.5 million jobs in April, the steepest plunge in payrolls since the Great Depression, but President Donald Trump says "all those jobs will be back" very soon.

University students and their landlords are at loggerheads over who should pay for accommodation neither can use after students were sent packing.

A Sydney home sold just before COVID-19 restrictions came down in NSW for $200,000 more than a similar house around the corner — a real estate agent says online auctions are to blame for the price difference.

Eleven new coronavirus cases are identified in Victoria, four linked to the cluster at Cedar Meats, as infection rates fall in other states. Meanwhile, the Government is urging people not to abandon the restrictions before an announcement is made on Monday.