Mitchell Starc takes two wickets in two balls to give Australia the perfect start to the second innings before Scott Boland follows up with two in three balls to heap more pain onto the English team.

Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital pathology confirms an additional 995 people were prematurely sent an SMS advising them their test was negative.

Once praised for being able to turn around a COVID-19 swab result in hours, NSW pathology services have come under immense criticism for delays and errors as people ask, how did it get so bad?

A home owned by the same family for almost 40 years is gutted by a bushfire that tore through a semi-rural area on the fringes of Perth, with an emergency warning for the blaze since downgraded.

Perth's mask mandate and hospitality COVID-19 restrictions will remain for another week, with Western Australia recording one new case linked to an infected French backpacker.

The woman becomes the first COVID-positive person to die in South Australia since the death of a man linked to the Ruby Princess cluster in April last year. Meanwhile, the state again sets a daily case record.

With more than a third of the fleet out, the consolation of better weather awaits those left in the battle to take out line honours in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

England collapsed late on the second day of the Boxing Day Test, but the hero of the moment was James Anderson, who wound back the clock with a vintage performance.

Here's a quick wrap of what's happening in COVID news to get you up to speed fast.

Authorities say they are still investigating the source of infection for one new case in Darwin, with positive cases also confirmed in five interstate arrivals and two people from the Tennant Creek area.

The daughter of a Tasmanian woman who was allegedly murdered by her ex-husband on Christmas Day has posted a tribute on Facebook, telling her mother she loves and misses her.

Tasmanians are being urged to treat COVID-19 as if it is widespread "in all settings", as changes to contact tracing are announced.

In the Ghislaine Maxwell trial, the court is examining, for the first time, the nature of incredibly complex and confusing traumatic memories — including hearing from a controversial psychologist.

Canadian filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée, acclaimed for his naturalistic approach in directing stars including Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal, has died.

As South Australia's peak business body and hotel lobby push for financial support for the hospitality sector amid renewed restrictions, Premier Steven Marshall says there was no "crystal ball" to have foreseen the rapid spread of Omicron. ...

As the pandemic continues in the US, many families are making the decision to take loved ones out of nursing homes, feeling powerless against fierce lockdown measures amid allegations of elder neglect.

Queensland records 784 new cases of COVID-19 as the Premier announces testing capacity will increase at Metro North, Metro South, the Gold Coast and Cairns.

All of the ACT's testing clinics reached capacity early today despite the government closing its main sites to people seeking interstate travel tests, in a bid to stem demand.

The Dutch government goes further than most European countries and shuts down all non-essential shops, restaurants and bars.

South Australia's health system is currently so focused on COVID-19 cases that police officers are being forced to act as paramedics by ferrying patients with head and other injuries to hospital, the ambulance union says.

Hoping to save for a house deposit, the Harris family made the decision to leave Canberra altogether and invest in a tiny house for five years. It's a step that's brought them closer together, and one they hope will mean they can one day ent...

Depending on circumstances, it may be time to rethink your bias towards paying down housing debt over wealth accumulation in superannuation.

Variant-proof vaccines are the next great goal in efforts to control COVID-19 and while there is a long way to go, these Australian scientists are closing in on the answers — with a little help from genetically engineered mice. 

The health department clarifies text messages sent to people who were potentially exposed to COVID-19, confirming they must get a PCR test to clear quarantine requirements.

Douglas Crabbe was found guilty of one of modern Australia's worst mass murders after he rammed into a Northern Territory motel with his Mack truck, killing five people. Now, nearly 40 years later, survivors are rallying against his potenti...