One man is fighting for life while another has been charged with attempted murder following a confrontation with three men in north Queensland.

Hundreds of demonstrators in Australia's largest capitals have defied social-distancing rules, claiming the COVID-19 pandemic is a "scam".

The white Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee into George Floyd's neck has been arrested and charged with murder, as authorities impose overnight curfews to try to stem violent protests over police killings of African Americans that have spread from Minneapolis and other US cities.

Federal Labor is urging the Morrison government to pursue a housing stimulus plan to support the construction sector, which is "about to fall off a cliff" because of the COVID-19 crisis.

With new US economic numbers highlighting the rough road ahead for a hoped-for rebound, President Donald Trump has taken aim at the World Health Organisation and China, blaming both for their roles in the pandemic's devastation.

Three South Australian teenagers allegedly hit a taxi driver over the head with a wine bottle before stealing his car and driving it for 200km.

A man has been arrested after the stabbing of another man in Melbourne's CBD.

Twitter has accused President Donald Trump of "glorifying violence", attaching a disclaimer to one of his tweets about unrest in Minneapolis which it says breaks its rules.

A female zookeeper has been critically injured when she was mauled by two lions inside an enclosure on the NSW South Coast.

Peter Dutton has broken ranks by raising the prospect of extending JobKeeper wage subsidies beyond their September expiry date.