MPs in Austria approved a law on Wednesday aimed at banning the headscarf in primary schools in a measure proposed by the ruling right-wing government.

In order to avoid charges that the law discriminates against Muslims, the text itself refers to any "ideologically or religiously influenced clothing which is associated with the covering of the head".

The Sunshine Coast is seeking bids from developers to transform an old golf course the local council purchased at Maroochydore for $42 million into a new 50 hectare central business district.

Four years of planning by the SunCentral company launched by the Sunshine Coast Council and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has culminated in plans for 67,500 square metres of commercial space, 25,900 square metres of retail space and 1390 apartments along waterways.

Origin Energy has been ordered to reimburse hundreds of customers who were incorrectly charged late payment fees over seven years.

The Queensland Competition Authority identified late payment charges in Origin's standing offers that violated the state's energy retail pricing rules.

Origin plans to contact 456 affected electricity customers to refund late payment fees charged between 2011 and 2018, with the average amount wrongly charged being $17.23 per customer.

A new Australian study has found thousands of Australians may have undiagnosed and untreated high blood pressure, after one in five of the study’s 4000 participants were found to have ‘masked hypertension’ not identified in clinical tests.

Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute specialist Professor Geoff Head said the usual clinic techniques for assessing hypertension has limitations and that the new report shows changes to screening and treatment plans are needed.

Two areas in the Western Australia southern grain belt have been declared water deficient by the State government.

The declaration is the first in 8 years for anywhere in the State as the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation has begun to cart water to farmers as a last resort, so they can get water to their remaining livestock.

One of the few paintings in Claude Monet's celebrated Haystacks series that still remains in private ownership has sold at an auction in New York City for $160 million, setting a record for an impressionist work.

The US Treasury Secretary has indicated trade talks with China are to resume soon as he aims to further discussions to end the months-long US-China trade war.

Steven Mnuchin said he will likely travel to Beijing soon although he did not mention details on the timing of potential negotiations.

Mnuchin said although the discussions are continuing, there is still a lot of work to do as the trade war disrupts global markets.

Australian officials listened on Wednesday as several Pacific leaders delivered strict warnings about the lethal threat that climate change poses to their nations.

Regional leaders had gathered at an historic climate change summit convened with the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Mr Guterres is determined to build global momentum for sharper cuts to emissions, arguing that drastic action is necessary to stave off ecological catastrophe, adding that the Pacific is on the “front line of climate change”.