The US House of Representatives has passed a bill requiring background checks for all firearms sales and transfers.

The bill passed the Democratic-controlled Lower House with 240 votes to 190 votes opposed but still faces tough opposition from Republicans in the Senate.

President Donald Trump, who is threatening to veto the bill, said it would impose unreasonable requirements on gun owners, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi described the vote as long-overdue and a historic victory.

The Australian Federal Government has published a list of more than 100 institutions yet to sign up to the National Redress Scheme for victims of child sexual abuse.

The extensive list includes several religious institutions, as well as sporting and community groups, and provides timeframes for institutions that indicated they would sign up but have not done so yet.

Social Services Minister Paul Fletcher has urged institutions to sign up as soon as possible.

Two Queensland twins are making history for becoming the first pair of semi-identical twins in the world to be identified during pregnancy.

Twins of their kind do not usually survive as embryos, which makes the four-year-old siblings only the second set of known semi-identical twins in the world.

Queensland University of Technology clinical geneticist Michael Gabbett has done extensive tests on the twins, and said the pair, despite being a girl and a boy, could easily pass for identical in appearance.

A woman who left a dozen dogs in a state of neglect used social media to plead for donations for her animal welfare group.

Danielle Lamprecht let the dogs live among their own excrement, some confined to small cages and without water.

RSPCA Queensland spokesman Michael Beatty said the dogs were kept in appalling conditions in what is a distressing case of animal neglect.

The woman founded Couch Surfers Animal Rescue in Deception Bay and was convicted of animal neglect in Caboolture Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Brisbane ferry drivers will return to work on Thursday after their third strike in three months was cut short.

The 72-hour strike ended earlier than expected as agreement was reached with Maritime Union of Australia Members.

The Maritime Union of Australia’s Queensland Branch Secretary Jason Miners said the agreement was made possible by workers rallying together and will provide roster certainty and a pay rise.

Wall Street is seeing lower numbers after a United States trade representative said there is a lot of hard work ahead for the US and China to reach a trade deal.

Robert Lighthizer told Congress that the dispute between the two countries is too serious to be solved simply by China promising to buy more American products.

In his first public comments on the issue, he said structural changes by China are necessary.

Tensions are escalating between India and Pakistan in the disputed region of Kashmir after Pakistan’s military confirmed it shot down two Indian fighter jets and released video of the Indian pilot they captured.

The downing of the warplanes on Wednesday follows Indian troops firing mortar shells and conducting air strikes in the region.

There are no children left on Nauru after the last four were resettled in the United States.

The children and their families left the island country on Wednesday afternoon.

Immigration minister David Coleman said the government had been working on the resettlement quietly to avoid impacting Australia’s border protection policies.

Contingency funds have been deployed to cover any cost blowout in Brisbane City Council's $650 million Kingsford Smith Drive upgrade.

These funds will likely be spent as Lendlease, the company contracted to deliver the project, reported a $47 million blowout.

Under questioning from Labor about the project, Lord Mayor Graham Quirk acknowledged the project had seen delays and additional costs.

Councillor Quirk said all major projects have a contingency fund set aside to cover any unexpected financial shortfall.