The house where Adolf Hitler was born will be torn down and replaced with a new building that has no association with the Nazi dictator, Austria's government has announced.

The Government of Austra is looking at options that would allow it to expropriate the house where Adolf Hitler spent his early childhood as it seeks to end a dispute with the owner over its use.

Police searching a farm for a gunman who killed four people in central Austria say they have found the charred body of what they believe was the suspect.

A gunman has shot dead two police officers and the driver of an emergency rescue vehicle in Austria before barricading himself inside a farm building with a hostage.