Quake hits Indonesia's Sumatra

A strong quake has hit Indonesia's Sumatra days after a tremor killed dozens of people. Source: AAP

JAKARTA, July 6 AFP - A strong 6.0-magnitude quake has struck off Indonesia's Sumatra, US seismologists say, just days after a tremor on the vast island killed dozens and left thousands homeless.

No tsunami warning was issued and there were no reports of damage after the quake struck on Saturday at a shallow depth of just 23km off the south-west coast of the vast island, said the US Geological Survey.

US seismologists initially said it was a magnitude 6.4 quake, then revised it down to a 6.0 quake.

The epicentre was close to the remote archipelago of Mentawai. In 2010, a 7.7-magnitude quake triggered a tsunami that left more than 400 people dead on the island chain.

Suharjono, an official from the local meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency, who goes by one name, said Saturday's quake was unlikely to have caused damage and there was no threat of a tsunami.

"Judging from the quake's magnitude and the distance from the epicentre to the land, I don't think the quake will have a significant impact," he said.

"There's little potential to cause damage," he said, explaining that it was felt mildly by people in two provinces on Sumatra.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a tsunami alert.

It came after a 6.1-magnitude inland tremor on Tuesday struck Aceh, on Sumatra's northern tip, flattening buildings and sparking landslides in the mountainous interior of the natural disaster-prone province.

So far 35 people have been confirmed dead from Tuesday's quake and some 16,000 left homeless, according to the national disaster agency.

In 2004, a quake-triggered tsunami left more than 170,000 people dead in Aceh, as well as tens of thousands more in countries around the Indian Ocean.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

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Third whale found dead off Qld coast

A third killer whale carcass has been found after a stranding in waters off Fraser Island. Source: AAP

A THIRD killer whale carcass has been found by wildlife rangers at Fraser Island, off the southern Queensland coast.

The whale was discovered late on Friday in a creek north of Kingfisher Bay on the island by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service staff.

The discovery comes two days after two whales, believed to be a mother and calf, died on Wednesday when their pod became stranded on a sandbar in the Great Sandy Strait which separates the island from the mainland.

It's believed the whale discovered on Friday, which measures seven metres, had been dead for at least 24 hours before its discovery.

Sea World animal care supervisor Tacha Mulligan says it's unclear why the whales died, though it could be an underlying health problem that's to blame.

"The necropsy performed yesterday on an adult female that died on Wednesday showed it had no food it its stomach and had very little milk in its mammary glands even though it had a young calf with it," Mulligan said in a statement.

"At this point in time, whilst there are no indications of illness amongst the remaining nine whales, it gives us concern that three animals have died in such a short space of time and we will continue to monitor the killer whale's behaviour."

The remaining nine members of the pod were continuing to be monitored but none of the animals appeared to be in any distress, Ms Mulligan said

"The pod seems to be quite comfortable in their current location and we have even observed some members rolling on their backs and displaying tail lobs which are relaxed and playful behaviours," she said.

"At this point in time we have not seen any indication in the pod's behaviour that gives us cause for concern."

Intervention will only be required if it becomes clear the whales are not able to make their way into open water, the statement said.

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Bomb in bag kills three police in Yemen

A BOMB hidden in a plastic bag has exploded at a checkpoint in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, killing three policemen and wounding a fourth, a security services official says.

The device was planted near a police checkpoint in the north of the capital and detonated on Saturday as the policemen opened the bag to check its contents, the official added.

The blast killed two of the policemen immediately and seriously wounded two others, one of whom died later.

A manhunt has been launched for those behind the attack, the official added.

Saturday's deadly blast came after a period of relative calm in the Yemeni capital.

Yemen's politicians are currently taking part in a national dialogue aimed at paving the way for a new constitution and planned February 2014 general elections.

The impoverished Arabian Peninsula country has been hit by violence attributed to Al-Qaeda militants, southern separatists and a Shi'ite rebellion in the north.

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$A higher as market waits for US jobs data

THE Australian dollar is higher after a subdued day of trade, as investors sit tight ahead of the release of US employment data.

At 1700 AEST on Friday, the local unit was trading at 91.42 US cents, up from 91.06 US cents on Thursday after a rise during overnight trade.

ANZ foreign exchange strategist Andrew Salter said the local currency had traded in subdued conditions on Friday ahead of the release of the US June non-farm payrolls data on Friday night, Australian time.

"It's unfortunately been a bit of a dull session but tonight is going to be very important," Mr Salter said.

"The US Federal Reserve has explicitly tied its monetary policy to the evolution of the US data, they've said that if the data surprises to the upside ... then they could remove their unusually large monetary stimulus earlier.

"If we get a surprise to the upside in the number of jobs added, that will imply that the central bank is closer to unwinding its large-scale asset purchases and that will imply strength in the US dollar and therefore weakness in the Aussie."

The Australian dollar at 1700 AEST was at 91.68 Japanese yen, up from Thursday's close of 90.67 yen, and at 70.89 euro cents, up from 70.04 euro cents.

Anticipation of the US data drove Australian bond futures prices lower.

At 1630 AEST the September 10-year bond futures contract was trading at 96.165 (implying a yield of 3.835 per cent), down from 96.195 (3.805 per cent) on Thursday.

The September three-year bond futures contract was at 97.130 (2.870 per cent), down from 97.170 (2.830 per cent).

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Crews close to containing Arizona fire

Fire officials say they are close to containing 85 per cent of a deadly Arizona blaze. Source: AAP

FIRE officials say they are close to containing 85 per cent of a deadly Arizona blaze.

Operations section chief Carl Schwope of a multi-agency incident team says the blaze isn't actively burning and crews have been working to ensure any embers are out cold. It was 45 per cent contained on Thursday afternoon.

Yavapai County Sheriff Scott Mascher says Peeples Valley residents will be able to return home on Thursday evening.

Mascher says only those who can show proof of residency will be allowed past a checkpoint.

Evacuation orders for Yarnell remain in place.

The Yarnell Hill Fire was sparked by lightning on June 28. Two days later, violent winds fed the fire and took the Granite Mountain Hotshots by surprise, killing 19 members of the elite crew.

The fire has burned more than 100 structures on about 33 sq kilometres.

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Killer whales off Qld close to open sea

Rangers are hopeful a pod of whales that became stranded near Fraser Island will move out to sea. Source: AAP

RANGERS are hopeful a pod of killer whales that became stranded off the Queensland coast will move out to sea on Friday night.

The nine whales have been slowly moving north out of shallow waters near Fraser Island where two whales, a mother and her calf, died after becoming stranded on Wednesday morning.

The calf's carcass was dragged further north to help entice the pod away from danger.

Rangers had hoped the pod would swim out to sea on Friday afternoon, but despite moving a few kilometres north they've remained in the channel.

"The tide has stopped going out so they've just stayed in one spot," a Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service spokeswoman told AAP.

"They're heading in the right direction and it's expected they'll head north out to sea when the tide goes out about 7pm (AEST) tonight."

Earlier on Friday, Acting Regional Director Peter Wright said the whales appeared relaxed and in good condition.

Rangers, Sea World rescuers and orca experts continue to monitor the pod.

Sea World director of marine sciences Trevor Long says rescuers will only intervene if the whales are not able to make their own way to out to sea.

"This environment of shallow waters and sand banks is very strange for these whales," he said.

"It is possible they have been disorientated as well as fearful of the sand banks following the stranding."

Killer whale strandings are rare.

Rescuers had feared the surviving whales would stay in the shallow waters where the mother and calf died.

A necropsy is being carried out on one of the dead whales in an effort to find out what caused the stranding and if the whales suffered any major health issues.

A 300 metre exclusion zone for all vessels has been set up around the killer whales as they head towards safety.

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$A higher after RBA comment branded a joke

THE Australian dollar is higher after a comment from Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens that caused the local currency to fall to a three-year low was dismissed as a lighthearted remark.

At 1700 AEST on Thursday, the local unit was trading at 91.06 US cents, up from 90.62 cents on Wednesday.

Mr Stevens told a business function on Wednesday that the RBA had deliberated for "a very long time" before deciding to leave the cash rate at its record low of 2.75 per cent on Tuesday.

The unscripted comment sent the Australian dollar below 91 US cents and to its lowest level since September 2010.

But on Thursday RBA deputy governor Philip Lowe said the comment was a lighthearted remark that was "misinterpreted" by financial markets.

"I can confirm for you that the board did deliberate for a very long time," Dr Lowe said.

"I can also confirm for you that it always deliberates for a very long time."

CMC Markets foreign exchange dealer Tim Waterer said the clarification from Dr Lowe saw the Australian dollar recover some of the losses posted after Mr Stevens' comment.

"The clarification by the deputy governor today seemed to have added a little bit of forward momentum to the Aussie," Mr Waterer said.

"The fact that Lowe came out and did state that it was a lighthearted remark, that had traders thinking that maybe the Tuesday rates decision wasn't as close a call as they originally thought on the back of Stevens' comments yesterday."

The Australian dollar at 1700 AEST was at 90.67 Japanese yen, down from Wednesday's close of 91.30 yen, and at 70.04 euro cents, up from 69.83 euro cents.

Meanwhile, Dr Lowe's comments sent Australian bond futures prices lower.

"We've pulled back a bit on the Lowe clarification," said National Australia Bank head of research Peter Jolly.

Prices were also driven by Australian Bureau of Statistics data showing total building approvals for new homes fell 1.1 per cent across Australia in May.

"It was a pretty soft reading because there's no doubt that residential construction is seen as one of those sectors that may at least partially fill the gap that's going to be left by the peak in the mining investment boom," Mr Jolly said.

At 1630 AEST the September 10-year bond futures contract was trading at 96.195 (implying a yield of 3.805 per cent), down from 96.240 (3.760 per cent) on Wednesday.

The September three-year bond futures contract was at 97.170 (2.830 per cent), down from 97.240 (2.760 per cent).

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Whales still at risk of restranding in Qld

QUEENSLAND marine park rangers will drag the carcass of a baby killer whale out to sea to stop members of its pod from potentially beaching themselves again.

Up to eight whales remain in shallow waters near Fraser Island where two whales, a mother and her calf, died after becoming stranded on Wednesday morning.

Rescuers fear the pod could become stranded again.

The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services says it will tow the dead calf by boat out to deeper waters at first light on Friday.

It's hoped the surviving killer whales will follow.

The calf's mother has been removed from the water.

Five other stranded whales were freed on Wednesday afternoon. They are part of the pod that remains in the channel.

Sea World's marine expert Trevor Long says the whales may not have moved on because they're mourning the loss of the other whales.

"This is a family unit and the loss of those two whales out of that family unit is extremely strong," he told AAP.

He says killer whale strandings are rare.

"I'm not sure why they would be there," Mr Long said.

"Whether they are following some type of food into there, that might be seal or whale, I don't know."

A 300-metre exclusion zone for all vessels has been put in place around the whales.

Killer whales, also known as orca, follow the humpback whale migration along Australia's east coast to prey on calves.

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Packer's celebrity pull helps casino win

Businessman James Packer is delighted his bid for a second Sydney casino has won approval. Source: AAP

JAMES Packer's successful track record in attracting Asian high rollers and celebrities has played a part in his big win on the path to building Sydney's second casino.

A bid by Mr Packer's Crown to build a $1.5 billion luxury resort and VIP-only casino on the city's harbourside has been favoured by the NSW government, ahead of a $1.1 bid from rival casino operator Echo Entertainment.

He does not yet have a licence, but is now able to move to the final stage of the development approval process.

A government appointed panel found Crown's proposal would contribute $442 million a year to the state's gross domestic product through taxes and fees licence, more than Echo's plan.

IG market strategist Stan Shamu said Crown's Barangaroo bid was compelling with its luxury appeal, harbour views, and the fact it would be looking to bring in celebrities and Asian high rollers.

"Crown's casino in Melbourne is a mini-village that is enormously successful," he told AAP.

Mr Packer, Australia's third-richest man with wealth estimated at $6 billion, said he wanted a building that was instantly recognisable around the world that would feature on postcards and memorabilia.

"Sydney is one of the world's great cities; it deserves one of the world's great hotels," he said in a statement.

In contrast, Echo is now unable to proceed with its own planned $1.1 billion expansion of The Star, and from 2019 is likely to face stiff competition from Crown for the VIP market, the most lucrative part of a casino's business.

Kimber Capital wealth management's head of research Greg Fraser told AAP Echo's disastrous $30 million impairment hit last year would have counted against it, which related to a collapsed Chinese VIP junket operator SilkStar.

While Mr Packer was also exposed to that market, he would have been able to demonstrate a better ability to manage it, he said.

Echo said it was disappointed with the NSW government's decision, but was determined to press on in growing and realising value from The Star.

The Star still holds an 80 year licence term, including another six years of exclusivity in Sydney, Echo chairman John O'Neill said in a statement.

"The Star is Echo's flagship property and we are here for at least another 80 years," he said.

Echo also had a bad day on the market, with its shares trading for nearly 20 minutes after it was reported that it had lost the bid, despite the company's request for a halt in trading.

Its shares dropped 13 cents, or 4.3 per cent, to $2.91.

Crown's shares were placed in halt nearly 20 minutes earlier, up 26 cents, or 2.2 per cent, at $12.21.

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Portugal stocks plunge on crisis

PORTUGUESE share prices plummeted six per cent in early trading after the resignations of the foreign and finance ministers threw the government's survival into doubt.

The Lisbon stock exchange's key index plunged 5.99 per cent to 5,199.01 points at 0730 GMT.

The latest bout of unease were triggered by the resignation of two ministers this week over tough budget cuts that have sharply reduced living standards in one of the poorest countries that uses the euro.

Foreign Minister Paulo Portas resigned Tuesday evening, a day after the shock departure of Finance Minister Vitor Gaspar.

Portugal is implementing austerity measures in return for its 78 billion euros ($A111.56 billion) international bailout.

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