6.4-quake shakes Puerto Rico

A STRONG earthquake out to sea has shaken Puerto Rico, causing minor damage in some places.

Some people reported items falling in their home and dozens said they felt buildings sway in the capital of San Juan, about 100 kilometres from the quake's epicentre, on Monday.

The US Geological Survey said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 and struck just after midnight about 57km north of Hatillo.

It said the quake occurred 28km deep.

Puerto Rico's emergency management agency said there was no tsunami warning and that no injuries have been reported.

Earthquakes of similar magnitude have struck near Puerto Rico in recent years, including a 5.4-magnitude one that shook the US territory in March 2011 and another one of the same magnitude that struck on Christmas Eve in 2010.

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NSW father and daughter search continues

Emergency workers are searching for Greg Hutchings and daughter Eeva Dorendahl(pic)in NSW. Source: AAP

WATER police will join the search for a father and his four-year-old daughter reported missing on NSW's north coast.

Water police are set to search waterways in the small town of Pottsville on Tuesday for Greg Hutchings, 35, and his daughter Eeva Dorendahl.

The pair were last seen on Pottsville Road at 12.30pm (AEDT) on Saturday.

Police say Mr Hutchings had prearranged to meet his former partner and Eeva's mother in Pottsville about noon.

He never arrived.

It is believed he does not have access to a car.

About 20 State Emergency Service volunteers and police scoured bushland and scrub throughout the beachside town on Monday.

Tweed Police Inspector Darren Steel told AAP marine local area command police would search waterways on Tuesday.

Insp Steel did not believe Mr Hutchings had posed any threats of harm to his daughter.

Asked if custody issues could be a factor, Insp Steel said police would be trying to ascertain whether there might be any "underlying" reason involved in the disappearance.

"We are not sure at this stage and are still making inquiries as to how they have gone missing," he said.

It has been reported Eeva had been staying at her father's home in Pottsville but was due to return home to the Sunshine Coast.

"She is a four-year-old child, it's a very hot day ... and she has been away from a home for a number of days," Tweed Heads Police Inspector Greg Jago told Seven Network on Monday.

Mr Hutchings is of Caucasian appearance, about 175 centimetres tall, with short, brown, curly hair and a thin build.

Police say he was last seen wearing a black long-sleeve shirt, grey trousers and carrying a black backpack.

Eeva is of Caucasian appearance, with long blonde hair and blue eyes.

She was last seen wearing an oversized blue-and-white shirt and multicoloured board shorts.

Police are urging anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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Protesters claim win at NSW mine site

COAL mine protesters claim they've achieved their purpose following an ongoing blockade in north western NSW.

About 30 activists on Monday blockaded heavy vehicles at the Maules Creek mine site at Boggabri.

The trucks and machinery are used to build roads and a rail line at the site.

Two people attached themselves to a bulldozer via a cable.

Leard Forest Alliance spokeswoman Georgina Woods claimed one of the attached protesters had been arrested and taken away by police. Confirmation has been sought from NSW Police.

"We stopped a full day's work so we have achieved our purpose," Ms Woods told AAP.

Ms Woods said if the road to Whitehaven Coal's $767 million open-cut mine is cut through the forest, animals, plants and sacred Aboriginal sites would be lost.

She said protesters would remain at the site for weeks to come.

Whitehaven Coal chief executive officer Paul Flynn said the protesters had not changed the operation.

"The protesters there today...have not given rise to any material change to our operations at all," he told ABC Radio.

Protesters also blockaded the site in December after the Federal Court dismissed an application by the Northern Inland Council for the Environment (NICE), which had called for the approval granted by former Environment Minister Tony Burke to be overturned.

Police cut the activists free before arresting them.

Whitehaven has previously said the project would create 800-plus jobs and enjoyed support from most local residents.

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WA bushfire destroys 49 homes

Four people are unaccounted for and 46 homes have been destroyed by a bushfire in the Perth hills. Source: AAP

FOUR people feared victims of a bushfire that razed 49 homes in the Perth hills region have been found safe, while firefighters are still battling to control the blaze.

The one death attributed to the fire was that of a 62-year-old man in Hovea who collapsed on the roof of his house on Sunday while preparing for the disaster.

The fire, which tore through 650 hectares in the Shire of Mundaring on Sunday and also destroyed two sheds, was contained on Monday but firefighters were still battling to control it.

A watch and act alert remains for the eastern part of Parkerville, Stoneville and Mount Helena.

One resident tried to get back to their house on Monday afternoon and suffered burns to the hands and feet.

Noelene Michels, from Helena Valley, said she knew her house was close to the fire zone and that her son was still there, but she could not reach him due to roadblocks.

"We think it is ok, but we can't get through to check," she said.

Sally and Gary Elwood, from nearby Narla Way, already knew their home of 30 years was gone.

"I am a bit shocked, but until I physically see, it won't hit me fully, but I have seen it on Facebook so I know it is ours," Ms Elwood said.

"I know it is gone, but my glass is half full - the kids are fine, everyone is fine. We will just rebuild, at 48 - bloody hell."

Mundaring Shire president Helen Dullard said many residents were relieved to escape the flames.

"Visually, it was a very ugly fire. It was scary," she said.

People who lost their homes will be escorted to the ruins on Tuesday.

The fate of livestock and pets is unknown but residents are bracing for the worst, while some firefighters have been treated for heat exhaustion and bee stings.

Emergency Services Minister Joe Francis believes a power pole on private property caused the fire.

He said the blaze could have been much worse and wiped out hundreds more homes.

"We pray this is the last fire we see like this, but there are no guarantees," he said.

"We deal with the lottery dealt out by Mother Nature."

Mr Francis admitted he was frustrated that the fire preparation message was not getting through.

The WA government will donate $1 million to the Lord Mayor's Distress Relief Fund to help victims.

It will also provide $3000 to those whose homes had been destroyed and $1000 for damaged houses.

Western Power says about 700 properties are without power - and will remain so for days - and more than 150 poles will need to be replaced.

"Poles and equipment are being delivered in preparation for the rebuild, which is not expected to be able to start before Wednesday," a spokeswoman said.

Insurers have declared the fire a catastrophic event.

Attorney-General George Brandis said the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment would also be provided to eligible residents.

People can claim a payment of $1000 for each adult and $400 for each child.

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One dead, widespread destruction in Tonga

Category-five Tropical Cyclone Ian has left one person dead after it ripped through Tonga. Source: AAP

THE most powerful cyclone ever to slam into the South Pacific tourist destination of Tonga has destroyed villages, flattened trees and left at least one person dead.

Up to 70 per cent of houses and buildings in the central Ha'apai islands group - which is home to about 8000 people and bore the brunt of Cyclone Ian - were damaged or destroyed.

The Tongan government on Sunday declared a state of emergency in the Ha'apai region after it was pounded by winds in excess of 200 kilometres an hour, which whipped up mountainous seas around coastal villages.

Although initial reports when the cyclone hit on Saturday said there had only been minor damage, the full extent of the destruction began to emerge when communications were partially restored a day later.

"Seventy per cent of houses (on Ha'apai) are damaged or blown away, and the rest of the 30 per cent are affected by water," Tongan military commander Satisi Vunipola told reporters.

Residents on Ha'apai's main island of Lifuka were reported to have huddled in churches for shelter as houses were destroyed in the furious cyclone.

Ian Wilson, a New Zealand emergency management official, said Lifuka was in the direct path of the cyclone.

"Whatever was on the island has been damaged, whether it's buildings, crops, roading or infrastructure, it's all been damaged," said Mr Wilson, warning that it remained difficult to get a detailed picture of the destruction.

"There is no communication. We did have a satellite phone but that also died. It is serious. The eye of the storm went right across the top of the island."

Ian was downgraded to a category four cyclone on Saturday morning, but increased in intensity later in the day to be restored to the most severe rating of category five as it hit Ha'apai, knocking out contact with outlying islands.

Ian is the first category-five cyclone to belt into Tonga and Ha'apai governor Tu'i Ha'angana said he could see from one side of the island to the other - "that's how devastated it is".

The head of the Tonga Red Cross, Sione Taumoefolau, said he had been informed of one death in Ha'apai but did not have further details as communication remained sketchy.

He said staff in the region told him by satellite phone that Lifuka was devastated.

The Red Cross established a policy last year of maintaining containers of relief supplies on most islands, and Mr Taumoefolau said they were able to provide immediate assistance.

Tupou Ahomee Faupula, from Tonga's mobile phone provider Digicel, said his field officer in Ha'apai reported widespread devastation.

"He told us that this was the worst ever damage from a cyclone. Most houses are flattened, roofs are off, trees and power lines are down."

The Tonga navy has sent two patrol boats to Ha'apai, and the Matangi Tonga news website reported the government was considering a request for overseas aid.

New Zealand offered immediate assistance of NZ$50,000 ($41,500) and an Air Force Orion was sent Sunday to begin an immediate aerial surveillance of the devastated areas.

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Two dead after explosion in car in Austria

Police say two men have died after a hand grenade apparently exploded in their car in Austria. Source: AAP

POLICE say two men have died after a hand grenade apparently exploded in their car in the Austrian capital.

Officers found the men in a Bulgarian-registered car in Vienna's Ottakring district early on Saturday after a passer-by reported hearing shots or an explosion.

One man in the car was already dead and the other died at the scene.

Police were working to identify the men, believed to be around 50, and piece together what happened.

The Austria Press Agency reported that evidence points to a hand grenade having exploded and quoted police spokesman Thomas Keiblinger as saying officials "have no indications that it was thrown into the car".

No other weapons were found.

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UK army cuts jobs but wants recruits

The British government is to have further army redundancies to reduce the organisation's size. Source: AAP

THE British government is to have another round of army redundancies as it continues to reduce the organisation's size.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond confirmed there are more cuts on the way though the numbers involved are unclear.

The Sunday Telegraph newspaper says it had been told that the army would cut around 3000 jobs this year, but a government source said the figure under discussion was lower.

The regular army is being cut from 102,000 to 82,000 over a number of years while the newly renamed Army Reserve - formerly the Territorial Army - is being expanded from 19,000 to 30,000.

The newspaper said the latest losses are planned as the final wave of job cuts that will see the army lose the 20,000 posts by 2020. Thousands of jobs have already gone in the past three years.

The cuts come despite the army starting a recruitment campaign for both regular troops and reservists after saying it was struggling to attract applicants.

Mr Hammond said a television advertising campaign would "dispel forever the myth that somehow the army isn't recruiting".

Mr Hammond added that 2013 "was not a good year for recruitment".

The new campaign will introduce a simpler online application form, a more streamlined medical clearance process and an army fitness app.

The cuts will be announced next week, the newspaper said.

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Four rebels killed in India bomb attack

At least four militants have been killed after a crude bomb was launched in India's northeast. Source: AAP

AT least four militants have been killed in a clash with security forces in India's northeastern state of Meghalaya.

The clash occurred late on Saturday after a group of insurgents lobbed a crude bomb at a petrol station in the West Garo Hills. There were no casualties in the explosion but two vehicles were damaged.

District police chief Mukesh Singh told IANS news agency that four rebels died, while police did not suffer any casualties.

A cache of arms, ammunition and explosives was recovered.

The rebels allegedly belonged to a splinter group of the Achik National Volunteers Council that is fighting for a separate state for the Garo tribe.

North-eastern India is home to many diverse ethnic groups. It has been plagued by rebellions over the past several decades.

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