Crew of Fishing Boat Rescued

The three crewmembers of the fishing vessel that caught fire 185 km northwest of Cape Reinga in the early hours of this morning have been rescued from their liferaft by a helicopter and are on their way back to Auckland.

All three crewmembers are reported to be safe and well, and none the worse for wear for their ordeal.

With relatively calm weather and sea conditions in the area, the rescue went smoothly.

The helicopter has now returned to Te Paki Station near Cape Reinga to refuel, and will shortly be heading back to Auckland with the three crew members.

The fishing vessel abandoned by the crew is still burning and taking on water, and the Maritime Safety Authority has issued a navigation warning to any vessels that might be heading through that area.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>