Superyacht numbers in the AMEX Cup Village marina continue to grow with the 33m sail yacht Avalon were due to arrive today [Monday].

The first motor yacht arrives at the end of the month this being the 33.08m craft Spada.

The superyacht that has already received much attention in New Zealand, Hyperion arrives in the middle of next month.

This is owned by Jim Clark from Netscape and only just clears the Golden Gate Bridge. It is valued at over 60 million US Dollars.

· The majority of syndicates have now got their boats in New Zealand with both Prada from Italy and Young Australia 2000 team boats due in next week.

· The many thousands of visitors to the AMEX Cup Village have been giving very positive feedback on the magnificent Maori Carvings unveiled at the Village last weekend. They are situated on the Island and are the work of Ngati Whatua.

· For those visiting the AMEX Cup Village is it worth a walk down Halsey Street to see all the syndicate bases close up especially the one belong to the French Syndicate. They are about to complete their building, which is four stories high and is unique in design through the use of containers and scaffolding.

· The 10th of October is a key diary date in the life of the AMEX Cup Village. A major open day is planned with some exciting events being worked on for this Sunday, which is aimed at encouraging everyone to come down and see what will be on offer for the next six months.

· An informal survey by AMEX Cup Village staff shows that private companies on all the construction sites surrounding the Village currently employ over 800 people and more will be taken on over the next month.

© 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>>