Due to the live nature of Tonight, we apologise for the lack of captions for some items. The Rena wreaks more havoc on the Bay of Plenty with yet another threat to wildlife. The fallout from the shocking abuse of dead Taliban fighters by US soldiers. And a photo from space. Find out where in the South Island this award-winning image was taken. Salvors are preparing to face big swells to recover more containers from the wrecked Rena. The stormy seas are a mixed blessing, breaking up much of the freshly leaked oil. But debris is still washing up in places such as Matakana Island, where it's bringing a new threat to wildlife. Kim Vinnell reports. From the air, the sea looks deceptively calm. But the predicted 5m swells have arrived, and so the Rena remains abandoned. Salvors are, however, ready to lift more containers as soon as it's safe. The Smit Borneo's going to sail this afternoon to go on to the site so that over the weekend it can position itself into the correct position. Rough seas are helping in other ways ` breaking up oil that's been leaking since Rena split. Up until this morning we've had areas of sheen around the ship as you would expect ` as a result of the release of oil when the ship broke in half. However, with the change in the sea state this morning, that sheen has been broken up, and in fact, at the moment, since midday today, there's very little oil visible out there around the ship. That oil was expected to hit the coast south of Maketu overnight, but so far little has arrived. In Little Waihi, where booms are in place to protect the estuary, Surf lifesavers are helping Maritime NZ with their monitoring. On Monday, we picked up 30kg of oil off the beach, and we've found a few dead birds. Heading out to Matakana Island, though, we found a very different story. Devastated. Yeah, this whole beach is our cupboard, you know. This is what subsidises our little meagre wages. 30km of coastline is heavy with debris, authorities discovered today. That includes these plastic beads, which could be dangerous if ingested by wildlife. These tiny beads litter the entire southern coast of Matakana Island. The container removal company tells us they'll clear them as soon as they can. We've been here several hours, and we haven't seen anything taken away yet. The beads are used by the plastics industry and aren't biodegradable, but authorities insist they're unlikely to cause too much damage. My advice from our wildlife experts is that birds would need to ingest a lot of those beads to be severely affected. The environmental and economic impact of this disaster is very much still felt. Kim Vinnell, ONE News. A video showing US soldiers abusing dead Taliban fighters has been condemned as 'utterly deplorable' by America's government. Two of the marines filmed urinating on the bodies have now been identified. There's mounting global outrage over the incident and calls for the accused to be charged for war crimes. The BBC's Ian Pannell reports. It's an appalling violation too distasteful to show. But in this video, a small group of US Marines gather around the bodies of three dead Afghans and urinate on them. It's a 40-second video clip that harms America's attempt to rebuild its image in the Islamic world. We don't know who posted the footage on the internet, but all indications are that it's authentic. And a military official has told the BBC at least two of the Marines have been identified ` believed to be based here at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. The condemnation it's provoked has been universal. It is absolutely inconsistent with American values; with the standards of behaviour, uh, that we expect from our military personnel and that, you know, the vast, vast majority of our military personnel ` particularly our Marines ` hold themselves to. GUNS FIRE Tens of thousands of American troops have served in Afghanistan and Iraq over the last 10 years. As in every conflict, there have been times of excess and moments of abuse. This isn't the first time US Troops have been accused of breaching the rules of war. In the past, it's acted quickly to investigate and punish those responsible. But containing the damage to its reputation is far harder. (SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE) This man said US Troops have committed a crime and should leave the country. Their president has demanded an investigation. The biggest fear is that this will damage the prospect of peace talks with insurgents. But the Taliban says the political process is separate and still stands. NATO forces in Afghanistan fear the desecration of Muslim bodies will incite more violence. An international relations expert here says it will worsen America's global reputation, and the soldiers will be charged. It's my reading it is definitely against the International Criminal Court Statute. It is a violation of the First Geneva Convention. These soldiers are in violation of international law, and they have committed war crimes. Despite the Taliban saying the video won't stop peace talks, one spokesman vowed more violence against foreign troops. Wind gusts of up to 140km/h are expected to continue battering lower parts of the North Island overnight. MetService has issued a severe-weather warning for the region. It was a bumpy ride for some travellers in the capital earlier today. Severe nor'westerly gales forcing this aircraft to abort landing at Wellington Airport. But further north on the Kapiti Coast, the high winds weren't deterring hardy holidaymakers. Nah, I'd stay if it was raining. You just stay in the tent. You have the odd bad day. You've got to expect that. Yeah, I'm kind of glad I'll be indoors today. I'm gonna hang out here for a wee while longer. If there's no rain, that won't be too bad. MetService says tonight's winds could be strong enough to damage trees, power lines and unsecure structures in exposed places. But it says the strong winds should ease by tomorrow morning. But bad weather further south is bringing relief to farmers in drought-threatened parts of Southland and Otago. Light rain's been falling through much of the region over the past two days, but as Max Bania reports, farmers still need plenty more. A silver lining for farmers ` grey skies and drizzle set in across much of the country's south. Do you feel like you've dodged the bullet a bit? Very much so. We were looking at complete disaster if we hadn't have got this. What they've got isn't a huge amount. 14. Between 10mm and 50mm fell across Otago and Southland over the past two days. It's not gonna totally get us out of the problems we've got with not enough pasture, but it will certainly go a long way in germinating the winter crops and at least salvaging something on what we thought was going to be a total disaster. Probably the biggest headache we had yesterday was trying to find our raincoats, cos we hadn't used them for so long, we didn't know where they were. So we all got a bit wet. Despite the recent rain, telltale signs of a dry summer are everywhere. We haven't had major rainfall here since the 29th of November. Now, this crop here was planted on the 29th, and you can see even this is struggling. But come across the road and have a look at this crop here. This was planted mid-December ` just two weeks after ` and as you can see, only now with this moisture does that have a chance of beginning to germinate. That lack of feed means stock are being relocated to Canterbury in their thousands. Normally I see on the main road stock trucks heading south with store lambs. This year, they're going north. And without a few more days of rain, there could be more pain on the way. Max Bania, ONE News. And farmers may be getting more than they bargained for. Otago Regional Council says river levels are rising in many areas tonight. It's warning farmers to move stock to higher ground, while campers should also head away from low-lying areas. Two more victims of the Carterton balloon crash have been formally identified. They are Valerie Bennett of Masterton and Belinda Harter of Lower Hutt. 11 people died when the balloon crashed in a field on the outskirts of Carterton. The wreckage was transported from the crash site to Wellington yesterday, where investigations into the incident continue. Skilled port workers are threatening to move to Australia if the Ports of Auckland goes through with a proposal to contract out their jobs. The company is looking at making staff redundant and re-hiring them as contracted workers through stevedoring firms in a bid to cut costs. The Council of Trade Unions has become involved in the dispute. Its president met workers to update them on the breakdown in negotiations. They were pretty shocked to realise their union had met the ports' expectations around labour allocation and the other issues they had said were a problem, and yet the port was reluctant to settle, so they are absolutely determined that employment security, their guarantee of work and their relationship with the port is maintained, and they will not tolerate losing that. The Maritime Union says its members have indicated they will seek jobs across the Tasman rather than sign up with private contractors here. A second person has died and two others are still critically injured after last night's road crash in Central Otago. The driver of this car, a Taiwanese man (29), died at the scene after his vehicle was struck by a van on State Highway 6 near Cromwell. Police say it appears he failed to give way as he turned onto the highway. One of his passengers died in hospital overnight. Just ahead ` more shootings in Sydney. The city's police take aim at gun-toting gangs. And why a top-flight African politician's taken the plunge in Zambia. 1 Just a short time ago seven crew members injured in a fire on a Korean fishing vessel in the Southern Ocean landed in Christchurch. A US Air Force C-17 picked them from up from McMurdo Base, where they were transferred after their ship the Jeong Woo 2 caught fire. It's believed three missing seamen died in the blaze. The injured are now being treated at Christchurch Hospital. Just hours after Sydney's police announced a major crackdown on a suburban gun war, a gunman has struck back. After three attacks in just 24 hours, police admit they're no closer to catching the gunmen. As Channel 9's Dimity Clancey reports, they want new laws to force witnesses to speak. Out of control gunmen, innocent families, another three shootings, and police one step behind. In Yagoona, a street locked down as officers pick up the pieces. Each yellow marker is a bullet that was fired into this home. Neighbours heard two cars speed down the street early this morning before a barrage of gunfire. Bang! Bang! Bang! Over and over. I heard three and then a pause and then another two. And frustration for police. When we found the householder of that premises, they refused to give police permission to actually examine the area. From Yagoona further north to Yennora, at around 8.30 last night, shots were fired into a house. This time the man being targeted is in jail. Inside were his innocent mother and two sisters, aged 9 and 16. Police say it's a brazen message from one criminal to another. I can tell you the main link to all these incidents is the total disregard that these individuals have for the community of NSW. The violence is believed to be part of a drug turf war. Dealers are divided up by specific geographical areas. And they survive on a culture of fear and silence. You can't tell me that family members, whether it be husbands, wives, mothers and fathers, don't know that their family members or friends and associates are involved in drugs and criminal activity. The Premier is considering strengthening laws to compel witnesses to help police. What resources they need ` whether it be manpower or powers, legislative powers ` they will have from this government. Well, how do you prove that a person knows something that they're not telling you? More members of an Arab League peace mission to Syria may leave because of their failure to curb a crackdown on dissent. One observer who's already quit says he's spoken to others who have also expressed their desire to leave. He says they believe the task is impossible and have fears for their own safety. (SPEAKS ARABIC) TRANSLATOR: I cannot rule out that the Syrian Intelligence may hurt me. I cannot rule it out, because the Syrian Intelligence, which kills its own people can retaliate against anybody. The UN estimates that about 5000 people have been killed in the uprising against Syria's dictator, President Bashar al-Assad. A year ago a Tunisian fruit seller set fire to himself to make the world take notice of the oppression his countrymen faced. It worked. His act made him a martyr and triggered a wave of uprisings against tyranny across the Arab world. But now, despite democratic reforms, hundreds of Tunisians are using the same drastic form of protest. This report from the BBC's Wyre Davies contains some distressing images. MACHINES BEEP In the last 12 months, at least 130 people have set themselves on fire in Tunisia. MACHINE BEEPS Last January, Hosni poured petrol over himself and lit a match. He survived and is being treated here at the Ben Arous burns unit in the capital. Hosni told me he deliberately copied the actions of Mohamed Bouazizi, the market trader whose self-immolation began the Tunisian Revolution a year ago. Unlike Bouazizi, Hosni hasn't become a folk hero, and he bitterly regrets what he's done. (SPEAKS ARABIC) 'I was jobless and desperate,' he says. 'The whole country seemed to be on fire, so I set myself alight too.' SCREAMING AND SHOUTING Despite a stable political situation, the state of the economy means more Tunisians are setting fire to themselves. In the town of Gafsa, an unemployed father of three is engulfed by flames. He died from his injuries two days ago. Another young man fights for his life in the burns unit. The BBC has been shown previously unpublished figures, which show that in the year since last January's revolution, there's been a staggering fivefold increase in the number of self-immolations. A lot of people think that they may solve problems doing the same things than Bouazizi, but it's not true at all. There's dramatic consequence of this act. So, please, stop doing this. They may be afforded the honour of being buried in a martyr's grave, but these men's families are no better off. And this desperate act of self-immolation is in danger of overshadowing the revolution's many other successes. But one photo the whole world is looking at is a shot of Canterbury's Rakaia River taken from space. The striking image has won an international competition for the best satellite image of 2011. The untouched picture shows the mouth of the 150km braided river where it hits the Pacific Ocean. It beat 20 finalists in the digital globe competition, including this recent image of Ground Zero and Dubai's Palm Island. The winner was decided by online votes. Zambia's tourist minister has taken the plunge to prove the Victoria Falls bungee jump is safe. His stunt comes after an Australian woman survived a terryifing fall when her bungee cord snapped on New Year's Eve. The women plunged into the Zambezi River and was swept downstream. The daredevil minister says the accident was a one-off. I came to prove that this is a very safe spot. I wouldn't do it if I wasn't sure. I have done it because I am confident it is safe. I didn't want to use any other person as a guinea pig. I decided that the world must use me as a guinea pig, and if I wante to risk my life, it means that it's safe. Let everybody come and jump. Around 500,000 people have jumped off the Victoria Falls bridge. The Australian tourist is the only person to have ever encountered a problem. It was almost a heart-breaking moment. The bungled transfer of a heart to a hospital in Mexico where a young woman was waiting for a transplant. The hearts of these medics must have been in their mouths as one tripped, causing the cooler carrying the plastic-wrapped organ to flip open and it's contents to tumble out. Fortunately the heart-stopping fumble did not stop the transplant from going ahead. Just ahead ` India gets a whacking at the WACA as Australia shines with bat and ball. And a scheduling nightmare at the Heineken Open has some players pulling out. Australia's pacemen have put India to the sword in the third cricket Test in Perth. The tourists continuing their dismal series down under in bowler-friendly conditions at the WACA. Here's the ABC's Clint Thomas. In the lead-up to the Test, Michael Clarke had said he found it hard to leave the spinner out of his side and to send the opposition in. But he did both after winning the toss, and the decision appeared to be correct. Gone! Yes, he is! Caught by Ponting. Beautiful bowling! The sell-out sign at the WACA ground didn't stop some from trying a different vantage point, and they would've liked what they saw when severely out of touch Rahul Dravid went for nine. It bowls in. It's ricocheted off the legs, I think. Sachin Tendulkar entered the playing arena to a standing ovation, and he wasted little time in chasing that elusive hundredth hundred. But the fairytale was again delayed, this time by Ryan Harris. Oh, that's gotta be close. Yes, he's given in this time. That one snuck back a little bit. Well, sadly, the end of Tendulkar... And it wasn't the end of the misery for the Indians. Oh, that's out. That's clipped behind. Beautifully bowled! Gambhir's wicket made it 4/63. The Australian charge was stifled after the lunch interval as VVS Laxman and Virat Kohli tempered the Australian attack before Siddle struck to dismiss Kohli... And that's out. Caught! Dave Warner... in the action again! ...then Laxman a short time later. He's take comfortably at first slip. Guess who the bowler is. With Siddle running hot, the pace attack has again put Australia in a commanding position. And the day's just getting better and better for the Aussies. After skittling india's lower order for an ordinary 161, Australia's batsmen are now running riot over India's much-maligned attack. Opener David Warner hitting a six to reach a century off just 69 balls. Oh, he's gone long this time. Is it there? Yesss! I told you! That's the way he plays. That's how he loves to play! You legend! Right now they're on 149 for no loss, just 12 runs shy of India's first-innings total. After rain washed out last night's session of the Heineken Tennis Open, organisers have desperately tried to get the contest back on track. The manic day of scheduling proving too much for Spaniards Fernando Verdasco and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, who defaulted from their doubles quarter-final. Verdasco already having played his singles quarter- and semi-final. Lacey wilson with this. It was always going to be a tough semi-final for these Spanish players. Third seed Fernando Verdasco took on top seed and defending champion David Ferrer. The game was made tougher by both players, having just played their quarter-finals a couple of hours before. But it didn't hold them back. Oh, what a stunning rally. The best rally of the match for the moment. It was Ferrer who gained a slight advantage early on, making fewer mistakes and more winners to take the first set. That's a beautiful shot. And he kept the lead, as unforced errors by Verdasco cost him his cool,... He still can't buy a trick at the moment ` Verdasco ...and cost him the game. The final score was 6-3, 6-4. And there it is. David Ferrer into the final for the third time. Ferrer will face Belgian Olivier Rochus in the final after the pocket rocket knocked out Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-7, 6-1, 6-4. And he's got it this time! He did it in 2005, and he's done it in 2012. The finals will be played tomorrow. Lacey Wilson, ONE News And NZ's last hopes in the tournament are out after losing their semi-final just a few moments ago. The Kiwi doubles duo, seen here in the blue, of Michael Venus and Dan King-Turner, were owned from the start by Austrian's Oliver Marach and Alexander Peya, the Kiwis losing the match 6-2, 6-2. Basketball's Breakers have maintained their home form, with an emphatic victory over the Adelaide 36ers at North Shore. The Breakers led 26-16 after the first quarter. Diving all over. CJ Bruton gives it to Jackson. The crowd loves it. 10 to go! Ambercrombie! Whoo-hoo! And it was Thomas Abercrombie who starred for the hosts, putting up 22 points and making a number of exciting offensive plays. Cedric Jackson gives it up to Abercrombie! The long pass was pinpoint! Final score 80-63. The win sends the Breakers to the top of the NBL table, with 12 wins from 17 starts. Now to the weather. The low continues its journey away from us. The flow turns south-west over NZ, and we see the arrival of further fronts. These pass through, giving showers and fine spells over the weekend. An incoming high from the Great Australian Bight is on the cards for early next week. For weather, see tvnz.co.nz That's it from us here on Tonight. AMP Business is back with updates from 6 tomorrow morning. And you can stay up to date by logging on to our website at tvnz.co.nz Thanks for watching. Goodnight. Captions by Glenna Casalme and Hugo Snell. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2012