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© AP/Zhang JiansongA Chinese helicopter rescues passengers from the ship Shokalsky on the 2nd of January.
Fifty-two passengers rescued from a Russian ship trapped in sea ice have arrived in Hobart aboard the Australian Antarctic vessel Aurora Australis, nearly three weeks after the emergency began.
The MV Akademik Shokalskiy, chartered by the Australasian Antarctic Expedition to retrace the steps of explorer Sir Douglas Mawson, became stuck in thick sea ice on Christmas Eve.
"We're incredibly grateful to everyone who's come out to help us," leader of the privately funded expedition, Professor Chris Turney, told a media conference in Hobart.
"We are terribly sorry for any impact that it might have had on fellow colleagues whose work has been delayed.
"Any experienced Antarctic scientist knows that's an inherent risk."
Comment: And no, Chris Turney aka "the Penguin" is no experienced Antarctic scientist unless we add political scientists and spin doctors into the equation.
© UnknownHackers steal data from around 16 million online accounts in Germany.
German authorities say hackers have stolen data from around 16 million online accounts in the European country.
Officials at Germany's Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) said hackers managed to get access to the details of online accounts by infecting computers with a malware program.
The malicious software registers the computer users to a network through which the data could be stolen.
German authorities have not yet released any information about the hackers or their motives.
The BSI has set up a webpage to help people know whether their email details have been stolen.
According to reports, the security breach has triggered a wave of anxiety among German internet users as they visited the website in overwhelming numbers on Tuesday, causing it to crash.
© Sue Pischke, AP This Jan. 21, 2014 photo shows Steven Gove’s three-wheeled tricycle and the car that hit him Saturday night at the Manitowoc, Wis., Police Station. Gove says he was struck Saturday, Jan. 18, 2014 night while riding his three-wheeled bicycle. Gove says he was wearing an overcoat with a reflective vest and he had front and rear flashers on. He says he's not sure why the driver didn't see him. Police have arrested a 20-year-old Manitowoc man in the crash.
"I'm just happy to be alive," said Gove on Monday as he recalled the bizarre hit-and-run crash at the intersection of Marshall and South 16th streets. Police arrested a 20-year-old Manitowoc man who was allegedly intoxicated when he hit Gove as he was riding his three-wheeled bike.
"I was wearing my blue overcoat with my neon reflective vest. I had my front and rear flashers on. I have no idea why he didn't see me," said Gove, who had visible scratches to his face from going through the windshield.
Gove said he was returning home from delivering 275 Lakeshore Chronicles, when the next thing he knew he was upside down in the car. "I was conscious for the whole time," Gove said.
To measure religious restrictions around the world, the Pew Research Center has attempted to look at government policies and social hostilities. Their findings suggest that religious hostilities are at their highest level since 2007.
We've mapped all of their results here. Click on the drop down list to view social factors rather than governmental ones, click on a country to see past results, search for places and share your results on social media.
Higher scores reflect less religious freedom - you can find more detail on the results below the map.
We've mapped all of their results here. Click on the drop down list to view social factors rather than governmental ones, click on a country to see past results, search for places and share your results on social media.
Higher scores reflect less religious freedom - you can find more detail on the results below the map.
© Ian Kington/AFP/Getty Images
Nicolas Anelka makes the 'quenelle' gesture after scoring against West Ham in December last year.
Nicolas Anelka makes the 'quenelle' gesture after scoring against West Ham in December last year.
An FA statement said: "It is alleged that, in the 40th minute of the fixture, Anelka made a gesture which was abusive and/or indecent and/or insulting and/or improper, contrary to FA Rule E3 [1].
"It is further alleged that this is an aggravated breach, as defined in FA Rule E3 [2], in that it included a reference to ethnic origin and/or race and/or religion or belief."
A teenager sold her unborn baby on Facebook for just £68, police said. The 18-year-old, named locally as Veronica Carrera Chaparro, was arrested following the child's birth in November. Her mother and sister were also held on suspicion of assisting the sale. Chaparro, from Maipu in Chile, is believed to have discovered she was pregnant in February last year. She broke the news to her 17-year-old boyfriend two months later and begged him to keep it secret, but he told her family.
Police claim the teenager's mum Angela Chaparro, 42, and her 24-year-old sister Daniela Perez gave her three options. "Sell it, abort it or give it up for adoption," police chief Miguel Ampuero said.
© AFP Photo/Mohd Rasfan
The pro-circumcision film will be presented on Monday at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe's Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development by Israel's representative, MK Nachman Shai.
This is believed to be a retaliatory move by Israeli MKs to combat resolutions attacking ritual male circumcision, such as the October 2013 motion by the former COE MP Marlene Ruprecht, which called it a "violation of the physical integrity of children" and urged the members to initiate a public debate with human rights as the foundation.
Although the COE cannot actually pass binding laws, its 47-member-strong European composition is often viewed as a battle ground for future bills and is often a scene for cultural and legislative debate.
© WXYZ
In a recent interview for a profile by The New Yorker titled Drop Dead, Detroit! Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson admitted, "Anytime I talk about Detroit, it will not be positive. Therefore, I'm called a Detroit basher. The truth hurts, you know? Tough sh*t."
Patterson recalled telling his children to "get in and get out" if they needed to go to Detroit.
"And, before you go to Detroit, you get your gas out here. You do not, do not, under any circumstances, stop in Detroit at a gas station! That's just a call for a carjacking," he said.
Patterson also proposed a fix to Detroit's financial problems: Turn the city into a reservation for Native Americans.
"I made a prediction a long time ago, and it's come to pass. I said, 'What we're gonna do is turn Detroit into an Indian reservation, where we herd all the Indians into the city, build a fence around it, and then throw in the blankets and the corn.'"
© Julia Kochetova/Demotix/CorbisA scene of destruction in Kiev, where protesters burned four police buses and two lorries.
The leaders of the opposition, including former heavyweight boxer Vitali Klitschko, dismissed the violence as the work of "provocateurs" and were due to hold negotiations with the government later on Monday.
The anti-government protests, which have beset Kiev for two months, escalated into fiery street battles with police on Sunday as thousands of demonstrators threw rocks and firebombs and set police vehicles on fire. Dozens of protesters were injured and 100 police sought medical attention, with 61 being admitted to hospital.
© Julia Kochetova/Demotix/Corbis Ukranian police used cold water to disperse protesters as temperatures plunged in Kiev.
The violence was a sharp escalation of Ukraine's two-month political crisis, which has brought round-the-clock protest gatherings, but had been largely peaceful. President Viktor Yanukovych last week signed an array of laws severely limiting protests and banning the wearing of helmets and gas masks. Many of the demonstrators wore hardhats and masks in defiance of the new laws.
Comment: The
expeditionjoy ride which was a farce from beginning to end did take unnecessary risks.French Le Monde blasts Chris Turney's Antarctic joy ride for disrupting real Antarctic science!
Rescue efforts for trapped Antarctic voyage disrupt serious science
No more dead parrots - Global-warming fans spent frozen Christmas in Antarctica: