New Year 2014 celebrations are beginning with Auckland in New Zealand ringing in the New Year at 11:00 GMT on Tuesday.
Crowds have gathered in Sydney, Australia, in anticipation of the city’s famous firework display.
In Japan, Shinto priests gathered at shrines to prepare to usher in the new year.
Other cities globally are also planning big displays, with Dubai attempting a world record for the largest display.
New Year 2014 celebrations are beginning with Auckland
The display will be streamed live on the internet and organizers say it will stretch over 30 miles of seafront, with the highest fireworks reaching more than one kilometer in height.
While celebrations are expected in major Chinese cities, the city of Wuhan called off its display in order to avoid worsening the city’s smog problem.
Later on, festivities will be held in European cities including Moscow, Paris and London.
Cape Town in South Africa is planning a free concert with lasers, fireworks and a special 3D tribute to former President Nelson Mandela, who died on 5 December.
New York will mark the New Year with the traditional New Year’s Eve countdown and ball drop over Times Square, while Rio de Janeiro is once again expecting more than two million people to pack its Copacabana beach.
Michael Schumacher’s family is at his bedside as the German motor-racing champion fights for life following a skiing accident in the French Alps.
His manager, Sabine Kehm, said his wife, Corinna, daughter Gina Maria and son Mick are in a state of shock at the Grenoble hospital.
The seven-time Formula 1 champion suffered head injuries on Sunday in a fall at the resort of Meribel.
Michael Schumacher has been put in a medically-induced coma to relieve pressure on his brain.
“The family is not doing very well, obviously. They are shocked,” Sabine Kehm told reporters.
Prof. Jean-Francois Payen, of Grenoble University Hospital’s intensive care unit, told a news conference that they could not give a prognosis for the 44-year-old driver.
“He is in a critical state in terms of cerebral resuscitation. We are working hour by hour,” he said.
Prof. Jean-Francois Payen said that if MichaelSchumacher had not been wearing a helmet “he wouldn’t be here now”.
Michael Schumacher’s family is at his bedside as he fights for life following a skiing accident in the French Alps
“We had to operate urgently to release some pressure in his head,” the anaesthetist said.
Neurosurgeon Stephan Chabardes said that a post-operative scan had shown “diffuse haemorrhagic lesions” on both sides of Michael Schumacher’s brain.
Michael Schumacher is likely to stay in an induced coma for at least 48 hours, or even several weeks – and there can be many months of therapy in order to achieve as full a recovery as possible.
Doctors have lowered Michael Schumacher’s body temperature to 34-35C (93.2-95F) as part of the coma, slowing his metabolism to help reduce inflammation.
The driver had been skiing off-piste with his teenage son when he fell and hit his head on a rock.
Michael Schumacher was first evacuated to a hospital in the nearby town of Moutiers.
Prof. Stephan Chabardes said Michael Schumacher was in an “agitated condition” on arrival in Moutiers and his neurological condition “deteriorated rapidly”.
He was taken from Moutiers to the larger facility in Grenoble.
Messages of support have come from around the world.
A spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she and her government were, like millions of Germans, “extremely shocked”.
“We hope, with Michael Schumacher and with his family, that he can overcome and recover from his injuries,” the spokesman said.
Former Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa, who recovered from life-threatening head injuries he suffered at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix, wrote on Instagram: “I am praying for you my brother! I hope you have a quick recovery! God bless you, Michael.”
On Monday some fans had gathered outside the hospital in Grenoble.
Israel has freed a group of 26 Palestinian prisoners as part of a US-brokered agreement to resume direct peace talks.
The prisoners were greeted by cheering crowds on their return to the West Bank and Gaza.
Israel approved the releases on Saturday, but they were delayed to allow victims’ families to appeal.
The prisoners committed murder or attempted murder before the 1993 Oslo accords and have served 19 to 28 years.
They make up the third tranche of a total of 104 prisoners to be freed.
Eight of the men were driven late at night to checkpoints leading into Gaza and East Jerusalem.
The other 18 prisoners were heading to Ramallah in the West Bank.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas greeted the prisoners at his headquarters in Ramallah and pledged to continue pressing for the release of other long-serving and sick prisoners.
“We will not sign a final peace deal with Israel before all the prisoners are released,” he said.
President Mahmoud Abbas has previously hailed the prisoners as heroes of the Palestinian cause.
Israel has freed a group of 26 Palestinian prisoners as part of a US-brokered agreement to resume direct peace talks
Palestinians celebrate the releases as victories over Israel – something deeply resented by families of Israeli victims of political violence.
Relatives of the victims of the latest prisoners being freed – 18 from the West Bank, three from Gaza and five from East Jerusalem – have staged days of protests against the releases and appealed to the Supreme Court to block them.
In the past, the court has allowed such releases to take place.
“One of the things we knew when we captured these detainees is that they needed to stay in prison for the maximum period,” Meir Indor of Israeli victims’ association, Almagor, told the Jerusalem Post.
“These men are time-bombs. Wherever they go they kill, because that’s the purpose of their lives.”
The Israeli government has stressed that if any of the prisoners “resume hostile activity” they will have to serve the remainder of their sentences.
PM Benjamin Netanyahu also defended the decision to free those behind deadly attacks at a meeting of his Likud party on Monday.
“Leadership is judged by the ability to implement decisions, difficult as they may be,” he said.
“We were not elected to make easy decisions.”
The Palestinian minister for prisoner affairs, Issa Qaraqai, dismissed the Israeli complaints, saying: “Israel is a murderous state and these prisoners are freedom fighters.”
After the two previous releases, the Israeli government has sugared what the right-wing parties within its coalition regard as a bitter pill by making announcements about Jewish settlement plans in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli media reports suggest Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to unveil plans to build an additional 1,400 housing units, including 600 at Ramat Shlomo in East Jerusalem.
About 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel’s 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.
Palestinians say continued settlement construction undermines the direct peace talks, which have shown little sign of progress since resuming in July after a three-year hiatus.
According to new reports, the US is proceeding with the prosecution of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade after her arrest earlier this month caused a huge diplomatic row.
Devyani Khobragade’s detention on charges of visa fraud and underpaying her housekeeper led to outrage in India, where she is seen as being victimized.
She has denied all the charges and has been released on bail.
India has demanded an apology from the US over her alleged “humiliation”.
But Press Trust of India news agency quoted American sources in New York as saying that the US is gathering more evidence against Devyani Khobragade ahead of January 13, the deadline for her indictment.
The sources said there was no question of dropping the charges against Devyani Khobragade or apologizing for the arrest.
The US is proceeding with the prosecution of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade after her arrest earlier this month caused a huge diplomatic row
Devyani Khobragade, India’s deputy consul general in New York, was arrested in the city on December 12 on suspicion of visa fraud and making false statements, after being accused of paying her Indian maid below the US minimum wage.
She was handcuffed and strip-searched after a complaint from the maid, Sangeeta Richard.
Devyani Khobragade, who has been released on bail, denies all the charges and has in turn accused Sangeeta Richard of theft and attempted blackmail.
Delhi had already ordered a series of reprisals against the US.
Security barricades around the US embassy in Delhi were removed and a visiting US delegation was snubbed by senior Indian politicians and officials. India is also checking the tax status of Americans working at schools in the country.
Authorities urged residents to evacuate Casselton town in North Dakota after wagons from a mile-long train carrying crude oil have burst into flames as they derailed following a collision.
A plume of thick black smoke could be seen many miles away and explosions were heard.
No injuries were reported, but officials are urging people from the nearby town of Casselton – some 2,300 people – to evacuate as a precaution.
An investigation into the incident has been launched.
A spokeswoman for the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services said the last 50 wagons of the train had been uncoupled, but another 56 remained at risk.
The derailment, after a collision involving another goods train, is reported to have happened near an ethanol plant.
A plume of thick black smoke could be seen many miles away and explosions were heard
Emergency and fire-fighting crews have been sent to the scene.
Cass County sheriff’s office said it was “strongly recommending” that residents in parts of Casselton and anyone living five miles to the south and east evacuate.
Officials have said a change in weather patterns could expose residents to smoke and possible health hazards.
Residents within 10 miles of the scene are being asked to stay indoors.
A shelter for those evacuated has been set up in Fargo, about 25 miles away.
Correspondents say it is the latest in a string of incidents that have raised alarm about a rise in crude oil traffic on the railways.
In July, a train carrying oil from the Bakken oil region in North Dakota derailed near the Canadian town of Lac Megantic, killing more than 40 people.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced the six states that will host sites for testing commercial use of drones.
FAA picked Alaska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Texas and Virginia.
The sites are part of a program to develop safety and operational rules for drones by the end of 2015.
Hitherto mainly used by the military, the potential of drones is now being explored by everyone from real estate agents to farmers or delivery services.
The head of the FAA, Michael Huerta, said safety would be the priority as it considers approval for unleashing the unmanned aircraft into US skies.
Pilots will be notified through routine announcements about where drones are being flown.
FAA said that its decision followed a 10-month process involving proposals from 24 states.
The agency said it had considered geography, climate, location of ground infrastructure, research needs, airspace use, aviation experience and risk.
FAA picked Alaska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Texas and Virginia for testing commercial use of drones
The sites chosen are:
A set of locations proposed by the University of Alaska in seven zones with varying climates, from Hawaii to Oregon
Griffiss International Airport in central New York state will test how to integrate drones into the congested north-east airspace
North Dakota Department of Commerce will test the human impact of drones and also how the aircraft cope in temperate climates
The state of Nevada will concentrate on standards for air traffic and drone operators
Texas A&M University plans to develop safety requirements for drones and testing for airworthiness
Virginia Tech university will research operational and technical areas of risk for drones
The biggest chunk of the growth in the commercial drone industry is currently expected to be for agriculture and law enforcement.
Police and other emergency services could use them for crowd control, taking crime scene photos or for search and rescue missions.
It can cost a police department hundreds of dollars an hour to deploy a helicopter, while an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can be sent into the skies for as little as $25.
Farmers, meanwhile, might find it easier to spray crops or survey livestock with the pilotless aircraft.
The FAA estimates as many as 7,500 aircraft could be in the air five years after widespread airspace access is made legal.
However, the commercial use of drones has drawn criticism from both conservatives and liberals.
In a report last December, the American Civil Liberties Union said that giving drones access to US skies would only ensure “our every move is monitored, tracked, recorded and scrutinized by the authorities”.
However, lawmakers from winning states were delighted with the selections.
“This is wonderful news for Nevada that creates a huge opportunity for our economy,” said Senator Harry Reid, a Democrat from Nevada.
An industry-commissioned study predicted more than 70,000 jobs – including drone operators – would develop in the first three years after Congress loosens drone restrictions on US skies.
The same study, conducted by the Teal Group research firm, found that the worldwide commercial drone market could top $89 billion in the next decade.
Britney Spears was accused of lip-syncing during the launch of her Las Vegas show, Britney: Piece of Me.
Britney Spears, 32, kicked off her show at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on Friday night, and concert reviewers have now accused her of letting down fans by failing to sing live.
Britney Spears was accused of lip-syncing during the launch of her Las Vegas show, Britney: Piece of Me
A number of critics claim Britney Spears has reneged on a promise to provide live vocals on stage after the singer’s manager, Larry Rudolph, previously insisted the show would not be mimed, saying: “There might be some numbers where she’s full out dancing with a [vocal] track underneath her, but there won’t be any lip-syncing across the board.”
Britney Spears was previously accused of lip-synching during shows on her Femme Fatale Tour in 2011.
One of America’s wealthiest men, Dallas billionaire and philanthropist Harold Simmons, died Saturday night at the age of 82.
Harold Simmons’ wife, Annette, told The Dallas Morning News her husband died at Baylor University Medical Center. Annette Simmons said her husband had been in Baylor’s intensive care unit for the last eight days, the newspaper reported. She did not give the cause of death.
The billionaire made his fortune through investing and corporate takeovers. The Dallas Morning News said his net worth was $10 billion. Two years ago, Harold Simmons gave millions of dollars to the Republican Party in an effort to defeat President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign.
In 2008, Harold Simmons bankrolled ads linking then-presidential candidate Barack Obama to William Ayers, a Vietnam-era militant who helped found the violent Weather Underground. Simmons was also a key backer of the Swift Boat Veterans’ attacks on Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004.
Billionaire Harold Simmons made his fortune through investing and corporate takeovers
He also gave money to Planned Parenthood and his foundation most recently donated $600,000 to the Resource Center of Dallas, which serves the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community in Dallas.
Harold Simmons has given tens of millions of dollars to Republican candidates, including Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
Rick Perry issued the following statement Sunday afternoon: “Harold Simmons was a true Texas giant, rising from humble beginnings and seizing the limitless opportunity for success we so deeply cherish in our great state. His legacy of hard work and giving, particularly to his beloved University of Texas, will live on for generations. Anita and I send our thoughts and prayers to the Simmons family.”
The arts community is also mourning the passing of Harold Simmons. He and his wife Annette donated $5 million to build the AT&T Performing Arts Center. The center issued this statement Sunday evening: “Dallas has lost a truly generous giant,” said Doug Curtis.
“The Simmons’ generosity has touched so many parts of our city. The Center considers itself fortunate to have the Simmons’ name gracing such a prominent part of our beautiful opera house. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Simmons family.”
Harold Simmons, born to two school teachers in East Texas, became one of the richest men in the country with interests ranging from energy to chemicals. His spokesman Chuck McDonald said Harold Simmons died Saturday in Dallas. Chuck McDonald said he did not know the cause of death.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach says he has confidence that Russian authorities will deliver a “safe and secure” Winter Games in Sochi in February 2014.
Thomas Bach wrote to President Vladimir Putin to express condolences for the “despicable” attacks that struck Volgograd within 24 hours.
Investigators say the attacks on a railway station and trolleybus, which killed at least 31 people, were linked.
They struck just over a month before the Winter Olympics begin.
Volgograd was also targeted in October, when a suspected female suicide bomber killed six people in an attack on a bus.
It is being widely assumed in Russia that the people who carried out the Volgograd bombings were involved in the Islamist-inspired insurgency against Russian rule in the Caucasus republics of Chechnya and Dagestan, and that the target was the Games.
In a statement, Russia’s foreign ministry did not blame any particular group but likened the attacks to acts by militants in the US, Syria and elsewhere.
It called for international solidarity in the fight against “an insidious enemy that can only be defeated together”, reported Reuters news agency.
The second blast in Volgograd took place at a busy time on a busy route
Regional Governor Sergei Bozhenov said the bombings were a “serious test” for all Volgograd residents and all Russians.
Investigators say at least 14 people were killed in a suicide bombing on a trolleybus in Volgograd on Monday morning.
It came a day after 17 people died in another suicide attack at the central station in the city. Scores were injured in the two attacks.
In his statement, Thomas Bach said he was “certain that everything will be done to ensure the security of the athletes and all the participants of the Olympic Games”, which open on February 7.
But correspondents say despite intense security in Sochi, Russians are palpably nervous that following these attacks in Volgograd – which lies 700 km north-east of Sochi – bombers could also strike elsewhere.
No-one has admitted carrying out either bombing, but they came several months after Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov threatened new attacks against civilian targets in Russia, including the Olympics.
Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the Investigative Committee – Russia’s main federal investigating authority – said identical explosives were used in the two attacks.
“This confirms the theory that the two attacks are linked. It is possible that they were prepared in the same place,” he said.
President Vladimir Putin has ordered security measures to be tightened across Russia and in particular in Volgograd.
The US condemned the attacks and offered its “full support to the Russian government in security preparations for the Sochi Olympic Games”.
Former Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was recently freed after 10 years in jail, has been granted with a three-month Swiss visa.
“The visa allows a three-month stay in the Schengen area,” the Swiss embassy in Berlin said, referring to the 26-nation free-travel zone in Europe.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky has been staying in a German hotel following his release earlier this month.
His family lives in Switzerland and he has business there.
At the time of his arrest more than 10 years ago, Mikhail Khodorkovsky was Russia’s richest man, and he used some of his wealth to fund opposition parties.
He was found guilty of fraud and tax evasion, and has always insisted that his conviction was politically motivated.
Former Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky was recently freed after 10 years in jail
Since being freed on December 20, and immediately flying to Germany, Mikhail Khodorkovsky has vowed to stay out of Russia.
But his spokesman admitted last week that he was considering a possible move to Switzerland, because that is where his wife Inna lives and his twin sons go to school.
A spokesman for Mikhail Khodorkovsky said: “He is very grateful to the Swiss authorities for the speed and efficiency with which they have dealt with his visa application.”
Mikhail Khodorkovsky had been due to be released next August, but requested a pardon because his mother is suffering from cancer.
Duck Dynasty books written by four members of the A&E reality show’s Robertson family have continued to rise in sales during the holiday season despite the recent controversy surrounding Phil Robertson.
According to a book poll from USA Today, Phil Robertson’s memoir Happy Happy Happy jumped from No. 56 to No. 46 last week, making its way into the media outlet’s “Top 50” bestselling titles of the week ending on December 22. Additionally, Miss Kay’s cookbook, Miss Kay’s Duck Commander Kitchen, jumped from No. 30 to No. 19, while Pastor Alan Robertson’s The Duck Commander Devotional now sits at No. 23, up from No. 35 and Uncle Si Robertson’s Si-cology at No. 28 from No. 33.
Phil Robertson’s memoir Happy Happy Happy jumped from No 56 to No 46 following controversy surrounding him
In addition to heightened book sales, Billboard reported last week that Robertson family’s Christmas album, Duck the Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas, was on track to sell 125,000 copies in the week ending on December 22. The album, which features cameos from famous country musicians like George Strait, has sold a total of 575,000 copies since it was released in late October.
Prince William is to become a full-time student of agricultural management at Cambridge University from next week, Kensington Palace has announced.
The Duke of Cambridge will learn about issues facing the UK’s rural communities and farming industry during the 10-week bespoke course.
The studies are expected to give him a foundation for when he takes over the Duchy of Cornwall from Prince Charles.
It is thought the duke will live in Cambridge for part of the time.
A Kensington Palace spokesman said Prince William was “very much looking forward” to the course, which runs until mid-March.
Prince William is to become a full-time student of agricultural management at Cambridge University
The course is run by the Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership (CPSL), an institution within Cambridge University’s School of Technology, which has Prince William’s father, Prince Charles, as its patron.
The Kensington Palace spokesman said: “The executive education programme of seminars, lectures and meetings will draw on the strengths of academics across the university.
“The course has been designed to help provide the duke with an understanding of contemporary issues affecting agricultural business and rural communities in the UK.”
The Duchy of Cornwall is a portfolio of land, property and investments which Prince William will inherit from his father when Prince Charles becomes king.
The duke, who is second-in-line to the throne, will have 18 to 20 hours of lectures, seminars and meetings a week, as well as essays to complete and field trips to attend.
The cost of the course is being met privately.
Prince William graduated from the University of St Andrews in 2005 with a class 2:1 degree in geography, and it was as an undergraduate that he met his future wife Kate Middleton.
About 70 people were injured in Argentina on Christmas Day, when a swarm of carnivorous fish attacked at a beach near the city of Rosario, on the Parana River.
Argentina state-run Telam news agency described the fish as a relative of the piranha.
No one was killed, but swimmers suffered various injuries, including a 7-year-old girl who lost a part of one of her pinky fingers, Telam reported.
About 70 people were injured in Argentina on Christmas Day, when a swarm of carnivorous fish attacked at a beach near the city of Rosario, on the Parana River
Ricardo Biasatti, sub secretary of Natural Resources for the province of Santa Fe, described the incident to the agency as “isolated and insignificant,” when the size of the river is taken into consideration.
Julian Aguilar, president of a local fisherman’s group, also downplayed it, saying the likelihood of such an event happening again was low, as attacks by this type of fish on humans are “occasional.”
The area is a popular swimming spot this time of year in Argentina, where it is summer.
Bruce Springsteen’s most recent album, High Hopes, has briefly appeared for download on Amazon, two weeks ahead of its scheduled release date.
According to Billboard magazine, High Hopes appeared online for several hours on Saturday.
Although the album was subsequently removed from sale, the record has now appeared on several file-sharing sites.
Bruce Springsteen has described High Hopes as the best of his “unreleased material from the past decade”.
The new album features contributions from Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici – two members of the E Street Band who have died in recent years.
Bruce Springsteen’s High Hopes has briefly appeared for download on Amazon, two weeks ahead of its scheduled release date
Tom Morello, best known for his work with Rage Against The Machine, also joins the line-up for eight tracks, after standing in for regular guitarist Steve Van Zandt on several dates of Bruce Springsteen’s recent Wrecking Ball tour.
The title track is a cover of Tim Scott McConnell’s folk song, which Bruce Springsteen originally recorded for an EP in 1996.
The record also includes re-worked versions of Down In The Hole and The Ghost Of Tom Joad, alongside a cover of punk band Suicide’s Dream Baby Dream.
“The best way to describe this record is that it’s a bit of an anomaly,” Bruce Springsteen recently told Rolling Stone magazine.
Amazon has yet to make a comment on the incident, in which individual songs were available to download via its mobile site.
The tracks have since been removed from sale, and the album’s official release is still listed as January 14.
Bruce Springsteen resumes his world tour in South Africa next month, while the E Street Band are due to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April.
Snoop Dogg fist bumped with Secretary of State John Kerry during a party in early December hosted by the Obama Administration at the White House to honor the 2013 Kennedy Center Honorees.
The rapper took his family for the event at the White House and said: “I’ve got my wife, my daughter and we’re going to have a good time.”
Snoop Dogg fist bumped with Secretary of State John Kerry during a party at the White House
Snoop Dogg also said during a video posted by CBS: “Eastside LBC to DC, my baby boo been with me the whole way through… We at the White House doing it big.”
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug has topped the US box office for a third week despite festive competition from The Wolf Of Wall Street.
The film took $30 million over the weekend, bringing its US total to $190 million.
Disney animation Frozen was at number two, switching places with Will Ferrell’s comedy Anchorman 2 at three.
Martin Scorsese’s Wolf of Wall Street was the biggest new release, at five.
Marking the director’s fifth collaboration with Leonardo DiCaprio, the black comedy is based on stock broker Jordan Belfort’s memoir of the same name.
The film took $19 million after opening at number two on Christmas Day with $9.15 million.
Analysts said it had suffered slightly due to its three-hour length – meaning it cannot be shown as many times in a day as its competitors.
The only other new entry in the top 10 was Keanu Reeves’ samurai film 47 Ronin, which weathered bad reviews to debut at number nine with $9.9 million.
Reuters reported that film company Universal had revised its profit estimates on Christmas Eve after it became apparent the film would not break even.
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug has topped the US box office for a third week despite festive competition from The Wolf Of Wall Street
With two days left to go, the North American Box Office is on track to beat last year’s record takings of $10.8 billion, said chart trackers Rentrak.
Rentrack estimated ticket sales would top $10.9 billion by the New Year, boosted by several award-friendly films in the Top 10.
Chief among them is American Hustle, which has already gained seven Golden Globe nominations.
Directed by David O. Russell, American Hustle stars Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper, who appeared in his Oscar-winning Silver Linings Playbook, alongside Amy Adams and Christian Bale, from the similarly-lauded Russell drama The Fighter.
North American box office Top 5:
1.Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – $30 million
2. Frozen – $28.9 million
3.Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues – $20.2 million
Russian ship Akademik Shokalskiy stranded in East Antarctica since Christmas Day remained stuck as the latest rescue efforts were thwarted by fierce winds and poor visibility.
An Australian icebreaker trying to reach the Russian scientific mission ship was forced to turn back.
Earlier attempts by Chinese and French icebreakers to reach the Akademik Shokalskiy were also foiled by the thick ice.
Seventy-four scientists, tourists and crew are on the ship.
The vessel is being used by the Australasian Antarctic Expedition to follow the route explorer Douglas Mawson travelled a century ago.
Scientists on board thought the ice was much thicker than usual for this time of year.
Akademik Shokalskiy stranded in East Antarctica since Christmas Day remained stuck as the latest rescue efforts were thwarted by fierce winds and poor visibility
The Aurora Australis icebreaker had been forced to turn back to clear water and was repositioning to try to find another route towards the Shokalskiy.
In a statement, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said: “The area where the MV Akademik Shokalskiy is beset by ice is currently experiencing winds of up to 30 knots and snow showers.”
“These weather conditions have resulted in poor visibility and made it difficult and unsafe for the Aurora Australis to continue today’s attempt to assist the MV Akademik Shokalskiy.”
Earlier, it was thought that passengers could be winched to safety by a helicopter on board the Chinese icebreaker, which had to abort its rescue mission on Saturday.
However, AMSA spokeswoman Lisa Martin told Reuters news agency: “We can’t fly a helicopter in these conditions either. There is essentially nothing we can do at this point of time.”
The Aurora Australis would have to wait for the weather to improve before making a second rescue attempt, she added.
Despite being trapped, the scientists on board have continued their experiments, measuring temperature and salinity through cracks in the surrounding ice.
Akademik Shokalskiy was trapped on Christmas Day by thick sheets of ice, driven by strong winds, about 1,500 nautical miles south of Hobart – the capital of the Australian state of Tasmania.
At least 10 people are killed and more than 20 others hurt in a suspected suicide bombing in the Russian city of Volgograd, in what officials say is the second suicide attack there in less than two days.
The blast comes in less than 24 hours after 17 people died in another suicide attack at the central station in the city.
Security has been tightened at railway stations and airports across Russia.
Moscow is concerned militant groups could be ramping up violence in the run-up to the 2014 winter Olympic Games in the city of Sochi.
The Olympic venue is close to Russia’s volatile north Caucasus region.
Volgograd lies about 900 km south of Moscow, 650 km north of the North Caucasus and 700 km north-east of Sochi.
The latest explosion took place near a busy market in the city’s Dzerzhinsky district.
The latest explosion in Volgograd took place near a busy market in the city’s Dzerzhinsky district
Maksim Akhmetov, a Russian TV reporter who was at the scene of the blast, said the trolleybus was packed with people going to work in the morning rush hour.
He described the scene as “terrible”, adding that the bus was “ravaged” and that there were “bodies everywhere, blood on the snow”.
The explosion removed much of the bus’s exterior and broke windows in nearby buildings.
The figures given for the number of dead and injured are still fluctuating – and a one-year-old child is said to be among the victims.
A spokesman for Russia’s Investigative Committee said both explosions were now being treated as acts of terrorism.
Sunday’s blast rocked Volgograd-1 station at around 12:45 at a time of year when millions of Russians are travelling to celebrate the New Year.
Michael Schumacher is in a critical condition after a skiing accident in Meribel, says the French hospital treating him.
Michael Schumacher, 44, suffered serious brain trauma, was in a coma on arrival and underwent a brain operation.
He was skiing off-piste with his son in the French Alps on Sunday when the accident occurred.
Michael Schumacher was wearing a helmet when he fell and hit his head against a rock, his manager Sabine Kehm said.
Early reports had said his condition was not life-threatening and he reportedly walked away from the accident complaining only of feeling a bit shaken.
The accident took place in the French ski resort of Meribel on Sunday morning.
The resort’s director, Christophe Gernignon-Lecomte, said Schumacher was attended to by two ski patrollers who requested helicopter evacuation to the nearby valley town of Moutiers.
Michael Schumacher is in a critical condition after a skiing accident in Meribel
The seven-time Formula 1 champion was subsequently moved to the bigger facility at Grenoble, in south-east France. His wife Corinna and two children are with him.
“Mr. Schumacher was admitted to the University Hospital of Grenoble at 12:40, following a skiing accident which occurred in Meribel in the late morning,” the Grenoble hospital said in a statement.
“He suffered a severe head injury with coma on arrival, which required immediate neurosurgical intervention. He remains in a critical situation.”
The hospital statement was signed by the facility’s neurosurgeon, the professor in charge of its anaesthesia/revival unit, and the hospital’s deputy director, reports said.
A hospital official declined to give more details and said more information would be given out on Monday, said Reuters news agency.
Experts say it is likely that his brain began to swell and the urgent surgery was required to relieve the pressure.
Professor Gerard Saillant, a close ally and friend of Michael Schumacher, and his former Ferrari team boss Jean Todt are at the hospital.
Prof. Gerard Saillant is an expert in brain and spine injury. He oversaw Michael Schumacher’s medical care when the driver broke his leg in the 1999 British GP.
Michael Schumacher, who turns 45 on January 3, retired from F1 for a second time in 2012.
A Saudi royal member, who murdered a fellow Saudi, may be executed, a newspaper reported on Sunday, in a rare example of a member of the kingdom’s ruling family facing the death penalty.
The English-language Arab News did not name the prince or his victim, but said a senior member of the family and government, Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud, had “cleared the way for the possible execution of a prince convicted of murdering a Saudi citizen”.
In a message about the case to Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, Prince Salman said: “Sharia [Islamic law] shall be applied to all without exception.”
Prince Salman’s message followed a statement from the victim’s father that he was not ready to pardon the killer and he was not happy with the amount offered as blood money.
The families of murder victims are encouraged by authorities to accept blood money instead of insisting on execution.
Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud had cleared the way for the possible execution of a prince convicted of murdering a Saudi citizen
The paper quoted Crown Prince Salman’s message as saying: “There is no difference between big and small, rich and poor … Nobody is allowed to interfere with the judiciary’s decision. This is the tradition of this state. We are committed to following the sharia.”
The Arab News is part of a media group chaired by a son of Crown Prince Salman, who is also deputy PM and minister of defense.
The kingdom, which follows a strict version of sharia has been criticized in the West for its high number of executions, inconsistencies in the application of the law, and its use of public beheading to carry out death sentences.
Saudi Arabia had executed at least 47 people as of May 2013, according to Amnesty International’s website, compared to 82 in all of 2011 and a similar number in 2012.
Members of the ruling family are only rarely known to be executed. One of the most prominent cases was Faisal bin Musaid al Saud, who assassinated his uncle, King Faisal, in 1975.
The Saudi royal family is estimated to number several thousand. While members receive monthly stipends, and the most senior princes command great wealth and political power, only a few in the family hold nationally important government posts.
Three journalists working for the Al-Jazeera broadcaster in Cairo have been arrested by Egyptian police.
The Interior Ministry said the journalists had held illegal meetings with the banned Muslim Brotherhood.
The Muslim Brotherhood was declared a terrorist organization last week.
The military-backed interim government launched a crackdown on the movement following President Mohamed Morsi’s removal from power.
Thousands of Muslim Brotherhood members, including its leadership, have been arrested and many put on trial.
The journalists, who work for Al-Jazeera English, are understood to have been detained late on Sunday night.
Three journalists working for the Al-Jazeera broadcaster in Cairo have been arrested by Egyptian police
They are Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, who holds Canadian nationality, Peter Greste, an Australian, and an unnamed cameraman who is said to have been arrested at home.
The Egyptian Interior Ministry said in a statement that cameras, recordings and other material had been seized from rooms at a hotel in Cairo.
It accused the journalists of broadcasting news that were “damaging to national security”.
Observers say Egypt’s media environment has been highly charged since Mohamed Morsi’s overthrow.
Several Islamist channels were closed down immediately after the military intervention in the summer. Journalists working for them were temporarily detained.
The latest arrests come after fresh deadly clashes between police and Muslim Brotherhood supporters across Egypt.
Three people were killed – in Cairo, southern Minya province and the Nile Delta – during the violence.
Security forces detained some 265 Muslim Brotherhood supporters, officials said.
Wojciech Kilar, who was BAFTA-nominated for his score to Roman Polanski’s Oscar-winning film The Pianist, has died aged 81.
The Polish pianist and composer died in his hometown Katowice following a long illness.
“The power and the message of his music… will stay in my memory forever,” said Jerzy Kornowicz, head of the Association of Polish Composers.
Wojciech Kilar’s work as a film composer included Dracula and Roman Polanski’s The Ninth Gate.
Wojciech Kilar was BAFTA-nominated for his score to Roman Polanski’s Oscar-winning film The Pianist
Although he cited his first love as writing symphonies and concertos, he won worldwide attention as a film composer, writing scores for more than 130 films and working with celebrity directors such as Jane Campion (Portrait of a Lady) and Francis Ford Coppola.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula won Wojciech Kilar the best score composer award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in 1992.
Francis Ford Coppola is understood to have given Wojciech Kilar a free rein to compose the score for Dracula, and it was reported that when the American director later asked Kilar what it took to write music like his, Kilar cryptically replied: “You need to live in Katowice.”
Born in 1932, Wojciech Kilar studied piano and composition in Poland, graduating from the State Higher School of Music, in Katowice, with top honors in 1955.
Inspired by the works of Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and fellow countryman Karol Szymanowski – Wojciech Kilar co-founded the Karol Szymanowski Society in 1977 – his work incorporated Polish folk songs and Catholic church music.
