American skier Lindsey Vonn is airlifted to the hospital after crashing on the women’s super-G course at the Alpine skiing world championships in Schladming, Austria. The 28-year-old reportedly lost balance after a jump, lost one ski, slid off course, and hit a gate before coming to a halt. Click through for more newsy images from around the globe. PHOTO: AP Photo/Luca Bruno
Yikes. Hope she’s OK.
Muammar Gaddafi’s former prime minister and oil minister was found floating in the Danube River, though no obvious signs of violence could be found. An autopsy will take place in the next few days, though it’s unknown if details regarding his death will be made public. Ghanem served as prime minister from 2003-2006, and as oil minister until last year. He defected last summer during the Libyan Revolution, and moved to Vienna to work as a consultant. (Photo via The Friday Times) source
With a lead fit for his legend, martial artist Chuck Norris is five weeks away from having a bridge named after him. Online voting doesn’t end until February but, with 74% of votes cast for Norris (who currently hawks Era laundry detergent in the U.S.), it’s hard to imagine another challenger taking the lead. While the final decision will be left to a regional committee, regional governor Pavol Freso said the committee will honor the wishes of the people represented in the poll. “The same way as we have so far been building it in full sight of the public, we will seek that the name is accepted by the public as well,” he said, all but dashing the hopes of second-place “Maria Theresa Bridge”. Then again, five weeks is more than enough time for someone like Stephen Colbert to jump in the race. (Or why stop there? The ShortFormBlog Bridge has a good ring to it! Get to it, internet! Make us structurally sound! — Ed.) source
Hey, it’s religious garb, guys! After a years-long struggle that included a psychological exam, Austrian Niko Alm will finally get the right to carry around a driver’s license that honors his religion: The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. “The photo was not approved on religious grounds. The only criterion for photos in driving licence applications is that the whole face must be visible,” said Vienna police spokesperson Manfred Reinthaler. In case you’ve forgotten about the Pastafarians, they’re a tongue-in-cheek religion designed to mock intelligent design. And now Niko Alm can mock it all the way to the DMV. source
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