Scientists trapped on ship in Antarctic keep spirits up

Tourists and scientists aboard a Russian ship, the MV Akademik Shokalskiy, which has been trapped for eight days in the Antarctic, have been keeping their spirits up by composing a song to celebrate the New Year.

The group, who are part of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, uploaded a video of their performance of the song to the internet. Professor Chris Turney from the University of New South Wales, introduces the song as "the anthem of the expedition".

Some of their lyrics highlight their plight: "We're the AAE who have travelled far, having fun doing science in Antarctica. Lots of snow and lots of ice, lots of penguins which are very, very nice."

The singers welcomed the New Year in at 1100 GMT, two hours ahead of Sydney.