Sydney Cafe Siege
A hostage is seen running toward police in Sydney, Australia, Dec. 15, 2014. Reuters

The hostage situation in Sydney, Australia, will be followed closely today. Five hostages were released, and police continue to negotiate with the Muslim gunman as the crisis is ongoing. Below are the stories you should be following today.

Sydney Responds To Tragedy

On Twitter, residents have responded to the Sydney café hostage situation with "#illridewithyou" to show their support of the Muslim community. The hashtag was created as a way for individuals to offer their support to anyone in the Muslim community who felt afraid because of the Sydney café siege. Currently, there are more 90,000 mentions of the hashtag. Another popular hashtag that can be used to follow the events in Australia is #sydneysiege.

This Year Was All About Getting Some "Culture"

Merriam-Webster selected its 2014 word of the year, and it's "culture." Based on searches, culture bested "nostalgia," "insidious," "legacy" and "feminism" for the title. "This year, the use of the word 'culture' to define ideas in this way has moved from the classroom syllabus to the conversation at large, appearing in headlines and analyses across a wide swath of topics," explained Merriam-Webster. Oxford Dictonaries chose "vape" as its word of the year, and Dictonary.com selected "exposure," the Associated Press reported.

The North Pole May Belong To Denmark, Not Santa

Denmark Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard said the country has a claim to the North Pole, the Associated Press reported. Lidegaard will present Denmark's case to a United Nations panel Monday, and the group will decide which country has control of the area. Denmark's claim is based on a new study that shows Greenland, a Danish territory, is connected to the North Pole. The United States, Russia, Norway and Canada also have claims to the North Pole. The country that controls the North Pole will have access to potential oil and gas resources.

There Are Only 5 Northern White Rhinos In The World

Angalifu, a northern white rhino, died Sunday at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. After Angalifu's passing, there are only five of these animals left in the world, CNN reported. "He was 44 years old and under veterinary care for geriatric conditions for some time. With Angalifu's passing, only five northern white rhinos are left on the planet, including Nola, our elderly female. The loss of this animal is a tragedy, so we ask you to share condolences with our staff," San Diego Zoo Safari Park said in a statement on Facebook.

Italy Gets Its Groove Back

Roger Cohen, a New York Times foreign correspondent, wrote an interesting article on Sunday detailing how Italy has resisted change for 30 years. Now, though, the country is beginning to embrace more modern sensibilities.