GERMANY - The current policy of “saber rattling” should not continue, Erwin Sellering, the prime minister of the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, told Germany’s weekly Welt am Sonntag newspaper, as he called for lifting anti-Russian sanctions. “The tit-for-tat sanctions have brought nothing. They should be lifted as soon as possible,” Sellering, who represents the Social Democrats, told Welt am Sonntag, adding that Russia and Western countries should “move closer” again. His words were partly echoed by Thorsten Schaefer-Guembel, vice chairman of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD), which now forms the ruling coalition with German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU). “The SPD should now breathe new life into the policy of détente right now, in the times of crisis,” he said, stressing that Germany should “hold all negotiation channels open” and rely on diplomacy and bringing “change through rapprochement,” particularly in its relations with Russia.

CHINA - China is edging towards "financial calamity" and must wean itself off its debt addiction and reform if it is to avoid a crisis, the International Monetary Fund has warned. Markus Rodlauer, deputy director of the IMF's Asia-Pacific department, said the world's second largest economy was approaching a tipping point where its rapidly growing financial sector and surge in shadow credit could undermine the state's ability to contain the fallout from a crash. "The level of financial and corporate debt and the complexity of the financial system and rapid growth in shadow banking is on an unsustainable path," he said. "The longer it lasts ... the more serious the disturbance and the disruption might be.

CHINA - The Chinese Foreign Ministry has publicly backed Russia’s positions on “the most important” global issues, including Moscow’s take on the Syrian and Afghan conflicts. It stressed that the two keep close contact as fellow UN Security Council permanent members. "China and Russia hold similar positions on the most important international and regional issues, including on Syria and Afghanistan. The sides, being permanent members of the UN Security Council, continue close cooperation on international and regional issues," Li Baodong said. Being the only non-western member of the UN Security Council besides Russia, China has been taking Moscow’s side on heated and highly debatable issues.

VATICAN - The ultimate goal of Islam is world conquest and the “supine” West is only helping it achieve that aim, a senior cardinal has said. Speaking in an interview with Italian newspaper Il Giornale, Cardinal Raymond Burke accused Westerners of being too weak to acknowledge the incompatibility of Christianity and Islam.

EUROPE - The eurozone's future looks far darker and more likely to fall apart, following Britain's vote to leave the European Union (EU), according to the chief executives at some of the world's biggest investment banks. Brexit could spark a total collapse of the single currency and the economic bloc, JPMorgan chief executive Jamie Dinon warned.

USA - Dire predictions that the Arctic would be devoid of sea ice by September this year have proven to be unfounded after latest satellite images showed there is far more now than in 2012.

GERMANY - Strategic errors, massive fines and attacks by speculators have created a major crisis for Germany's most important bank. Now, investors from Qatar, who already own some 10 percent of Deutsche Bank, are considering taking control. The 2014 purchase of Deustche Bank shares has been the sheikh's most important strategic investment. The key question as to the future of Deutsche Bank is what the sheikh wants to do with it.

UK - It’s the end of the world as we know it with Brits thinking a religious apocalypse, nuclear bomb and zombie invasion could cause human extinction. According to a YouGov survey nearly four in ten of Brits surveyed think nuclear warfare will be the most likely cause of human extinction. Climate change is the next most popular choice on 31 per cent. A pandemic, bees dying out and an extreme seismic event were also considered likely end of days events. An alien invasion or zombie outbreak are seen as the least likely option on just two per cent. Out of 1,581 people surveyed, eight per cent think a religious apocalypse is most likely to cause the end of the human race. Baptist minster Mark Woods told Express.co.uk: “I think that there is a section of the church where God is seen sometimes as being quite an angry and destructive character.”

USA - The batch of emails released by Wikileaks on October 7 includes one in which Hillary Clinton press secretary Brian Fallon explained that Clinton “would support… closing the gun show loophole by executive order.” Fallon also highlighted Clinton’s support of universal background checks–which have already failed in California, Colorado, Washington state, and Paris – and her support for a scenario wherein victims of crime would be able to sue gun manufacturers. Her plan to open gun manufacturers to lawsuits by crime victims will not reduce crime either, but it will bankrupt – and eventually end – gun manufacturing in the United States.

USA - The next global conflict will move at a speed which humans can barely keep up with - due to the fact that artificial intelligence will be in the driving seat. The death toll could ramp up at barely conceivable speeds, a Pentagon chief has warned - due to the use of ‘smart weaponry’ and AI.

Major General William Hix said, ‘A conventional conflict in the near future will be extremely lethal and fast, and we will not own the stopwatch. The speed of events is likely to strain our human abilities,’ Hix said. 'The speed at which machines can make decisions in the far future is likely to challenge our ability to cope, demanding a new relationship between man and machine.’

GERMANY - Despite Britain’s move to block an EU army, a growing number of experts believe a recent German defense paper shows Berlin has ambitions to run an EU army, and has a plan to cut through Brussels’ red tape and create one by itself. But at what cost to NATO?

UK - Former military adversaries Britain and Germany are weighing up a serious defense alliance which would see UK helicopters stationed on German naval ships. The plans, announced by UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, will see the two countries increase joint training exercises with Britain stationing a new Wildcat helicopter aboard a German warship during a Mediterranean Sea training mission in 2017.

EUROPE - EU finally gets its own ARMED force as Brussels ‘private army’ border guard launches. BRUSSELS has finally realised its long-held dream of having its own armed and lethal police force with the low-key launch of a centralised EU border guard this week. Officers with the newly created European Border and Coast Guard (EBCG) will be stationed on European soil carrying automatic weapons in a worrying new development for civil liberties and freedom. The troopers, who will answer directly to unelected bureaucrats in Brussels, are being tasked with patrolling the continent’s land and sea borders in a bid to bring the migration crisis under control.

GERMANY - Germany has issued a stark warning to the UK to not block their plans for an EU-wide army. The defence minister in Berlin has warned the UK not to thwart the controversial defence scheme and said otherwise it could impact post-Brexit negotiations. Ursula von der Leyen, touted as a successor to Chancellor Angela Merkel, was responding to Britain’s criticisms of the proposal to create a Franco-German defence HQ, with fears it will lead to the dreaded EU army. Ms von der Leyen said: “The plea to the British is only not to block important European developments, when they say they want Brexit. It’s not good to prevent Europe from organising itself better.”

EUROPE - Global finance leaders issued a fresh warning on economic stability for the EU today, slamming the huge US fine for Deutsche Bank as a mass destabilisation of Germany's largest bank. Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the chairman of euro zone finance ministers, said that the US Department of Justice's demand that Deutsche Bank pay $14 billion for its role in the sub-prime mortgage crisis is too big and will undermine financial stability.