UK - Bishops have warned the BBC it risks turning its back on efforts to tackle extremism and aid integration by slashing spending on religious programming. The Telegraph understands the corporation is preparing significant cuts to its religion and ethics budget despite accusations that it has already sidelined faith issues at a time of massive global upheaval. It comes just days after the corporation was lambasted for scheduling only minimal new religious broadcasting over Christmas this year when repeats are discounted.

USA - The American public and the world have long since been warned of the dangers of allowing the military industrial complex to become such an integral part of our economic survival. The United States is the self-proclaimed angel of democracy in the world, but just as George Orwell warned, war is the health of the state, and in the language of newspeak, democracy is the term we use to hide the reality of the nature of our warfare state.

In truth, the United States of America has been engaged in some kind of war during 218 out of the nation’s total 239 years of existence. Put another way, in the entire span of US history, this country has only experienced 21 years without conflict.

GERMANY - Police have reported a surge in attacks against migrant reception centres. And in the Dresden suburb of Freital I met a local left-wing politician, whose office and car were bombed by neo-Nazis. "I'm scared," said Michael Richter. "I see parallels with 1933 and Hitler. Again we have a social movement that is getting out of control. I am more afraid of Germans than I am of the refugees." He is worried about how anti-refugee and anti-migrant rhetoric has been entering the mainstream political discourse. This is a recurring theme on the left these days.

USA - American business magnate George Soros is making every effort to boost the refugee flow to Europe, by encouraging asylum seekers to travel to the continent and urging the European leaders to fork out, F William Engdahl notes. George Soros, the notorious business magnate, is shifting the responsibility for America's adventurism in the Middle East onto Europe, most notably Germany, American-German researcher, historian and strategic risk consultant F William Engdahl underscores. Soros completely ignores the fact that many European powers are currently struggling with domestic economic crises. "Soros is generous with other peoples' money," Engdahl remarks.

USA - The US is at an ever growing risk of cyber attacks, with energy infrastructure likely to be hackers' prime target. This was the stark warning made by General Keith Alexander, the retired general and former chief of the National Security Agency, earlier this year.

ISRAEL - A preliminary "understanding" to normalize relations between Ankara and Jerusalem has been reached by top-level officials, anonymous sources reported. If signed, the pact will see ambassadors returning to both countries.

EUROPE - The EU will move rapidly towards setting up a new joint border and coastguard force over the next six months, EU leaders have said. "We should adopt a position by July [on the force]", European Council President Donald Tusk said. It would have a stronger mandate than the current Frontex border agency, which suffers from a lack of resources. Record numbers of migrants have reached Italy and Greece by boat this year.

USA - After four years of violence and terrorism, Secretary of State John Kerry says “the United States and its partners are not seeking regime change in Syria!” The declaration is not only bizarre, in that many of America’s rogue partners in Syria are terrorist groups formed explicitly to oust the government, but because Kerry himself, as well as other US officials, have been openly demanding unconditional regime change for several years now. After all, that was the whole idea when they decided to bankroll ISIL and Al-Qaeda, attack Syria, reduce it to a failed state, and create over 10 million refugees.

ITALY - If you’re planning a trip to the northern town of Pontoglio, be warned: you’ll be thrown out if you don’t respect Christian values.

EUROPE - So they finally got there. Along with two parliament buildings, an anthem, a flag, an over-bloated, underworked, unaudited staff, an army can now be added to the unchecked expansion of the European Union.

UK - David Cameron has signalled that the UK will stage its referendum on membership of the European Union in 2016 and made clear his view that continued membership is vital not just to economic security but to the fight against international terrorism.

UK - Britain would be landed with £11 billion in new tariffs if it left the EU and did not get a free trade agreement, according to the leader of the group campaigning to stay in. Lord Rose, who heads Britain Stronger in Europe, published research suggesting that the UK would have to begin trading with the EU using World Trade Organisation rules, which would cost businesses and consumers more.

UK - David Cameron has been accused of a "migration cover-up" after it emerged that more than a million migrants who have come to the UK in recent years are unaccounted for. Ministers have failed to release data which experts believe could show the true number of EU migrants coming to the UK, claiming that it would be “unhelpful” to Mr Cameron’s current renegotiation with Brussels ahead of the in-out referendum. There were accusations that the figures are being suppressed amid fears that releasing the data could lead to Britain leaving the EU.

USA - Acceptance of homosexuality is rising across the broad spectrum of American Christianity, including among members of churches that strongly oppose homosexual relationships as sinful,  according to an extensive Pew Research Center survey of US religious beliefs and practices. Amid a changing religious landscape that has seen a declining percentage of Americans who identify as Christian, a majority of US Christians (54%) now say that homosexuality should be accepted, rather than discouraged, by society.

USA - Nearly three dozen religious colleges and universities in 20 US states have received federal waivers allowing them not to accommodate transgender students in admissions, housing and other areas of campus life, according to a report by the nation's largest LGBT rights group and documents obtained by The Associated Press.