UK - Radical British preacher Anjem Choudary has come under heavy criticism for controversial remarks regarding Wednesday’s terrorist attack in Paris. London based Choudary wrote a letter, published by US news outlet USA Today, claiming that Muslims “did not believe in the concept of freedom of expression,” and that the Sharia (Islamic law) was more important than the legal systems of liberal democracies.

FRANCE - France’s Front National leader Marine Le Pen pinned the blame for the killing of 12 people in Paris yesterday on Islamic radicals, as mainstream leaders tried to downplay the religious dimension of the attack.

EUROPE - In the heart of Europe in 2015, the killing of cartoonists and journalists for allegedly insulting God still comes as a shock, despite the rising number of such attacks in recent years. In rational, post-Enlightenment Europe, religion has long since been relegated to a safe space, with Judaism and Christianity the safe targets of satire in secular western societies.

FRANCE - A policewoman was shot in the back and killed and a hero street cleaner was shot in the face as he tried to grapple with the gunman in a second horrific attack on the streets of Paris within 24 hours. The officer, who has not been named, died this morning after being attacked just before dawn in Montrouge, a suburb in the south of the French capital. A street cleaner who stepped in to try and disarm the gunmen is also said to be in a serious condition, after he was shot in the face. The shooting came less than 24 hours after the massacre at the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, which left 12 dead - including two police officers. It is not known if the two attacks are linked.

UK - Nigel Farage has been accused of exploiting the murders of cartoonists in France for political gain after saying the attack was a result of “a really rather gross policy of multi-culturalism”.

FRANCE - Hooded gunmen stormed the Paris offices of a satirical magazine known for lampooning Islam and other religions, killing at least 12 people in the most deadly militant attack on French soil in decades.

‘Charlie Hebdo’ (Charlie Weekly) is well known for courting controversy with satirical attacks on political and religious leaders of all faiths and has published numerous cartoons ridiculing the Prophet Mohammad. Jihadists online repeatedly warned that the magazine would pay for its ridicule.

NORTH KOREA - South Korea has accused Kim Jong-Un of using a 6,000-strong cyber army to launch attacks on its military and government, as well as targeting organisations overseas. North Korea may now be able to hit the US mainland with nuclear warheads thanks to advances in rocket technology and efforts to minimise the radioactive bombs, Seoul's defence ministry said. The warning comes after days of rising tensions on the Korean peninsula after Kim said he was open to 'high level' talks with the South during his New Year speech.

GERMANY - Protesters marched in several German cities on Monday against higher levels of immigration and what they see as the growing influence of Islam, in defiance of an appeal from Chancellor Angela Merkel to spurn rallies she views as racist. Some 18,000 people, the biggest number so far, turned out in Dresden on Monday but similar rallies in Berlin and the western city of Cologne were heavily outnumbered by counter-protesters who accuse PEGIDA of fanning racism and intolerance.

EUROPE - The eurozone economy saw anaemic growth in December and suffered its worst quarter for more than a year, a survey has indicated. The closely watched Markit/CIPS composite purchasing managers' index (PMI) for December fell to 51.4 from an earlier estimate of 51.7. The eurozone economy has seen 18 months of continuous, albeit weak growth. The problem has been exacerbated since the summer by the falling price of oil.

NIGERIA - The militant group Boko Haram has seized a town and key multinational military base in north-eastern Nigeria, officials and eyewitnesses say. A senator in Borno state said troops had abandoned the base in the town of Baga after it was attacked on Saturday. Residents of Baga, who fled by boat to neighbouring Chad, said many people had been killed and the town set ablaze. Baga, scene of a Nigerian army massacre in 2013, was the last town in the Borno North area under government control.

EUROPE - The euro slid to a nine-year low against the dollar as investors predicted the European Central Bank (ECB) may act to stimulate the economy. The euro fell by 1.2% against the dollar to $1.1864, marking its weakest level since March 2006, before recovering slightly to $1.19370. The drop follows ECB president Mario Draghi's comments indicating the bank could soon start quantitative easing.

Greek political turmoil also weighed on the currency.

UK - Nursery school staff and registered childminders must report toddlers at risk of becoming terrorists, under counter-terrorism measures proposed by the Government. The directive is contained in a 39-page consultation document issued by the Home Office in a bid to bolster its Prevent anti-terrorism plan. Critics said the idea was “unworkable” and “heavy-handed”, and accused the Government of treating teachers and carers as “spies”. The document accompanies the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill, currently before parliament. It identifies nurseries and early years childcare providers, along with schools and universities, as having a duty “to prevent people being drawn into terrorism”.

USA - Parents Are Calling the Cops to Supervise them Spanking their Children. When people are so dependent upon the police state that they have to actually call and ask police to come over to their own house to supervise the discipline of their own child, there might be a problem.

EUROPE - The new year is only hours old and the eurozone is plunged into yet another existential crisis. Ignore the soothing voices coming from Brussels and Berlin trying to reassure the international community – and in particular the money markets – that all is well and the financial emergency which threatened to rip asunder the EU only a few years ago is well and truly over. It isn’t – and I expect that before spring is upon us we will find out exactly why.

UK - I was admiring the centrepiece on our festive table – a combination of flowers, foliage, a couple of candles and a bit of glitter – when I noticed a warning attached to the basket: “Not for human consumption – Do Not Eat!” Thanks for the advice, but to be honest I’d have to be pretty far gone on the old cooking sherry before I started scoffing houseplants and candles. But in recent years we have become used to notices warning “May contain nuts” on a bag of peanuts and “may contain hot liquid” on a cup of takeaway coffee. Whatever next? “This is a bicycle – not for human consumption” or “This is a garden spade – do not try to eat it”. How did previous generations ever manage to stay alive without such advice from health and safety bureaucrats?