GERMANY - In the few months leading up to the one-hundredth anniversary of the beginning of World War I, a new debate, over who was responsible for starting the war, is gaining momentum in Germany.

GERMANY - A team of German researchers has announced to the press that the bones they have been studying for almost 26 years are almost certainly those of Charlemagne, the first ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. Charlemagne is an historic figure as many consider him to be the father of modern Europe — he managed to forge the first empire in Europe (it included most of Western Europe) after the demise of the Roman Empire. Adding to his stature is that he reportedly personally led most of the 53 campaigns that led to his empire being built. Today, the monarchies in both Germany and France consider their realms to be direct descendants of the empire Charlemagne built.

VATICAN - Pope Francis extolled the benefits of sharing wealth with the poor on Tuesday, warning that "unjust" social conditions like unemployment can lead to sin, financial ruin and even suicide. The Jesuit pope has frequently railed about the excesses of capitalism and income disparity in a globalized world, and his message for Lent issued Tuesday echoed those same concerns. "When power, luxury and money become idols, they take priority over the need for a fair distribution of wealth," he said in the short message. "Our consciences thus need to be converted to justice, equality, simplicity and sharing."

USA - Morgan Stanley (MS.N) said it would pay $1.25 billion to the US regulator for Fannie Mae (FNMA.OB) and Freddie Mac (FMCC.OB) to settle a lawsuit related to the sale of mortgage-backed securities. The Wall Street bank will add $150 million to its legal reserves as a result of the settlement with the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Morgan Stanley disclosed in a regulatory filing on Tuesday. Several large US banks have set aside extra money to pay for potential legal costs in the aftermath of JPMorgan Chase & Co's (JPM.N) massive $13 billion settlement with US authorities over bad mortgages.

USA - On Friday, America’s debt limit extension expires and Congress is expected to renew its legal $16.7 trillion debt cap. If the debt limit isn’t raised, the US could burn through its cash as soon as February 28, Secretary Treasurer Jacob Lew warns. “Time is short. Congress needs to act to extend the nation’s borrowing authority, and it needs to act now,” Lew told an audience at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington DC think tank. On Friday, February 7, Congress will vote to increase the statutory debt limit, which will enable the government to pay for spending bills it has already passed. "Without borrowing authority, at some point very soon, it would not be possible to meet all of the obligations of the federal government," Lew said.

UK - So much for all that talk of ‘winding down’, let alone a regency. To read some recent reports, one might imagine that the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh had all but retired to the dower house in reduced circumstances and handed over to the younger generation. But that narrative will, surely, be quietly shelved. We now learn that the 87-year-old Queen and 92-year-old Duke are preparing to embark on a fresh year of milestones and major events — not least an historic trip to meet the new Pope in his Vatican B&B and a state visit to France. Next autumn, she will overtake Queen Victoria and become the longest-reigning sovereign in our history. No wonder world leaders are queuing up for a chat.

USA - The economic picture is looking brighter these days. The federal government announced Thursday that economic growth had picked up to its fastest pace in two years, while employment growth over the past five months has averaged a healthy 185,000 new jobs. But as evidenced by a report out Thursday from the Corporation for Enterprise Development, nearly half of Americans are living in a state of “persistent economic insecurity,” that makes it “difficult to look beyond immediate needs and plan for a more secure future.” In other words, too many of us are living paycheck to paycheck.

USA - How dangerous is the world? Listen to what leaders in the intelligence community are saying and it’s frightening. Besides the usual international hotspots — terrorism from the Middle East, Chinese militarization and Iran’s nuclear weapons program — many topical threats including organized crime, food and energy crises, and global pandemics are areas that are a growing concern to intelligence officials.

USA - When Chicago Tribune reporter Will Potter went to pass out animal rights leaflets, he had no idea the FBI would single him out and pressure him to become an anti-activism informant, threatening his future if he refused. Here, we talk to the TED Fellow and author of Green is the New Red about this experience, which sent him into a whole new area of research. The crux of what he found: environmental and animal-rights activists are now considered the United States’ number-one domestic terrorism threat, and they are being prosecuted as criminals.

USA - Did you hear about the recent federal appeals court ruling that shot down the terribly-named "net neutrality?" Most people probably didn't notice the news and aren't quite sure what net neutrality actually means anyway. Before the court ruling, Internet service providers had to treat all content going through their pipes equally, just like conversations are treated going through a phone line. That is "net neutrality." After the ruling, if you're a big company with some bucks, you can pay Verizon, Comcast or a similar ISP to speed your data along faster. For the right price, your data can jump ahead in line. ISPs will also be allowed to block content they find objectionable, though they swear they would never ever do that, of course.

GERMANY - The rise of Eurosceptic groups such as the UK Independence Party hampers the cooperation that has kept the continent at peace for decades, Germany’s foreign minister said.

ISRAEL - In a heated attack on John Kerry’s speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Steinitz accused the US Secretary of State of holding a gun to Israel’s head in the peace negotiations. Kerry triggered a wave of criticism in Israel when he said there is “talk of boycotts” if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict does not come to an end.

EUROPE - EU Ambassador to Israel Lars Faaborg-Andersen threatened Israel Monday over the outcome of peace talks."There is a risk that you will face increasing isolation," Faaborg-Andersen said, in a statement to Channel 2. "Not necessarily as a result of European Union policy, but Israel has to realize that economic relations are established by private economic actors - be it consumers, be it companies - and we, as a government, have no influence on the private decisions that private citizens and companies are making." Faaborg-Andersen's comments came just days after US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Israel of similar consequences if peace talks fail, in remarks widely perceived as a threat against Israel.

GERMANY - German President Joachim Gauck has said his country should put aside World War II anxieties and play a bigger military role abroad. “While there are genuine pacifists in Germany, there are also people who use Germany’s guilt for its past as a shield for laziness,” he said on Friday (31 January) at the Munich Security Conference, a yearly meeting of European and US security chiefs. “This [guilt] gives Germany a questionable right to look the other way … Restraint can be taken too far.” Gauck indicated that Germany’s role in leading the EU on the financial crisis could be repeated in leading the way on EU military co-operation. “We’re not calling the alliance with the US into question. But we’ve observed symptoms of stress and uncertainty about the future,” he said of Nato.

CHINA - Speaking for the first time since her departure from Fitch last year, Chu, who has taken a new job at Autonomous, the respected independent research firm, says she remains adamant that a Chinese banking collapse of some description remains not just an outside chance, but a certainty. “The banking sector has extended $14 trillion to $15 trillion in the span of five years. There’s no way that we are not going to have massive problems in China,” she says. As the problems in the Chinese financial system become harder to ignore, it is likely Chu’s opinions are going to be increasingly sought as investors look for insight on what is going on in the world’s second-largest economy.