USA - The American people aren’t falling for NSA’s propaganda. They want the rogue agency reined in. But Obama refuses to rein in the NSA, Dianne Feinstein says that Congress “doesn’t have the votes” to do anything about mass surveillance, and at least some judges are supporting the NSA’s spying. But states are trying to fight back. Legislation has been introduced in 10 states proposing one or both of the following: Cutting off water, electricity or other resources to NSA facilities [and] prohibiting the state’s cooperation with the NSA. Democrats who support the NSA will be vulnerable next election, and progressives need to re-claim freedom from mass surveillance as a core issue.

PHILIPPINES - After five decades of bloody conflict, the southern Philippines could soon be open for investment, after a peace agreement was reached this weekend between the government and Muslim insurgents. The area where the conflict was the most intense — particularly the 38,000 square mile island of Mindanao — has been long-coveted by Philippine investors, foreign governments and multinational mining companies alike. In 2006, the US embassy in Manilla estimated that untapped natural resource wealth in the country could be worth as much as $1 trillion, in a cable later made public by Wikileaks.

USA - Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said Wednesday the service will “get to the bottom” of a systemic problem in its nuclear force, where 14 percent of officers reportedly have been at least temporarily removed from active duty after allegations of cheating on a proficiency exam. “We do have a systemic problem,” James said at an Air Force Association event in Arlington, Virginia. “The need for perfection has created way too much stress and way too much fear.” The Air Force is also looking at improving pay and career options and addressing problems such as burnout and micromanagement in an attempt to make the career field more appealing for new airmen, she said.

GERMANY - US Secretary of State John Kerry plans to visit Berlin on Friday in an attempt to repair the damage done by the NSA spying scandal. German officials aren't expecting any official apology, and the trip comes at a difficult time in trans-Atlantic ties. A government spokesman confirmed that Kerry will visit Berlin during a trip to Germany on Friday. Kerry is a scheduled speaker at the prestigious Munich Security Conference this weekend, but he plans to meet with his counterpart, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin on Friday. A meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel is also planned.

JAPAN/USA - If hundreds of tons of radioactive waste were being pumped into our oceans daily — so much so that it began to affect our food sources and increase our rates of mortality — then they would tell us, right? Apparently not! Who “they” are I cannot say, but they obviously have a reason for not telling the people that the food that they are eating could kill them.

USA - Samples of milk taken across the United States have shown radiation at levels 2000 percent higher than EPA maximums. The reason that milk is so significant is that it is representative of the entire food supply. According to an article published on Natural News, “Cows consume grass and are exposed to the same elements as food crops and water supplies. In other words, when cows’ milk starts testing positive for high levels of radioactive elements, this is indicative of radioactive contamination of the entire food supply.”

EUROPE - Outside the Brussels bubble, people out there in the real world are struggling with euro-induced poverty, unemployment, and powerlessness. The European election will be a golden opportunity for those who do not have a strong voice in the present parliament to shout in a very clear fashion, "No to the United States of Europe" as envisaged by EU justice and fundamental rights commissioner Viviane Reding. There is growing disillusionment and anger about the EU across the European continent, not just in the UK; and Eurosceptics of every hue will seek to channel these democratic hopes and economic fears into a force ready to take on those who wish to keep on building a failing centralised state, headquartered in Brussels.

EUROPE - German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble Monday defended Germany's trade surplus, which has been criticized for bringing about imbalances between European member states, and said EU treaty changes were needed in order to make sure important decisions such as the creation of a Banking Union can be made more efficiently. "Changes of treaties have become increasingly difficult. We need to do something about that. We want to make Europe stronger. We want to make Europe more competitive," Schaeuble said.

EUROPE - Chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi said that undoubtedly, the return of terrorists to Europe will create severe crisis in that region. According to reports, some EU intelligence agencies have even held secret meetings with Syrian government officials about their concerns. The talks involve British, French, German and Spanish spy agencies. The International Center for the Study of Radicalization estimated last month that nearly 2,000 militants from western Europe are involved in the conflict in Syria.

CHINA/JAPAN - Anti-Japanese sentiment in China runs deep, fueled by memories of Japan’s brutal invasion and occupation during World War II. These feelings have been strengthened by the Chinese education system and state-controlled media, along with frequent examples over the years of half-hearted and waffling contrition on the part of the Japanese government. They have even been absorbed into the national narrative of China’s rise, such that China will only receive the official stamp of superpowerdom once Japan has been fully eclipsed in East Asia - politically, economically, and militarily.

RUSSIA - Fears of bank runs have escalated with the news that Russian lender ‘My Bank’ has banned all cash withdrawals until next week. “Bloomberg reports that ‘My Bank’ – one of Russia’s top 200 lenders by assets – has introduced a complete ban on cash withdrawals until next week. While the Ruble has been losing ground rapidly recently, we suspect few have been expecting bank runs in Russia. On Saturday it emerged that HSBC was restricting large cash withdrawals for UK customers from £5000 upwards, forcing them to provide documentation of what they plan to spend the money on, a form of capital control that more and more banks are beginning to adopt.

UK - It’s been calculated that it takes about 27,000 bees to make a jar of honey. In a good season a single hive can produce about 60lb of honey. Bees fly about 55,000 miles (that’s the equivalent of one-and-a-half times round the world) to make a single pound. For centuries honey has been said to possess numerous health benefits. Because of honey’s very low water content it’s thought to prevent the growth of harmful micro-organisms, while it also contains hydrogen peroxide which is hostile to bacteria. Recent research has involved using honey to treat wounds and burns and combat MRSA.

EUROPE - Some EU countries that have criticised US cyber surveillance are "hypocritical" as they themselves are failing to protect citizens' private information, the European Union's top justice official said on Tuesday. Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding - a critic of the data gathering exposed by former US spy contractor Edward Snowden - said she was seeking more legal assurances from Washington but urged European countries to improve their own behaviour. "There's been a lot of hypocrisy in the debate," Reding told an audience in Brussels.

USA - A rare blast of snow, sleet and ice hit the US South on Tuesday, prompting three states to declare a state of emergency, closing the New Orleans airport and causing chaos on roads for drivers unaccustomed to the dangerously slick conditions. Louisiana, Mississippi and North Carolina each declared a state of emergency, telling motorists to stay off the roads. Rain and freezing temperatures combined to snarl the morning commute through large parts of central Texas and Louisiana, where roads and bridges were iced over. Police in Austin, Texas, reported more than 150 crashes caused by icy roads but said there had been no fatalities.

GERMANY - The risk is rising that the German constitutional court will severely restrict the eurozone bond rescue scheme for Italy and Spain, and may reignite the euro debt crisis by prohibiting the German Bundesbank from taking part. The Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper reports that the verdict has been delayed until April due to the complexity of the case and "intense differences of opinion" among the eight judges. The longer the case goes on the less likely it is that the court - or Verfassungsgericht - will rubber stamp requests from the German government for a ruling that underpins the agreed bail-out machinery.