USA - A new report finds that hydraulic fracturing poses a growing risk to water supplies in several regions around the country. Only, instead of groundwater contamination that so often makes the headlines, it is from the massive consumption of fresh water in parched areas like Texas and California.

GERMANY - By referring a complaint against the European Central Bank's bond-buying policy to the European Court of Justice, Germany's constitutional court has sidestepped a crucial dispute over who has ultimate authority in the European Union. The issue is highly sensitive at a time when Eurosceptical parties that seek to roll back the EU's powers are gaining ground in many member states ahead of direct elections for the 28-nation European Parliament in May. By a 6-2 majority decision, Germany's top judges asked the European court in Luxembourg for a preliminary ruling on whether the ECB breached its mandate when it agreed to do "whatever it takes" to preserve the euro.

SINGAPORE - Throughout history, a region or country's economic growth has often been followed by a rise in defence spending. Asia-Pacific as a region is witnessing this phenomenon currently. In fact, it is the only region in the world that has seen a steady rise in defence spending over the past five years and the trend is likely to continue at the Singapore Airshow, which gets under way this week. The surge is being led by China - its defence budget has risen each year for two decades and it is now the world's second-biggest spender, behind the US.

USA - More than 8.7 million pounds of meat have been recalled from a Northern California company because the plant “processed diseased and unsound animals,” federal officials announced Saturday. The recall affects both beef and seafood items that were shipped from January 1, 2013 to January 7, 2014. Items were sent to retail locations in California, Florida, Illinois and Texas, according to officials. There have been “no reports of illness due to consumption of these products,” the US Department of Agriculture said, adding that anyone concerned should seek medical attention.

UK - Insulin use has trebled over the last 20 years in the UK driven by soaring rates of Type 2 diabetes as cases of obesity spiral, new research revealed. Experts said their findings are a “wake-up call” not only for making lifestyle changes but for how the condition is treated. Researchers analysed data from patient prescriptions. They discovered a huge increase in the use of insulin, particularly among people with Type 2, which is linked to unhealthy lifestyles.

VATICAN - It was the quietest of announcements that had the effect of a thunder-clap on the Catholic world: A year ago Tuesday, Pope Benedict XVI said in a voice so soft that cardinals strained to hear (and in a Latin not all could easily follow) that he was becoming the first pontiff to resign in more than half a millennium. On the eve of the anniversary, Benedict's longtime private secretary credited his boss' stunning decision with opening the way to the "enormous impact" Pope Francis is having on the church and world at large.

SWITZERLAND - Switzerland's knife-edge decision to curb immigration from the EU raises major problems, heavyweight Germany warned Monday, as Swiss authorities moved to limit the damage to ties with the 28-nation bloc. As both sides mulled the fallout from Sunday's referendum in which 50.3 percent of voters decided to void a pact giving equal footing to European Union citizens in the Swiss labour market, Germany said resolving the issue would be an uphill task. Steffen Seibert, spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said Berlin respected the result. But it "raises considerable problems", he added, noting that Merkel had repeatedly emphasised that free movement was a "prized asset" for Germany.

IRAN - Iranian state television on Friday aired a documentary which featured a computerized simulated attack on Israeli cities. The clip, which was posted on YouTube, is a hypothetical scenario which envisions the Iranian response to an Israeli or American military offensive against Iran's nuclear installations. The title of the film, "Nightmare of Vulture," features footage of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei speaking to cadets in 2011. “Anybody who thinks of attacking the Islamic Republic of Iran should be prepared to receive strong slaps and iron fists from the Armed Forces,” Khamenei is seen saying. “And America, its regional puppets and its guard dog – the Zionist regime – should know that the response of the Iranian nation to any kind of aggression, attacks or even threats will be a response that will make them collapse from within."

UK - German Chancellor Angela Merkel will discuss the future of the European Union with Prime Minister David Cameron on a visit to London this month, as Britain seeks support for a sweeping overhaul of EU treaties. Cameron has yet to spell out all his proposals, but has made it clear he wants to curb immigration from new member states, cut red tape and improve competition. He has so far garnered only limited backing for his reform plans among other EU states, but hopes to secure a new deal if re-elected next year before holding a referendum on Britain's EU membership by 2017. Any signs of support from Germany, the bloc's biggest economy, would strengthen his campaign.

USA - A shallow magnitude 3.0 earthquake that was centered near Hollywood and shook parts of the Los Angeles basin Saturday morning was the third temblor to hit the area in the last two weeks. The latest quake occurred at 10:13 am at a depth of 5.0 miles and was felt from the Westside to East Los Angeles, said Anthony Guarino, a seismologist at Caltech. The region remains overdue for a massive quake. The southern section of the San Andreas Fault, which starts near the Salton Sea and runs north to Palmdale, has historically caused a large earthquake every 150 years on average. It has not ruptured since 1680. “There is a very high probability that it will rupture in our lifetime or our children’s lifetime,” Guarino said.

CANADA - Spending hours playing violent video games stunts teenagers' emotional growth, a study has found. It is thought that regular exposure to violence and lack of contact with the outside world makes it harder for them to tell right from wrong. They also struggle to trust other people, and see the world from their perspective.

UK - Several water gauges along the River Thames have measured record levels as flood waters continue to rise. Fourteen severe flood warnings are in place along a stretch of the river in Berkshire and Surrey, with police warning 2,500 Surrey homes are at risk. The Environment Agency is also warning of rising water in the Somerset Levels. The Environment Agency's 14 severe warnings - meaning "danger to life" - are for areas in and around Staines, Egham, Chertsey and Datchet. National Rail said the River Thames had flooded at several locations between Staines and Windsor & Eton Riverside stations early on Monday. Trains in the area are cancelled. The main rail route into Devon and Cornwall via Bridgwater remains cut off by problems caused by flooding and storm damage.

UK - Consumers are being sold food including mozzarella that is less than half real cheese, ham on pizzas that is either poultry or "meat emulsion", and frozen prawns that are 50% water, according to tests by a public laboratory.

UK - Bank of England officials told currency traders it wasn’t improper to share impending customer orders with counterparts at other firms, a practice at the heart of a widening probe into alleged market manipulation, according to a person who has seen notes turned over to regulators.

CHINA - John Mearsheimer recently argued that China is pursuing in Asia what the United States has in Latin America: regional hegemony. In pursuit of that goal, China keeps trying to take territory, bit by bit, in the East and South China Seas. And the United States doesn’t know what to do about it.