UK - Today's Census figures show that 176,632 people in England and Wales identify themselves as Jedi Knights, making it the most popular faith in the "Other Religions" category on the Census and the seventh most popular faith overall.

USA - The Kansas City Star, in a yearlong investigation, found that the beef industry is increasingly relying on a mechanical process to tenderize meat, exposing Americans to higher risk of E. coli poisoning. The industry then resists labeling such products, leaving consumers in the dark. The result: Beef in America is plentiful and affordable, spun out in enormous quantities at high speeds, but it's a bonanza with hidden dangers. E. coli 0157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration and, in severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors and people with weak immune systems are most at risk.

BRUSSELS, EUROPE - The relationship between the US and Europe has historically been about diplomacy. But in these economically-straitened times, the focus on foreign policy has shifted. Indeed, negotiations on a bilateral trade accord are set to be at the heart of the relationship between the US and the EU in the second term of US President Barack Obama's administration. To be honest, it is surprising that the US is one of only a handful of World Trade Organisation (WTO) members not to have a free trade deal with the EU.

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - Europe has “slapped itself in the face” by ignoring Hamas’ threats as it ignored the Nazi death camps in the Holocaust, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman charged on Tuesday, a day after Europe condemned Israel for construction plans for Jews in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.

LONDON, UK - Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain faced more pressure over his country’s fraught relationship with the European Union on Monday when an influential former cabinet minister said Britain should threaten to quit the bloc if it cannot negotiate much looser ties.

BRUSSELS, EUROPE - The EU's justice commissioner, Viviane Reding, said in comments published Monday that she views a "United States of Europe" as the "right vision" for overcoming the current crisis over the medium term, according to German daily Rheinische Post. She said that means that the European Commission has to become a European government, particularly in economic policy, according to the newspaper. The European Parliament would watch over the commission, she added.

PARIS, FRANCE - It was a political protest with shock value, the likes of which has never been seen on French TV news: a group of young people stormed a mosque in the city of Portiers, going to the roof and unfurling a banner calling for a national referendum on Muslim immigration.

UK - The number of foreign-born residents in England and Wales has risen by nearly three million since 2001 to 7.5 million people, the 2011 census shows. The most common birthplaces outside of the UK for residents are India, Poland and Pakistan. The number of ethnic white British has dropped to 80%. The number of people living in England and Wales is up 7% to 56.1 million. The Office for National Statistics said the findings showed a "diverse" and "changing" picture. Muslims now make up 4.8% of the population of England and Wales.

USA - One in three homeless people in Boston are clinically obese, says a survey by Harvard and Oxford universities. The study supports the “hunger-obesity paradox” that flags obesity among the poor as the source of increasing health problems in the US. Researchers tested the body mass index (BMI) of 5,632 homeless men and women in the city of Boston, revealing that over a third of those tested were obese. “This study suggests that obesity may be the new malnutrition of the homeless in the United States,” wrote the researchers, led by Harvard Medical School. They found that only 1.6 percent of the homeless surveyed could be classified as underweight.

USA - Fifteen times more troops were discharged from the US Army this year due to obesity than five years prior. With scores of recruits unfit to serve due to the extra pounds, the country’s top brass have deemed it a national security concern. The American Army is discharging servicemen in an attempt to cut its budget, and the first to be given their walking papers are those who have failed fitness tests because of obesity. During the last 10 months alone, 1,625 troops were dismissed from the US army due to being overweight, the Washington Post reported.

SERBIA - Hotels at the base of a supposedly mystical mountain in Serbia are being inundated with booking requests from people who are convinced that the end of a Mayan calendar heralds the destruction of the world on December 21.

USA - Demand for gold coins in the US has soared since the presidential election, as small investors fret about the lack of action to address America’s ballooning debt. The US Mint’s sales of American Eagles, one of the most popular gold coins, leapt 131 per cent in November, hitting their highest level in more than two years. The Royal Canadian Mint also had its strongest month of sales this year. Terry Hanlon, president of metals at Dillon Gage, one of the largest bullion dealers in the country, said sales had risen sharply “within a day or two” of the election. “They don’t believe in Uncle Sam any more,” said the head of precious metals at a large bank.

ISRAEL/PALESTINE - The UN delivers a “One Arab State Solution” through an art exhibit that shows all of Israel as Palestine, mirroring Mahmoud Abbas’ “peace process map.” The exhibit is displayed at the public entrance of the United Nations, where the Palestinian Authority chairman two weeks ago delivered a speech before the General Assembly vote that granted the PA Non-Member Observer status.

ITALY - Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has launched a pre-election attack on his successor, Mario Monti, saying the country is now worse off. He accused Mr Monti of following policies which benefited Berlin, saying Germany had lowered its own borrowing costs at the expense of other states. Mr Monti is due to resign after Mr Berlusconi's party withdrew its support for his government on Thursday. The sudden political uncertainty in Italy, the third-biggest economy in the eurozone, has unsettled financial markets.

NORWAY - More than 50 organizations plan to march in Oslo on Sunday to protest the Nobel Committee's award of the 2012 Peace Prize to the EU at a time of debt crisis. Norwegian Nobel Committee Chairman Thorbjoern Jagland announced the European Union as the recipients of the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo two months ago. Many Norwegians are critical of the EU receiving the award, and a protest march is planned for the day before the award ceremony. Since the decision this October to give the Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union, many have questioned its worthiness, given the current social and economic turmoil there.