USA - You thought you weren't doing anything wrong, so why should you care about who they call a terrorist? Well, you may not believe it, but you're likely a terror suspect in America's new paradigm of the Land of the Fear. The government is casting a wide net over its citizens in its search for potential threats.
BERLIN, GERMANY - The German government's newly published Arms Export Report confirms the main thrust of Berlin's foreign policy. According to the report, Berlin is continuing to pursue the arms buildup of the dictatorships on the Arabian Peninsula - thereby lending support to anti-Iranian measures being taken by the West.
UK - David Cameron has defended his decision to refuse to sign up to a new EU treaty dealing with the eurozone crisis, maintaining it was the "right decision for the country". Addressing the House of Commons, Mr Cameron insisted the safeguards he tried to secure for Britain - on the single market and financial services - at last week's summit were "modest, reasonable and relevant".
UK - British Prime Minister David Cameron, under fire in Europe for blocking a key EU treaty change, defended his move on Monday and said EU membership remained 'vital' to the UK. He faces pressure from euroskeptics who want Britain to quit the bloc - while his pro-European coalition partner is fuming.
UK - One of the UK's largest property companies has drawn up a confidential list of struggling retailers amid fears that more than 5,500 shops in Britain could be handed back to landlords or closed within months.
ISRAEL - A senior Israeli cabinet minister on Monday said Iran must be forced to face an existential question over its nuclear drive: choose between getting an atomic bomb, or survival. "We believe that in order to stop the Iranian military nuclear project, the regime in Tehran should face a dilemma - whether to have a bomb or to survive," Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Yaalon told reporters in Jerusalem.
PARIS, FRANCE - French President Nicolas Sarkozy admitted on Monday that the European Union was now a two-speed alliance but insisted that Britain would not be forced out of the bloc's single market.
USA - An online piracy bill in the House would "criminalize linking and the fundamental structure of the Internet itself," according to Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt. Schmidt said the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) would punish Web firms, including search engines, that link to foreign websites dedicated to online piracy.
CANADA - Canada on Monday became the first country to announce it would withdraw from the Kyoto protocol on climate change, dealing a symbolic blow to the already troubled global treaty.
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - MK Danny Danon (Likud) said on Monday that he plans to work towards ensuring equal access to the Temple Mount for Jews and Christians, just as Muslims have access to the area.
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - Jews are not allowed to ascend to the Temple Mount, ostensibly because the bridge to the Rambam Gate (also known as the Mughrabi Gate) is unsafe and must undergo renovation. Deputy Knesset Speaker MK Danny Danon (Likud) wants an urgent hearing to be held in the Knesset's Interior Committee to solve the problem posthaste.
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - The Holy Temple Conferences by the Movement for Temple Renewal, with the participation of leading temple-oriented organizations, took place in the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem on Sunday. The conference included lectures on different matters connected to the Temple Mount and to the rebuilding of the Temple.
EUROPE - EU foreign affairs chief Baroness Ashton wants more human rights workers to boost the huge army of Brussels officials. She says member states should post staff permanently at the EU instead of sending them for a meeting once a month.
UK - Britain will fight "every inch of the way" against EU insistence that up to a billion pounds in welfare benefits be paid to foreigners, ministers vowed yesterday. Employment Minister Chris Grayling said he would go to Europe's top court in a bid to prevent citizens from outside the European Union receiving UK benefits without working or paying taxes.
PAKISTAN - Every now and again, one reads an editorial that stops the reader in his tracks. On 8 December, with the headline "War Inevitable To Tackle Indian Water Aggression," Pakistan's Urdu-language Nawa-e Waqt, issued such a screed.