UNITED NATIONS - A United Nations human rights treaty that could prohibit children from being spanked or homeschooled, ban youngsters from facing the death penalty and forbid parents from deciding their families' religion is on America's doorstep, a legal expert warns.
GERMANY - German enthusiasm for the new US administration could soon fade. The Americans made it very clear at the Munich Security Conference that they expect solidarity from their European allies - and that means blood, sweat and tears.
AUSTRALIA - Australia has been singled out as a target for "forest jihad" by a group of Islamic extremists urging Muslims to deliberately light bushfires as a weapon of terror.
USA - The stimulus package the U.S. Congress is completing would raise the government's commitment to solving the financial crisis to $9.7 trillion, enough to pay off more than 90 percent of the nation's home mortgages.
AUSTRALIA - The number of deaths from wildfires that have already claimed 170 lives in the Australian state of Victoria is likely to rise, officials have warned.
EUROPE - Stare into the curve of Herschel's mirror too long and you get a slightly giddy feeling that comes from not being able to judge where its surface really starts. It is enchanting, spectacular and - at 3.5m in diameter - it will soon become the biggest telescope mirror in space, surpassing that of Hubble.
ISRAEL - Politicians in Israel are making their final appeals to voters before a general election on Tuesday. The favourite to become prime minister is Binyamin Netanyahu, leader of the right-wing opposition party, Likud.
USA - American spy chiefs have told the President that the CIA has launched a vast spying operation in the UK to prevent a repeat of the 9/11 attacks being launched from Britain. They believe that a British-born Pakistani extremist entering the US under the visa waiver programme is the most likely source of another terrorist spectacular on American soil.
UK - The word of God is on the move in London — literally. Beginning February 9, three separate Christian groups will launch advertisements on more than 200 of London's buses to convince pedestrians of God's existence.
USA - From crisis to catastrophe. Off a cliff. Dark, darker, darkest. Mortal danger of absolute collapse. Armageddon. President Obama and top Democrats on Capitol Hill are deploying these and other stark predictions of doom and gloom to push through their economic-stimulus package.
UK - Press intrusion and inaccurate reporting are getting worse because the recession has forced newspapers to make cutbacks, a report suggests. The report from the Media Standards Trust says some papers are sacrificing standards to maintain sales.
UK - A foster parent who has looked after 80 children was struck off…because a Muslim girl in her care became a Christian. She said she was 'devastated' by the decision - 'This is my life,' she revealed. 'It is not just a job for me. It is a vocation. I love what I do.'
EUROPE - Tony Blair is poised to become the first President of Europe after it was confirmed that French leader Nicolas Sarkozy is determined to help him win the post.
UK - They are the iPod generation of students: politically apathetic, absorbed by selfish consumerism, dedicated to a few years of hedonism before they land a lucrative job in the City. Not any more. A seismic change is taking place in British universities.
UK - A Royal Bank Of Scotland executive who led its investments into "toxic" sub-prime loans was paid close to £40m in just three years, The Sunday Times can reveal. Jay Levine, 47, was the bank's highest-paid employee, earning almost four times more than former chief executive Sir Fred Goodwin.