"In the last year, the world has gotten closer — much too close — to the brink of a significant conflict," wrote Munich Security Conference (MSC) Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger, who has served as Germany's former ambassador to the US and UK.

Ischinger pointed to ever-louder saber rattling between the US and North Korea, the growing rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and ongoing tensions between Russia and NATO in Europe. The latest MSC report followed up on last year's forecast that the United States under President Donald Trump could forfeit its established role as the guarantor of international security by acting unilaterally and furthering an American-centric vision at the cost of its traditional allies.

"The world's most powerful state has begun to sabotage the order it created," the report said, quoting John Ikenberry, a US foreign policy expert at Princeton University. The report quotes German Chancellor Angela Merkel as a reminder of Europe's newfound predicament: "The times in which we could completely depend on others are, to a certain extent, over … We Europeans will have to take our fate into our own hands."

The first overtly nationalist party to enter the German parliament in half a century has already taken over a number of formal traditions usually handed to opposition leaders. It has installed Peter Boehringer, an outspoken critic of eurozone rescues and the European Central Bank, as chair of the influential budget committee.

Through Boehringer, the AfD will be able to appoint like-minded civil servants to vacant secretarial positions and slow down the parliamentary process for policies of which it disapproves, but not gain any more voting power. The budget committee has been chaired for the last three years by Gesine Lötzsch of leftwing Die Linke – not long ago a controversial party in its own right for its ties to the ruling party of communist East Germany, and for some, an indicator of the chairmanship’s limited political influence.

The AfD has also secured the chairmanship of two further parliamentary committees, for legal affairs and tourism. “The AfD tolerates Nazi slogans, gets caught up in internal fights and uses parliament as an agitprop stage,” leftwing daily taz commented in a recent op-ed. “But that doesn’t seem to affect their popularity. Apparently AfD voters want precisely that: a rightwing protest party.”

The new headquarters is designed to accelerate troop and equipment transport around the continent. Unusually, it will not be integrated into the current NATO command structure.  The offer, made by German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, has been accepted by other NATO member states, the German news agency dpa reported on Thursday, though the final decision will be made at a summit of NATO defense ministers next week. 

The German Defense Ministry refused to confirm the report, saying in a statement only that "the possible installation of a NATO support command center" was indeed part of NATO's current plans, and that Germany, because of its geographical situation and importance as a NATO partner, would naturally be considered as a location.

The body parts came from a Portland business called MedCure Inc. A so-called body broker, MedCure profits by dissecting the bodies of altruistic donors and sending the parts to medical training and research companies. MedCure sells or leases about 10,000 body parts from US donors annually, shipping about 20 percent of them overseas, internal corporate and manifest records show.

In addition to bulk cargo shipments to the Netherlands, where MedCure operates a distribution hub, the Oregon company has exported body parts to at least 22 other countries by plane or truck, the records show.

Among the parts: a pelvis and legs to a university in Malaysia; feet to medical device companies in Brazil and Turkey; and heads to hospitals in Slovenia and the United Arab Emirates. Demand for body parts from America — torsos, knees and heads — is high in countries where religious traditions or laws prohibit the dissection of the dead.

Unlike many developed nations, the United States largely does not regulate the sale of donated body parts, allowing entrepreneurs such as MedCure to expand exports rapidly during the last decade. No other nation has an industry that can provide as convenient and reliable a supply of body parts.

Yes, that would have not been a positive thing for the economy in the short-term, but we must start addressing our long-term priorities.  If we do not do something about this exploding national debt, it could potentially destroy our republic all by itself. Earlier today, I was absolutely horrified when I learned of a budget deal in the Senate that would increase federal spending by about 200 billion dollars in each of the next two years…

Our federal debt is going to hit 21 trillion dollars some time this year, and they want to throw hundreds of billions of dollars more spending on top of what we are already doing? This alone is why we need true conservatives all over the nation to run for Congress.  Our endless greed is literally destroying the bright future that our children and our grandchildren were supposed to have.

As interest rates rise, it won’t be too long before we are paying more than a trillion dollars a year just in interest on the national debt.  And when America plunges into a debt nightmare, there won’t be anyone in the entire world big enough to bail us out. America cannot be great again if we are drowning in debt.  What is happening in Washington is utter madness, and it should greatly anger all of us that our irresponsible politicians are systematically destroying the greatest republic that the world has ever seen.

Now, one day later, we find that while Deutsche Bank may be spared for now - if not for long - billions in US real estate will not be, and in a scene right out of the Wall Street movie Margin Call, HNA has decided to be if not smartest, nor cheat, it will be the first, and has begun its firesale of US properties.

The company's total debt is nearly 600 billion yuan or just under US$100 billion. Which means that the HNA firesale is just beginning, and once the company sells the liquid real estate, it will move on to everything else, including its stake in all these companies, whose shares it has already pledged as collateral.

So keep a close eye on Deutsche Bank stock: while HNA may have promised John Cryan it won't sell any time soon, companies tend to quickly change their mind when bankruptcy court beckons. Finally, the far bigger question is whether the launch of HNA's firesale will present a tipping point in the US commercial (or residential) real estate market. After all, when what until recently was one of the biggest marginal buyers becomes a seller, it's usually time to get out and wait for the bottom.

Berlin is obviously seeking to delay the formulation of EU positions on the future relationship with the United Kingdom as long as possible, to prevent giving London tactical advantages in the negotiations. The 27 EU countries have, in fact, quite diverging interests in relationship to Great Britain. The German automobile industry is exerting massive pressure to keep the United Kingdom in the customs union.

German car companies expect annual losses of up to two billion euros, if new trade barriers are erected. On the other hand, the Eastern and Southeastern European countries attach great importance to freedom of circulation. For example, the money Polish residents in Great Britain send home amounts to 1.5 percent of the Polish Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Other countries receive three to six percent of their GDP this way.

Maajid Nawaz, who heads the counter-extremism think-tank the Quilliam Foundation, criticised the department for ‘supporting World Hijab Day and the institutional oppression of women through modesty culture, while brave Iranian women risk all to remove hijab tyranny’. Anti-hijab activist Masih Alinejad told Reuters: ‘We are fighting against the most visible symbol of oppression. These women are saying, “It is enough – it is the 21st century and we want to be our true selves.”’

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: ‘I’d like to know whose bright idea this was. It is ridiculous, a complete waste of taxpayers’ money and not the business of a Government department. I can’t see the Foreign Office promoting Christianity or the handing out of crosses.’

The campaign is trying to recruit major Tory donors in an attempt to undermine Theresa May. It also plans to target MPs and convince them to vote against the final Brexit deal to trigger another referendum or general election, according to a strategy document leaked from a meeting of the group.

The document says the campaign, which will begin by the end of this month, must “wake the country up and assert that Brexit is not a done deal. That it’s not too late to stop Brexit”.

“Gender-based policies, rules, and practices can have the effect of marginalizing, stigmatizing, stereotyping and excluding students, whether or not they are transgender or gender nonconforming,” read the guidelines from the New York City Department of Education. “For these reasons, schools should review such policies, rules and practices, and should eliminate any that do not serve a clear pedagogical purpose.

“Examples may include such practices as gender-based graduation gowns, lines, and/or attire for yearbook pictures.” Instead, the dance has been postponed until March, when people of all gender identities will be able to attend, according to CBS New York.

“We have clear guidelines in place that require schools to maintain welcoming and supportive environments at all events,” a spokeswoman for the Department of Education told Staten Island Live, “and (the principal) worked closely with the PTA to ensure the event was in the best interest of the entire school community.”

The former European Union president suffered a disastrous election, but Mrs Merkel's poor results ensured he would be a key part of the coaltion, which was finally agreed today. Referencing the Chancellor and Horst Seehofer, leader of the Bavarian sister party of Mrs Merkel's conservatives, Mr Schulz said: "You'll forgive me for thanking Mrs Merkel and Mr Seehofer, especially regarding the European policy chapter of this deal, because what we wrote down in this coalition agreement about the European Union and its future will be a fundamental change of direction in Europe. With this coalition agreement, Germany will take an active and leading role in the European Union again."

The coalition deadlock prompted speculation the 63-year-old Chancellor could be forced to step down but, after long negotiations and a series of “painful comprises”, it now appears Mrs Merkel will continue as the German leader for another term. However, any deal still needs to be approved by by the SPD's 464,000 members, who could yet vote against another grand coalition with Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party. Mr Schulz yesterday called the coalition deal “a new dawn for Europe” and an “end to the diktat of austerity”.

Alice Weidel, leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the biggest opposition party, tweeted: "Things could not get worse for Germany," calling the coalition deal "insane" as it did not contain an upper limit for migration. Speaking in December, Mr Schulz called on EU member states to sign up to a “United States of Europe” by 2025 or risk being kicked out of the bloc.

Peter Altmaier, Merkel’s chancellery chief, admitted he was surprised by Schulz’s proposal and instead believes it would be more effective to tackle specific issues, such as unemployment and immigration. He told the Rheinische Post newspaper: "The discussion about whether Europe should be a federal state, confederation or a united states is one for academics and journalists - not for German foreign policy. A United States of Europe would transfer member states' sovereignty to Brussels and there would not be a majority for that in many EU states.”

However, any deal still needs to be approved by the SPD's 464,000 members, who could yet vote against another grand coalition with Mrs Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party. According to German media, Mrs Merkel’s conservatives have been forced to cede major government positions to their coalition partners, with the SPD due to take the foreign, finance and labour ministries in a new government.

The SPD will also get the justice, family and environment ministries as part of the coalition deal, according to reports. The CDU will get the economy and defence portfolios and, in a move designed to stop more voters turning to the rightwing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Mrs Merkel's Bavarian ally Horst Seehofer - who takes a tough line on immigration - would become interior minister.

The Saudi government had banned flights headed to Israel from using its airspace for 70 years. While it is no secret that private jets can fly from Saudi and other Gulf airports to Israel, they could not use the direct route and had to make a stop-over in Amman airport first.

The move is seen as a nod to India's Prime Minister Nardendra Modi's influence in the region, who is expected to land in the occupied West Bank on February 10. Last year he became the first Indian premier to go to Israel on an official state visit. But the decision also signifies warmer ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, who have been linked to having increasingly covert relations over the last year.

This has been credited to the shakeup of Saudi domestic and foreign policy, spearheaded by the young and ambitious Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. "The political changes in Saudi Arabia and the desire to consolidate power is the main reason why these relations with Israel were opened," Mahjoob Zweiri, an associate professor with the Gulf Studies Program department at Qatar University, previously told Al Jazeera.