INDONESIA - Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes in Bali over the past months, fearing an inevitable Mount Agung volcanic eruption, which on Tuesday, finally spewed ash as high as 700 meters into the Indonesian sky. The volcano on the Indonesian resort island erupted at 5:05pm Tuesday, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) announced, urging residents to “remain calm” and to stay away from areas within 7.5-kilometer radius of the volcano.

GERMANY - Germany was in crisis on Monday as Angela Merkel fought to rescue her chancellorship following the collapse of coalition talks. Europe’s predominant power and the country to which the continent has looked for stability for over a decade was facing its own political drama and weeks if not months of damaging uncertainty.

UK - France and Germany are blocking a Brexit deal, David Davis has suggested.... The Exiting the EU secretary told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Britain would not compromise on EU talks without Brussels giving ground, saying “nothing comes from nothing”. He singled out France and Germany as blocking progress in talks in Brussels, listing five EU countries that want to do a deal. His comments came as Theresa May, the Prime Minister, prepares to meet Donald Tusk, the EU Council president, at a summit in Sweden. Mr Davis said: “Many of them do want to move on. You know, they see it's very important to them. Countries like Denmark. Countries like Holland. Countries like Italy and Spain. Countries like Poland can see the big, big benefit in the future deal that we're talking about."

GERMANY - Chancellor Angela Merkel’s attempt to form a new German government collapsed on Sunday as one of the four parties she was seeking to bind together walked out after hours of negotiations, citing irreconcilable differences and throwing open the question of what comes next. The breakdown after weeks of intense talks aimed at forming a new government leaves Germany in limbo at a time when Europe and much of the Western world is looking to Berlin for leadership. New elections are possible, but there are fears among the establishment that such a move could further empower the far right. It is also possible that Ms Merkel’s party would try to form a minority government, but the breakdown in talks has further weakened her.

IRAN - Abu Kamal is the last link in the much-discussed Iranian “land bridge” from the Iraq-Iran border to the Mediterranean Sea and the border with Israel. Control of the border crossing at al-Qaim/Abu Kamal and of the roads leading west from it will enable the Iran-led regional alliance to transport fighters and weaponry in both directions, according to choice. It will mean that in a future confrontation with Hezbollah, Israel could see its enemies reinforced by supplies and volunteers from among other Iranian clients, in precisely the way that took place with such effect in the Syrian war... given the Iranian weakness in aviation, the land bridge would vastly increase the options and abilities of the Iranian side.

SAUDI ARABIA – Saudi Arabia has warned it will not hesitate to defend itself against Iran amid warnings the region is being pushed into a “dangerous abyss”. Fears of World War 3 have increased in recent weeks amid a spiralling fallout between the Saudi monarchy and Tehran.

USA - The number of Americans registered for federal disaster aid jumped tenfold this year, costing billions of dollars in additional emergency funding as the nation nears the end of a historically calamitous year. More than 4.7 million Americans - or about 1.4 percent of the population - have registered so far this year for disaster aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

MADAGASCAR - They risk infecting others as they flee back home – despite being riddled with the dangerous contagion. A doctor at a plague hospital in the Madagascan capital of Antananarivo revealed the horrifying development yesterday. This comes as fears grow that the outbreak could go global – leading to millions dying. Madagascar’s plague outbreak has killed 165 people so far, infecting more than 2,000, making 2017 this hospital’s busiest year. It’s a deadly pneumonic plague which can pass from person to person through coughing and kills within 24 hours. But incredibly, Dr Marielle Zaramisy, the hospital’s chief of medicine, has revealed infected patients are fleeing from hospitals - and denying themselves potentially life-saving treatment - which could speed up the spread.

GERMANY - German coalition talks fail, Merkel’s chancellorship at risk. The pro-business Free Democratic Party abruptly announced its exit from three-way talks to form the German government on Sunday, citing a lack of common ground. The setback may see Germany hold new elections, challenging Merkel’s all but secured chancellorship.

GERMANY - The chancellor, whose hold on power is on the line after 12 years in office, is proposing a 10-point interim accord to bring the exploratory talks to a successful conclusion, Hans Michelbach, a lawmaker from her Bavarian CSU sister party, told reporters. German public broadcaster ZDF reported earlier Sunday that the four parties were considering abandoning the talks. 

Whatever happens, Germans are headed for uncharted territory.

GERMANY - Germany’s deadlocked government coalition talks may have huge repercussions on the EU, with one expert saying the Brussels' bloc will have to "put decisions on hold" until Angela Merkel agrees to a deal. Europe will be "damaged" if Mrs Merkel, regarded by many as the mother of Europe, fails to form a government from the ongoing coalition talks, according to a top EU official. The remarks from the EU's budget commissioner Guenther Oettinger come as the German Chancellor has struggled to strike a governing coalition deal. He said a failure to reach a deal would "damage Europe and strengthen the region's populists" as the bloc waits for its economic powerhouse to form a government. 

USA - That’s the main thing I took away from this past weekend’s strange episode of President Donald Trump seeming to believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin actually believes Russia did not meddle in our 2016 election. The president is either incredibly naive and uninformed or Putin is a remarkably good KGB-trained case officer — or all of this. What the president doesn’t get is that it’s OK to tell the Russians you know they are lying. It actually doesn’t have to get in the way of dealing with them. Just get it out of the way and move on to business. They respect you most when they know that you know what you are talking about.

ZIMBABWE - The central committee fired Mugabe, his wife Grace, Education Minister Jonathan Moyo and Local Government Minister Saviour Kasukuwere.  The announcement was followed by loud cheers and ululation from members of Zanu-PF, who had deliberated on the decision.  The party has in the meantime appointed former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa as the interim party leader.  Mugabe's axing as party leader follows hot on the heels of the vote of no confidence passed by Zanu-PF’s 10 provincial co-ordinating committees (PCC) on Friday. They called on him to step down as president of Zimbabwe and president and first secretary of the party, saying he has lost control of the party and government business due to “incapacitation stemming from his advanced age”. 

USA - A new article in Catholic media praises the two cardinals most conspicuous for their vocal criticism of President Trump as champions of a “culture of encounter.” In his November 17 essay for Crux, “Tobin and Cupich: Battling the bullies; creating a culture of encounter,” Christopher White holds up Cardinals Joseph Tobin and Blase Cupich as two of the most effective Catholic leaders for overcoming divisions and bringing people together.

USA - Scientists warn that fluctuations in the speed of Earth's rotation could trigger a swarm of devastating earthquakes across the globe, particularly in heavily populated tropical regions. Roger Bilham, of the University of Colorado in Boulder, and Rebecca Bendick, of the University of Montana in Missoula, presented their findings, published earlier this year, at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in October.