SUMATRA - The local disaster agency said that Mount Sinabung, on the island of Sumatra, had erupted repeatedly in recent days, pumping hot gas clouds up to 3km into the sky. A safety cordon with a 7km radius had been enforced around the volcano which has been erupting almost continuously since 2013. The volcano is one of the most deadly in the world since it returned to life in 2010 having been dormant for around 400 years. In May last year seven people were killed in one of Sinabung’s eruptions, while in February 2014 an eruption left 16 people dead. Indonesia has some 130 volcanoes due to its place on the Ring of Fire – a belt of tectonic plates circling the Pacific Ocean and eruptions regularly disrupt air travel around the archipelago.

UK - Donald Trump will meet Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, today at the White House for their first face-to-face meeting. President Trump has said he wants to make “the ultimate deal” - a peace treaty between Israelis and Palestinians - but has also put forward staunchly pro-Israel positions. Here’s what you need to know about this delicate first meeting: 

USA - The Trump administration has chosen Kris Bauman, an Air Force colonel and expert on the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, to replace Yael Lempert as the National Security Council's point man for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Bauman was involved in the last round of peace negotiations, which took place under former US President Barack Obama from 2013 to 2014, and has been researching the subject for years, most recently at the National Defense University in Washington. Bauman's presence at the NSC could indicate that the administration will soon turn its attention to security related questions as part of Trump's attempt to reach an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. Bauman now works under the Defense Department and his formal move to the White House is being finalized...

USA - A $10 billion suit against George Soros accuses the self-styled humanitarian of meddling in the politics of a poor African country in order to settle his own scores, a charge the billionaire’s critics say reflects his longtime modus operandi. The 86-year-old investor, who controls a web of international nonprofits in addition to his vast financial empire, used his sway with the government of Guinea to freeze Israeli company BSG Resources out of the West African nation’s lucrative iron ore mining contracts, according to the suit filed last month in New York Federal Court by BSG Resources. "Soros was motivated solely by malice, as there was no economic interest he had in Guinea," BSGR alleges in court papers.

FRANCE - Centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron has decisively won the French presidential election, projected results say. Mr Macron defeated far-right candidate Marine Le Pen by about 65.5% to 34.5% to become, at 39, the country's youngest president, the results show. Mr Macron will also become the first president from outside the two traditional main parties since the modern republic's foundation in 1958. He said that a new page was being turned in French history. "I want it to be a page of hope and trust," he said.

IRELAND - Police in the Republic of Ireland have launched an investigation after a viewer claimed comments made by Stephen Fry on a TV show were blasphemous. Officers are understood to be examining whether the British comedian committed a criminal offence under the Defamation Act when he appeared on RTE in 2015.

EUROPE - European Union foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, has criticized the “unpredictable” US foreign policy under Donald Trump, and says the EU can become the main international partner of Russia, India and China. During a Q & A during a State of the Union conference in Florence, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs was asked if Trump’s “unpredictability” has given him an advantage in dealing with North Korea’s volatility.

GERMANY - A new poll shows that more than half of Germans support the idea of introducing a “dominant culture” as recently presented by the country’s Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere. His proposals ignited debate in political circles and on social media. The survey, conducted by the INSA research institute for the German Focus magazine, revealed that 52.5 percent of Germans believe that their country needs a “dominant culture” while 25.3 percent oppose the idea of ushering in any such values. Some people have meanwhile ridiculed bits of de Maiziere’s proposals on social media. Others, however, saw a dangerous incitement against Muslims in the minister’s words.

USA - Congresswoman Virginia Foxx, a Republican, has introduced new legislation that, taken to its logical end, might eventually provision for employers to force their employees to be vaccinated under the guise of “wellness.” House Resolution 1313, known as the “Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act,” contains certain provisions for “disease prevention” that, should employees refuse them, might end up costing them their jobs. That, or employees could face penalties in the form of ostracization or even higher insurance rates. Based on the legislation’s open-ended language, employees could one day be refused the option of rejecting whatever their employers decide is appropriate for wellness and disease prevention, including government-recommended vaccines.

SAUDI ARABIA - Political instability in Saudi Arabia is growing as King Salman bin Abdulaziz begins to overhaul the Saudi government, putting a long list of family members into positions of influence while increasing the power of his son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

USA - There has been a tremendous amount of talk about the spending deal that was just reached in Congress. Most of the focus has been on who “won” and who “lost” politically, and if you have been keeping up with my articles you definitely know my opinion on the matter. But what nobody is really talking about is that this deal actually increases spending at a time when our debt has been absolutely exploding. We added more than a trillion dollars a year to the US national debt during Obama’s eight years in the White House, and our debt binge actually accelerated toward the end of his second term. In fact, the national debt increased by more than 1.4 trillion dollars during fiscal 2016…

USA - The United States has issued a new terror alert for its citizens traveling to Europe this summer in light of recent terror attacks in Britain, France and Sweden. The state department cited the Westminster attacks in March as evidence of the ability of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant "to plan and execute terrorist attacks in Europe".

USA - If you stay inside the United States you will remain free, safe, and prosperous. If you even so much as step foot outside of the United States, you will probably be murdered, if not taken. At least that is what the State Department would have you believe. Extremists are on the loose in Europe, where they have demonstrated their ability to carry out various attacks using firearms, explosives, vehicles, and blades. Because of this, the United States has issued a travel alert for Europe.

USA - President Donald Trump will travel to Saudi Arabia, followed by Israel and the Vatican, in his first foreign trip later this month. The Vatican visit will include a meeting with the Pope, according to a senior administration official. The visit to Saudi Arabia, he said, will include a “truly historic gathering in Saudi Arabia with leaders from all across the Muslim world.” “Saudi Arabia is the custodian of the two holiest sites in Islam, and it is there that we will begin to construct a new foundation of cooperation and support with our Muslim allies, to combat extremism, terrorism and violence,” Trump said, “and to embrace a more just and hopeful future for young Muslims in their countries.” Last week, Israeli officials confirmed that they've been in talks with the White House about arranging a visit to Jerusalem.

USA - US President Donald Trump is giving “serious consideration” to moving the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds, Vice President Mike Pence has said. Speaking at the White House for an “Israeli Independence Day” on Tuesday, Pence said the president is considering the relocation “as we speak,” but he did not elaborate. “To be clear, the president has also personally committed to resolving the Israeli and Palestinian conflict,” he added. “Thanks to the president’s tireless leadership, momentum is building and good will is growing. And that while there will undoubtedly have to be compromises, you can rest assured, President Donald Trump will never compromise the safety and security of the Jewish state of Israel, not now, not ever.”