A plume of ash, steam and pebbles filled the sky near Manila, Philippines on Sunday as Taal, one of the world’s smallest active volcanoes, erupted.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the cloud of gas and ash shot 10 to 15 kilometers in the air as the eruption began. 

Reports show that light to mud-thick ash has been falling over towns and cities several kilometers away from the volcano. 

Authorities have issued a “total evacuation” order for people living around Taal and near Manila, the country’s capital. So far, around 300,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, including 6,000 villagers who live on an island in the middle of the lake the volcano sits on. 

Officials are urging all other residents in affected areas to stay inside if at all possible and to wear masks and goggles for protection. Motorists have also been cautioned to stay off the roads, as wet ash can become quite slippery.

Last erupting between 1965 and 1977, Taal – which is located 60 kilometers south of Manila – has been showing signs of a possible eruption since 1991. In 2019, PHIVOLCS raised the volcano to a level one alert, as heavy volcanic activity began occurring, including 57 volcanic earthquakes between November 11 and 12. On Sunday, PHIVOLCS raised the alert level again to a level four. According to the Associated Press, a level four alert…

JOS, Nigeria, January 10, 2020 (Morning Star News) – Armed Muslim Fulani herdsmen killed 13 Christians in Plateau state, Nigeria on Wednesday (Jan. 8), the same day four students were kidnapped from a Catholic seminary in Kaduna state.

About 20 herdsmen attacked the predominantly Christian village of Kulben, in Plateau state’s Mangu County, at about 8 p.m., area residents told Morning Star News. The 13 dead were all members of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), as were three people wounded in the assault, they said.

“They were shooting with guns in all directions, forcing the villagers to scamper into surrounding bushes,” area resident Michael Mutding, 40, told Morning Star News in a text message. “Corpses of those killed have been evacuated by soldiers and police to the mortuary of Mangu Cottage Hospital; and all the victims are members of COCIN.”

Bala Fwengje, a legislator representing the area in the Plateau State House of Assembly, said in a statement that the attacks came in spite of efforts by security agencies.

“This attack on my people by these herdsmen comes as a rude shock to us, as efforts have been made by security agencies to curtail such incessant attacks on our people,” Fwengje said. “It is a sad thing that these attacks are still being carried out by the herdsmen on our people without provocation.”

Audu Tetmut, a 60-year-old area leader of the…

Christian singer TobyMac released an emotion-laden song and music video Thursday about his late 21-year-old son. 

In a statement regarding the song, TobyMac shared that he is thankful for the support he’s received and that the tune is an “honest” reflection of his feelings.

The song, titled 21 years, includes the lyric, “God has you in heaven, but I have you in my heart.” and describes the emotions he felt when he first learned of his son Truett Foster McKeehan’s death last October and the feelings he has experienced since. 

The video shows TobyMac singing in the rain. Pictures and videos of Truett are spliced into it. 

“I loved him with all my heart,” TobyMac said in a statement. “Until something in life hits you this hard, you never know how you will handle it. I am thankful that I have been surrounded by love, starting with God’s and extending to community near and far that have walked with us and carried us every day. 

“Writing this song felt like an honest confession of the questions, pain, anger, doubt, mercy and promise that describes the journey I’m probably only beginning,” he added. “The rest is yet to come. One thing I know is that I am not alone. God didn’t promise us a life of no pain or even tragic death, but He did promise He would never leave us or forsake us. And I’m holding dearly to that promise for my son as well as…

A school did not violate the religious rights of two elementary-aged Christian students when it allowed an Indigenous elder to perform a smudging ritual at an assembly and “cleanse” the room with smoke, a Canadian court ruled Thursday.

At issue were separate smudging and hoop dancing demonstrations that the students’ parents said became forced participation in religious ceremonies. The demonstrations took place during the 2015-16 calendar year. 

In one event, a Nuu-chah-nulth elder visited a Port Alberni, British Columbia, elementary school and demonstrated the practice of smudging — the burning of plant material to “cleanse” the room of energy and to “cleanse” the participants’ spirits. A few months later, the students witnessed an Indigenous dance performance in which one of the dancers said a prayer. 

The parents filed suit, claiming their religious liberties under Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms were violated. The children were ages nine and seven at the time.

Justice Douglas W. Thompson, in a 47-page decision, sided with the school. 

“I conclude that these smudging and hoop dancing demonstrations were in no way — either by design or in their execution — an expression of the School District’s beliefs or an expression of religious favouritism,” Thompson wrote “Rather, the organization of these events reflected a gathering momentum to…

1. General Qassem Soleimani was Targeted for Planning an ‘Imminent’ Attack on U.S. Soldiers

Although some critics of President Trump’s action have labeled the drone strike an assassination, most agree Soleimani was a terrorist mastermind.

CNN reported Jan. 3—the day of the attack that killed Soleimani—that a congressional source revealed that American intelligence had determined the general “was in multiple countries in the region planning specific attacks on U.S. interests, including U.S. personnel.” That source added that the Iranian plans were developing beyond normal chatter.

Meanwhile, a senior administration official told CNN they had evidence Soleimani traveled to Baghdad to execute future hits on American interests.

Tony Shaffer, a former intelligence officer with the Department of Defense, outlined the case against the general in an opinion piece for Real Clear Politics. It is important to note that Shaffer is a member of the Trump 2020 advisory board.

In the article, Shaffer said his opinion is shaped by his experience going “toe-to-toe with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Afghanistan.” That experience included interrogating an IRGC “enabler.”

“As the leader of the IRGC’s Quds Force, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. government, Soleimani was among America’s most vociferous and aggressive foes,” Shaffer wrote. “He was personally…

Nebraska’s governor has declared this year’s Roe v. Wade anniversary a “Statewide Day of Prayer” and is urging the state’s citizens to “pray for an end to abortion.”

Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts released the proclamation Wednesday, designating Jan. 22 as a day of pray and stating that Nebraska is a “pro-life state.” 

“Since Roe v. Wade, over 50 million unborn children have been killed by abortion in the United States,” the proclamation says. “…  It seems right and fitting that the citizens of the State of Nebraska are urged to pray for an end to abortion and for our fellow citizens who need our love and support.” 

It further notes that Nebraska “respects the dignity of human life, no matter how small” and that the state offers crisis pregnancy centers that “provide free care for expecting parents.” 

The U.S. Supreme Court issued its Roe v. Wade decision on Jan. 22, 1973, legalizing abortion in all 50 states. 

Below is the full text of the proclamation:

“Whereas, on January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court issued their Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion in all 50 states; and

“Whereas, since Roe v. Wade, over 50 million unborn children have been killed by abortion in the United States; and

“Whereas, Nebraska state law states it is the ‘will of the people of the State of Nebraska and the members of the Legislature to provide…

Officials in India are not allowing a pastor from Tennessee to leave the country even though his arrest from three months ago has been resolved.

Pastor Bryan Nerren was arrested three months ago for allegedly not paying duty on the money he brought into the country.

According to the Christian Post, Cece Heil, senior counsel with the American Center for Law and Justice, said Nerren paid a fine for the charge, but he is still not being allowed out of India.

Nerren was scheduled for a hearing this week but it was postponed. Heil said she had hoped the court would decide during the hearing to return his passport and let him leave India.

Nerren, the pastor of International House of Prayer Ministries in Shelbyville, was arrested on a charge that he brought $40,000 with him when he came to India in October 2019.

The money was meant to pay for his two weeks in India and Nepal where he would attend conferences and meet with other pastors.

Heil said Nerren was questioned about the money and asked whether it would be used for “Christian purposes.” Nerren was allowed to board his flight to Bagdogra, where he was arrested.

“The fact that they told him he was free and cleared to go and then alerted Bagdogra to arrest him when he got there, the facts themselves indicate that it was a setup,” Heil said.

Heil said the case has bounced from judge to…