An underwater volcano off the coast of Tonga is spewing ash high into the air – causing air travel chaos and turning the surrounding ocean the color of blood. The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai underwater volcano is around 40 miles (65km) north of Tonga’s capital Nuku’alofa. MORE

“is the highest honor and respect we can offer to his holiness.”

Pope Francis became the second pope to visit a Buddhist temple on Wednesday, changing his schedule at the last minute to pay his respects at an important place of worship in Sri Lanka’s capital and to witness a key ritual for Buddhists: the opening of a casket of relics of two important disciples of the Buddha.

St. John Paul II visited a Buddhist temple during a 1984 visit to Thailand. MORE

In the eyes of most Iraqis, their country’s best ally in the war against the Islamic State group is not the United States and the coalition air campaign against the militants. It’s Iran, which is credited with stopping the extremists’ march on Baghdad.

Shiite, non-Arab Iran has effectively taken charge of Iraq’s defense against the Sunni radical group, meeting the Iraqi government’s need for immediate help on the ground. MORE

A Catholic bishop normally governs pretty much unchecked in his diocese — only the pope can dislodge a bishop. And each time Catholics celebrate Mass in Kansas City, Mo., they pray for Bishop Robert Finn, right after they pray for Pope Francis.

But some Catholics here, like Deacon David Biersmith, refuse to go along. MORE

At least a dozen protesters arrested in Venezuela remained in jail on Monday and masked assailants burned a bus amid scattered unrest over swelling lines for basic goods, activists said.

Police rounded up 16 people for protesting outside stores over the weekend, according to the opposition MUD coalition, which said four of them were released shortly after. MOR

Christmas is over. Now get out. That was the word this week as two of the nation’s giant retailers announced to employees and shoppers the closings of dozens of stores.

Macy’s is closing 14 of its 790 stores across the country. JCPenney is closing 39 of its stores and laying off 2,250 workers. MORE

As we charge into 2015 and new cold war relations heat up between Russia and the United States, a mysterious Russian radio station which has broadcast the same super-creepy signal for 24 hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, and 365-days-a-year FOR THE LAST 40 YEARS is getting a lot of new interest due to its’ unknown purpose, with some claiming it is Russia’s ‘nuclear trigger’ while others say it’s a continuous broadcast into outer space to communicate with extraterrestrials. MORE

A 3.3 magnitude earthquake shook eastern Connecticut at 6:36 a.m. on Monday and Weston Observatory at Boston College is showing more seismic activity just hours later, at 12:03 p.m .

The U.S. Geological Survey has confirmed that there was a 3.3 magnitude quake around 6:30 a.m. and Plainfield police said they answered more than 200 calls this morning from people all over town who heard and felt the activity. MORE

We are constantly reminded of how dangerous it is to be a police officer. A total of 50 police officers were reportedly killed last year in the “line of duty,” but the police themselves managed to kill 1,029 Americans during the same time period, most of whom were unarmed and innocent of wrongdoings. MORE

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The documents filed in the Florida court reveal sordid details about Epstein and the orgies held in his various mansions. According to the Daily Mirror, Epstein may have compromising photographs and videos of Prince Andrew. Authorities found numerous images of sexual encounters recorded at on his properties, according to the Mirror. According to the court papers, Epstein recorded the orgies by using hidden cameras in guest bedrooms. MORE

In the Reagan era, conservative Republicans felt they had a powerful ally in Pope John Paul II, whose forceful anti-communism and anti-abortion stances played out in American politics.

Today’s conservatives are apprehensive about Pope Francis, who has changed the tone and culture, not the doctrines, of the Catholic Church in less than two years as pontiff. He stresses, with passion and authenticity, a commitment to addressing poverty and income inequality more than the social issues that have dominated much of the Catholic debate in America. MORE

Thousands of dead birds have been washing up on the Pacific Coast, and nobody is sure why.

From the northern coast of Washington to Northern California, beachgoers and biologists have been finding the carcasses of a small species of bird known as Cassin’s auklets. MORE

Tension between conservative and liberal Catholics in the United States over Pope Francis’ perceived tolerance for gays and lesbians and the divorced has entered a new arena of conflict: Climate change and the environment. MORE