Monday morning news: May 14, 2018

Indonesia bombings » Ambulances on the streets of Surabaya — Indonesia’s second largest city… 

AUDIO: Indonesia bombings sound

…after bomb attacks on three Christian churches during Sunday services killed 13 worshippers and injured dozens of others. 

ISIS quickly claimed credit for the suicide bombings that police say were carried out by the members of one family, including two young girls. 

The mother and two girls entered one church wearing explosive devices and detonated them. The father drove a bomb-laden car into another church, and two teenage sons carrying explosives drove motorcycles into a third house of worship before detonating their bombs. 

Indonesia is 90-percent Muslim and authorities have struggled in recent years to contain rising intolerance of religious minorities. 

Paris knife attack update » Meanwhile, French authorities say the attacker who stabbed five people—killing one—on a Paris street Saturday night, was on a terror watch list.

Police called to the scene shot and killed him. 

Brazilian tourist Carolina Melo was there—

MELO: We saw a guy lying on the street right on the crosswalk with blood on his shirt and it took us a little while to figure out maybe he had been stabbed.

Police detained the suspect’s parents and an acquaintance for questioning. French news outlets identified the attacker as Khamzat Asimov, a French citizen born in Chechnya.

If officials confirm the attacker’s Chechnyan background, it would mark the first time a terrorist from that region of Russia has carried out an attack on French soil.

ISIS also claimed responsibility for the Paris attack.

North Korea to blow up nuke site » North Korea has announced it will begin dismantling its nuclear test facility as soon as 10 days from now— and will allow international journalists to watch as parts of the facility are blown up.

The news came just three days after the White House announced a historic meeting between President Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. They will discuss denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula during the June 12th meeting in Singapore.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News finally achieving denuclearization will take a new approach by both sides.

POMPEO: This is going to have to be different and big and special and something that has never been undertaken before if we’re going to get to this historic outcome, both sides have to be prepared to take truly historic measures to achieve it. 

Pompeo recently traveled to Pyongyang to meet Kim and described him as engaged and knowledgeable on foreign policy details. Pompeo said Kim frequently watches Western news programs.

Kilauea update » Residents on Hawaii’s Big Island are bracing for what scientists warn could be a major new eruption on Mount Kilauea in coming days.

Wendy Stovall with the U.S. Geological Survey says if that happens, it will be the result of huge blocks of rock falling into the volcano’s main vent—blocking it.

STOVALL: Essentially the steam is just going to get trapped and it will just explosively evacuate that crater and large blocks and smaller particles of ash will come streaming out of the vent.

That’s a major worry for resident Susan Cabral— 

CABRAL: Those of us who have respiratory problems, heart conditions, any of that sulphur dioxide coming over is really harmful. If there were an ash fallout, that would be a big concern, it could get into our water system, plug up our pumps. 

Geologists warn the possible explosion could be the largest in 100 years. Lava from Mount Kilauea has destroyed dozens of homes in recent days.

Civil defense officials are setting up shelter sites and urging residents to prepare for rapid evacuation.

OK protects adoption agencies » Oklahoma has officially become the seventh state to pass a religious liberty law protecting adoption agencies. WORLD Radio’s Kent Covington has more.

KENT COVINGTON, REPORTER: Governor Mary Fallin signed the bill into law over the weekend. It helps protect rights of conscience for adoption and foster care agencies that choose, on religious grounds, not to place children in gay or transexual households.

Republican state Senator Greg Treat wrote the bill. He pushed back against critics who say the law is all about discriminating against the LGBT community. Treat said he believes some faith-based groups are afraid to participate in adoptions for fear of being sued for discrimination. He said—quote—“I would not be standing here on a bill as controversial as this if I didn’t believe it would help more children to get into loving homes.”

Lawmakers in Kansas recently approved a similar bill. It awaits Governor Jeff Colyer’s signature.

Reporting for WORLD Radio, I’m Kent Covington.

I’m Jim Henry. Straight ahead: political maps and respect for foreign laws are at the center of disputes at the Supreme Court. This is The World and Everything in It.

(AP Photo/Trisnadi) Members of police bomb squad inspect wreckage of motorcycles at the site where an explosion went off outside a church in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Sunday, May 13, 2018. 

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