Paolo Fossati

The two kids were whipped 17 times. About 98 per cent of Aceh’s five million residents are Muslims. Sharia has been enforced since 2005 following a peace agreement. Although a new regulation bans public flogging, the practice remains widespread.

Thailand’s Finance Ministry wants one million rich seniors to fund the living allowance of nine million poorer seniors. The basic allowance is 600 baht US$ 19.20). Government and banks are working together in this campaign, but only 800 people have heeded the government appeal so far.

The Armed Forces’ hold on the country’s political institutions remains a serious issue. Aung San Suu Kyi’s party wants to set up a joint committee of parliament to tackle it. A motion to that effect was adopted two years after the assassination of Ko Ni, a constitutional consultant for Suu Kyi’s party.

President Duterte traces the last moments of life of the couple. From the local media the hypothesis that before the attack they had been sighted in a terrorist training camp. The silence of the population makes investigation difficult and the administration could offer rewards. In Zamboanga, unknown people throw grenade inside a mosque: two dead and four wounded.

Chinese authorities are accused of protecting fishermen and harassing local activists. Many monasteries dot the area near the lake and Tibetans traditionally do not eat fish. The central government has declared the area a tourist zone and the fish a protected species. However, the influx of ethnic Han settlers has led to increasing violations.

The Archbishop of Yangon condemns the possible resumption of the controversial Chinese project. The dam would be the first to block the Irrawaddy River, cradle of Myanmar civilization. The prelate attacks "the greed of a superpower". "Confident that our leaders will resist all efforts to destroy the destiny and dignity of our nation".

The pontiff will travel to the East Asian nation next November, the second pope to do so after John Paul II, in 1981. According to some sources, he will pray for the 220,000 victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear attacks. Local media are reporting he is also expected in Fukushima.

Two suicide bombers detonated explosive belts inside the church and near the parking lot. Five soldiers, a Coast Guard member and 12 civilians were killed in the attack, while another 83 people were injured. From Pamama, Pope Francis expresses "the most firm reprobation".

At least 27 people were killed and 77 wounded this morning at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Abu Sayyaf is the main suspect. The victims include people leaving for the installation of the new archbishop of Cotabato.

During the occupation of the city by the Islamic State, the prelate helped displaced people from the Nineveh Plain. He saved part of Mosul’s Christian and non-Christian cultural heritage from destruction. For the Chaldean Patriarch, he will have to focus on “reconciliation and trust”.

More than two million voters cast their ballot in favour of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL). The new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will also include Cotabato City. In Isabela City, residents opposed inclusion. Muslims were divided over the vote. Catholic leaders support the autonomy project.

Lawmaker Daw Cho Cho calls for paying off loans to China “as early as possible”. About 97 per cent of Myanmar’s debt was accumulated between 1988 and 2011. China’s interest rates are high. Lawmakers demand quick adoption of a debt management strategy. Senator U Than Soe suggests sending rice instead of dollars to China.