The people of Myanmar have often turned to the clergy for aid during natural disasters. But last month’s earthquake was also devastating for monks, many of whom died under the rubble of collapsed monasteries.

© The New York Times

Aid workers delivered the first shipments of help to Myanmar, but will have to cross a country buckled by the disaster and divided by civil war, arms dealers and drug syndicates.

At his first stop in the Philippines, the U.S. defense secretary promised to strengthen deterrence against Chinese “threats” in the region. He also plans to visit Japan.

The State Department said it was “combating China’s efforts to pressure governments to forcibly return Uyghurs and other groups to China.”

Officials in the Philippines say that President Trump will not pull back from defense commitments because Manila and Washington have a common adversary.