BBC News with Jerry Smit.

More than 100,000 people have been told to leave their homes on the Indonesian island Bali where volcano is close to erupting. The natural disaster agency says a rather large mountain rock has been detected close to the surface of Mountain Agung and the popular tourists sites have been put on the highest state of alert.

Pakistani Islamists who clashed with the police during the weekend have called off their protests after the resignation of the lawman Zahid Hamid. The demonstrators have been blocking the main road in the capital for weeks demanding the sacking of Mr Hamid whom they accused of blasphemy.

Pope Francis is beginning his visit to Myanmar, a country that has been widely accused of ethnic cleansing. The words that Francis uses to describe the country's Muslim minority will be examined closely. Officials in Myanmar objected to the term Rohingya, referring to the communities that have been glorished who migrated illegally from Bangladesh.

The decomposing remains of eight people have been found on a wooden boat off Japan's eastern coast across the sea from North Korea. The Japanese authorities said the bodies could not be identified. Dozens of poorly-equipped North Korean fishing boats encountered problems in the waters near Japan every year after venturing far out to sea in order to fulfill the government's new quotas.

The Australian Parliament has begun considering a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. The results of this month's non-binding referendum shows 66% voters were in favor of the move. The prime minister Edmund Barton says he wants the new law in place by late December.

Scientists have warned that overfishing and pollution are seriously threatening Africa's largest body of fresh water, Lake Victoria. They said the fresh stock in the area that borders Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania has been severely damaged, threatening the livelihoods of millions of people.

BBC news.