A special updating roundup of news about the Bangkok floods, with relevant reports from national and international media.

IT'S RAINING in Bangkok tonight. Waters north of Bangkok are approaching three metres in depth and the Government plans to divert the deluge east and west of central Bangkok.

Both Bangkok airports - Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi - are operating normally, protected by soil mounds should water break through other barriers.

Phuketwan called the Thai Contact Centre for Thai Airways today and was told there could be delays because staff had not been able to get to work at Don Muang.

Latest toll A total of 342 people are reported dead, with two missing. Displaced people now number 2,459,000 from 28 provinces.

wsj.com Floodwaters started seeping into Bangkok Friday, as Thailand's deepening flood crisis cast fresh light on the way rapid urbanisation has increased risks for some of the developing world's biggest cities, making them more vulnerable to natural disasters.

bangkokpost.com Some areas of Don Mueang and Lak Si districts in Bangkok have been inundated by overflow from Khlong Prapa canal. The water levels were now under control and the flood was expected to recede in the next few days, authorities said.

reuters Thailand reported progress in diverting floodwater round its capital into the sea but the threat of water swamping Bangkok lingered with canals full to the brim and heavy rain forecast for next week.

An Associated Press team Friday saw water entering homes in Bangkok's northern Lak Si district, along the capital's main Prapa canal. The water rose to knee-level in some places but damage so far was minor and not affecting Bangkok's main business district.

ft.com As central Bangkok residents brace for possible floods and many factories north of the Thai capital remain under two metres of water, investors are starting to ask whether the worst floods in 50 years will damage the country's prospects as a major global manufacturing base.

reuters PM Yingluck Shinawatra is resisting calls to declare a state of emergency, saying authorities are able to manage. ''It would ruin investors' confidence, which is quite weak already,'' Yingluck told reporters at the crisis centre.

The Anantara resorts group issued a media release late today noting that ''all of our properties have not experienced any disruptions to business and continue to welcome guests.''

nytimes.com Earlier, PM Yingluck said she would strictly enforce a natural disaster law, which stops short of declaring a state of emergency, at a time when she has come under criticism for the disorganisation and seeming uncertainty of her command.

afp In Nonthaburi Province, a few kilometres north of Bangkok, people have been wading through water with bags, boxes and suitcases as they abandoned their waterlogged homes. Most of Thailand's main tourist attractions have so far been unaffected although some foreign governments have warned against non-essential travel to the country.

bangkokpost.com In a desperate attempt to drain the mass of muddy water, the authorities have opened all of Bangkok's sluice gates to allow the floods to flow through canals and rivers in the low-lying capital and into the Gulf of Thailand.

bbc.co.uk More districts in the north of the Thai capital have been told to brace for flooding as water begins to drain through the city's canals to the sea.

nationmultimedia.com PM Yingluck Shinawatra on Friday issued a disaster warning for Bangkok, consolidating power for flood control and drainage. Yingluck invoked the 2007 Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act to oversee flood control, in lieu of declaring a state of emergency.

afpThailand's Prime Minister told people living across Bangkok on Friday to move their belongings higher up, a day after warning that the government couldn't hold back massive floods just north of the city.

nationmultimedia.com Bangkok has told seven districts in the Thai capital to be on alert for the approaching northern flood run-off, and advised residents of Sai Mai, Klong Samwa, Bang Khen, Nong Chok, Min Buri, Lat Krabang, Kannayao districts to move their valuable possessions to upper floors.

bangkokpost.com Panic gripped residents in eastern Bangkok after an official announcement confirmed fears that a massive volume of floodwater will be heading their way. Despite having already taken precautions, Thursday's announcement left many fearing their preparations would not be enough to protect their property from the coming flood.

nationmultimedia.com The government has ruled out a proposal to allow runoffs to pass through Bangkok before draining into the sea. ''The situation does not warrant flooding all of Bangkok because the water can still be diverted via the capital's eastern areas,'' Flood Relief Operations Centre director Pracha Promnok said. He added that the water could flow through the city's three main canals, Saen Saep, Prawet and Phra Khanong.

bloomberg ''This is our final stand,'' Pongdej Sriwachirapradit, general manager of Thai Honda Manufacturing, told reporters. ''The government needs to show it can protect this last major industrial estate. Foreign investors, especially the Japanese, are watching closely.''

nationmultimedia.com Hotel operators in Bangkok and other key destinations said they had received a flood of cancellations. Many meetings and conferences booked earlier have also been postponed.

bangkokpost.com The Buddy Group said its 83-room Buddy Oriental Riverside Pakkred, which has been open for only two months in Nonthaburi province, has been underwater since last week. It postponed plans to open new hotels in Phuket and Samui and a restaurant in Bangkok's Soi Ekamai.

digitaltrends.com Sony announced that it had no choice but to postpone the launch date of a new camera because the widespread floods have affected some of its factories in Thailand. The 24-megapixel mirrorless NEX-7 camera had been set for a November launch.

bloomberg Apple Inc. and Toyota Motor Corp. are facing the worst supply disruptions since the March earthquake that crippled Japan, leading investors to scramble assessing the financial toll of the floods in Thailand.

dow jones Nestle (Malaysia) may boost its output of a variety of products at its Malaysia production lines if the company's plants in Thailand are forced to scale back production due to the flooding there, the company's managing director said.

PHUKET, Krabi, Samui and other tourist destinations, including Bangkok's central city attractions, have not been affected by the flooding, says the Tourism Authority of Thailand.