PHUKETWAN recognises the importance of Asean with the Economic Community approaching and marks what's happening around the region with a new column, Asean Today.



AP A deadly bomb that ripped through a venerated shrine in downtown Bangkok highlights a critical question: Are the generals losing their grip on troubles blitzing them from all directions, in a land that once seemed endowed with a magic touch?



straitstimes.com Travellers can expect airfares to increase next year, despite the recent fall in oil prices, industry experts have said. The sharpest rise is expected in the Asia-Pacific region, and Singapore will lead the pack, said a Singapore- based senior executive at travel management firm Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT).



kyodo news The current global headwinds will not deter Southeast Asian economic ministers, who began their annual meeting here on Saturday, from pressing ahead with their ambitious plan for an Asean single market.

moneyweek.com The devaluation of the yuan has unsettled markets across the globe. But the fallout has been worst in Asian foreign exchange, with Malaysia's ringgit hit especially hard. The currency has lost almost 25 percent in the past year, making it the region's worst performer.



reuters FIFA will send a team to investigate the state of play in Indonesian soccer with the Southeast Asians hopeful the world governing body will overturn a ban administered for government interference. Indonesia Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi said on Friday that FIFA officials would visit in October, four months after the country was banned.



cambodiadaily.com A group of 12 international and local human rights organisations sent a letter to the UN Human Rights Council urging it to support a resolution addressing ''the deteriorating human rights situation in Cambodia.''



aa.com.tr While the Nazi Party sought to persecute anyone who didn't fit their Aryan ideal in an effort to unify a bankrupt post World War Fatherland in a common enemy, European Rohingya Council Chairman Khairul Amin says the Myanmar government has targeted just one group - Muslims. Ambia Perveen, the council's secretary for advocacy, says that Rohingya face a form of genocide.



afp At least 10 people were killed while thousands fled to higher ground as powerful Typhoon Ineng (International Name: Goni) brought torrential rains to the northern Philippines, triggering landslides and floods, officials said.



irishexaminer.com The clothing tags say the garments were made in Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, China or Bangladesh - all countries competing to make a T-shirt that costs Americans and Europeans just five euros but takes a heavy toll on the people at its source.



tuoitrenews.vn A Vietnamese delegation is participating in the 9th Asean Navy Chiefs' Meeting (ANCM), which focuses on naval cooperation in maintaining regional maritime security. Rear Admiral Pham Hoai Nam, Commander of the Vietnam People's Navy and leader of the Vietnamese delegation, will discuss preparations for an international ship parade to mark 50-year Asean in 2017 with representatives of other Asean countries, Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People's Army) newspaper reported.