PHUKETWAN recognises the importance of Asean with the Economic Community approaching and marks what's happening around the region with a column, Asean Today, that will cease when Phuketwan closes on December 31.



reuters Malaysia plans to raise the minimum age for alcohol consumption from 18 to 21, it said in a filing to the World Trade Organisation. It did not say when the change would take place, but said it was part of a strategy aiming to prevent underage drinking and limit the accessibility of alcohol to high risk groups.



nytimes.com The crash of an AirAsia passenger jet off Indonesialast year was caused by a technical fault and a failed attempt by the crew to deal with it, not by bad weather, investigators said. All 162 people aboard were killed.

9news.com A young Indonesian man who allegedly crashed his Lamborghini into three bystanders, killing one of them, while racing a Ferrari has been filmed calmly texting while hanging out the window of his wrecked supercar. Wiyang Lautner, 24, was arrested after the smash that occurred in Surbaya in East Java, Kompas reports.

themalaysianinsider.com Indonesia's Intended Nationally Determined Contribution on climate change should be revised. With the recent massive forest fires in Indonesia, the INDC should be more honest and include realistic simulations of peat-land management.



reuters A Philippine court found a US Marine guilty of killing a transgender woman, jailing him for six to 12 years in a case that has reignited debate over the American military presence in its former colony. Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton said he had acted in self-defense after he discovered that a man was giving him oral sex, not a woman.



channelnewsasia.com Business confidence in Singapore for the next quarter has tumbled to a historic low amid concerns over a dip in consumer demand globally, according to the Singapore Commercial Credit Bureau's (SCCB) Business Optimism Index (BOI).



reuters The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded Thailand's safety ratings after its civil aviation body failed to tackle flaws in its commercial aviation standards. Thailand's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) was taken to a category 2 from 1 because it ''did not comply'' with its standards, the FAA said in a statement.



channelnewsasia.com Myanmar will open its first major stock exchange next week after months of delays, authorities said, as the long-cloistered economy slowly opens up.



janes.com The National Assembly of Cambodia approved a defence budget of USD383 million, a 17 percent increase against spending in 2015. The defence allocation amounts to around 9 percent of total government expenditure for the year and about two percent of GDP.



tuoitrenews.vn Vietnam is working to grant a one-year visa to US citizens on their travels or conference trips to the Southeast Asian country, an immigration official said.



xinhua The long-awaited railway that would connect the landlocked Laos with China would soon become a reality as an agreement was signed between authorities from the two countries for the construction, which is scheduled to start this month.