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.



foxnews.com Bears cubs and tiger bone wine are reportedly on the menu at an Asian luxury resort that caters to China's nouveau riche. An investigation conducted by the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has uncovered a rampant illicit animal trade in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone - a tax-free region in Southeast Asia controlled by Hong Kong-based Kings Romans Group.



thevine.com.au Imagine a city where you could drive simultaneously alongside 19 of your closest friends, have one of the speediest Wi-Fi-connections ever, and indulge in amazing golf courses with hardly any one else in the city!? This is exactly the reality in the capital city of Burma, Naypyidaw, which has recently been named by the Guardian as a ''slice of post-apocalypse suburbia.'' And they aren't wrong.



the canadian press Fifty containers of reeking Canadian garbage, including used adult diapers, have been languishing in the port of Manila for almost two years, sparking recent protests in the Philippines by environmental and public health activists: ''Take back your illegal waste shipment now.''



reuters Political leaders of Vietnam's capital halted the felling of thousands of Hanoi's trees after the plan sparked public outrage and fears it would damage the image of one of the world's most picturesque cities.



thestar.com.my The termination letters for all the current employees of Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS) will be issued on June 1 under the corporate exercise where the new company (NewCo), MAB Airlines Bhd will take over the loss-making airline.



voanews.com US First Lady Michelle Obama arrived in Siem Reap province, Cambodia, the next stop after her visit to Japan on her Asia tour to promote education for girls. Cambodia is one of 11 countries to be targeted in the first year of Obama's "Let Girls Learn'' initiative.



channelnewsasia.com Two Singapore-registered vessels have been detained in Indonesia, while a Singaporean who was detained in one of the incidents has since returned to Singapore, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said.



bloomberg The currency of Asia's highest-rated nation reflects a level of economic anxiety not seen since the region's financial crisis almost two decades ago. Singapore's dollar is headed for a third straight quarterly loss versus its US counterpart, and surging forward rates imply that the currency will depreciate at the fastest clip since 1998.



asiaone.com Brunei's banking industry will remain stable amid economic risks posed by falling global oil prices, according to global rating firm Standard and Poor's.