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.



independent.co.uk A British truck driver who quit his job to teach English to orphans in Laos has died after mosquito bites on his legs became infected. David Murray, 39, known as 'Muzz' to friends, contracted typhus and dengue fever while working for the Sae Lao community project in the village of Nathong, in the north.



channelnewsasia.com From December 15 this year, Singapore will ban emerging tobacco products - those which are currently not available in Singapore, and also existing products in the local market, the Ministry of Health announced. The ban is a ''pre-emptive measure to protect public health against the known and potential harms of such products,'' the ministry said in a news release.



bbc.com Thousands of people living close to a volcano in Indonesia have been forced to flee their homes after it began erupting violently. At least 3000 people living near the slopes of Mount Sinabung have had to leave, including 1200 on Monday alone.



independent.co.uk Burma may not be a country associated with a lively city environment or a home of prosperous individuals in Porsches, but Peter Popham's video diary offers an intriguing insight into life in Yangon.



9news.com.au Heavy rains brought down the ceiling of a new cinema in Cebu in the Philippines last night during an exclusive screening by Dreamscape, an Australian theatre company. Remarkably, only six people were injured.

afp The Philippines will argue its case against China's claim over most of the disputed South China Sea at The Hague next month, the foreign department said.



bloomberg.com Vietnamese fishing craft clashed with Chinese boats near the disputed Paracel Islands last week, underscoring simmering tensions between the two communist countries even as their leaders talk of improving relations.



reuters A small oil tanker was hijacked off the southeast coast of Malaysia over the weekend in the second such incident in the same area this month, raising further concerns over piracy in Southeast Asia, maritime officials said.



dailyrecord.co.uk Goodwill ambassador David Beckham has shared a number of inspirational photos of himself during his most recent aid trip with UNICEF to Cambodia. The hunky footballer has travelled to Asia to see how UNICEF and its partners are helping children who have endured physical, sexual and emotional abuse.