Japan-S. Korea ministerial meeting
The foreign ministers of Japan and South Korea will hold a one-day meeting in Seoul today to settle a row over thousands of Korean women who were made to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II, among other issues. It is part of a bid to improve strained ties following a rare meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Park Geun Hye last month.
Cameron to visit flood-hit regions
British Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to visit flood-hit regions today after chairing an emergency Cobra committee meeting yesterday. Heavy rain triggered floods in parts of northern England on Saturday, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of homes and the deployment of army personnel to shore up overwhelmed defences. Lancashire in the north-west and Yorkshire in the north-east were the worst affected.
Birth of Asean Economic Community
Some are calling it perhaps the biggest event for Asian trade since China joined the World Trade Organisation in 2001. This Friday, with the arrival of the New Year, the Asean Economic Community will formally come into being. It may not mean highly visible change for now, but it will help to further draw together the 625 million people of the 10 Asean nations - and their businesses - into a single market better able to compete on a global stage.