Ten Southeast Asian leaders signed a landmark charter at the ASEAN summit today that puts the region on the path to creating a regional economic bloc by 2015. The bloc is modeled after the European Union—with free movement of goods, services, and investments in the region—but won’t include a common currency or tight integration. The charter also enshrines a commitment to democracy and human rights, even though the signers included a monarch and several military rulers. (Reuters)
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Helsinki's year of zero road fatalitiesUnder the Radar Finland's 'Vision Zero' safety strategy 'shifts responsibility for crashes from road users to the designers of the road system'
-
Critics' choice: Outstanding new Japanese restaurantsFeature An all-women sushi team, a 15-seat listening bar, and more
-
Why do Dana White and Donald Trump keep pushing for a White House UFC match?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The president and the sports mogul each have their own reasons for wanting a White House spectacle
