ASEAN gets new Secretary General

The new Secretary General of the Association of South East Asian Nations,ASEAN, Rodolfo Severino, has taken up his duties.

Mr Severino, a former Philippines diplomat, succeeds Malaysia's Datuk Ajit Singh.

In his farewell speech, Mr Singh said he hoped Cambodia would be able to join ASEAN sometime this year.

Cambodia's entry to the regional grouping was postponed after the ousting of Prince Norodom Ranariddh by his co-Prime Minister, Hun Sen, last year.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service