BANGKOK (AP) — A floating mosque and golf course for the submerging Maldives islands. Amphibious homes in the Netherlands lifted to safety as waters surge beneath them. A hospital perched on 400 stilts to protect patients from Thailand’s devastating floods and the encroaching sea nearby. Around the world, architects and city planners are exploring ways mankind and water may be able to co-exist as oceans rise and other phenomenon induced by climate change, including extreme, erratic floods, threaten land-rooted living. With the Dutch at the helm, projects in the cutting-edge field of aqua-architecture are already in place, including a maritime housing estate, floating prison, and greenhouses in the Netherlands. An increasing number are coming on stream, and while earlier blueprints appeared to be the stuff of science fiction, advocates say leaps of imagination are still needed given the magnitude of the danger. “The focus on floating solutions has grown enormously. It has shifted from freak architecture to more sustainable, flexible alternatives,” says Dutch architect Koen Olthuis, citing growing support by governments and interest among private investors in Asia and Russia. “We will have to live with a more watery environment. There is no choice,” says Danai Thaitakoo, a Thai landscape architect whose own Bangkok house was swamped last year as the country suffered its worst floods of modern times.

MANILA, The Philippines (AP) — The Philippine and Vietnamese navies have agreed to let their sailors play football and basketball on disputed South China Sea islands to ease tension and build trust. China is likely to protest such a show of military alliance in the contested region. Philippine navy chief Vice Admiral Alexander Pama said the “fun games” were part of a broader agreement he signed with his Vietnamese counterpart last October. The accord calls for their navies to undertake confidence-building steps and intensify information sharing to allow them to better respond to maritime accidents in the disputed Spratly Islands. The Philippines and Vietnam separately accused Chinese vessels of intruding into their territorial waters and disrupting oil explorations last year.

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Southeast Asian nations have agreed to adopt this year a human-rights declaration to strengthen protection in a region notorious for violations. Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plan to adopt the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, which is being drafted, when they meet at a summit in Cambodia in November. Philippine diplomat Rosario Manalo says the declaration is patterned after the 1948 United Nations declaration. Although non-binding, the 10-nation ASEAN declaration is the latest effort by the bloc to promote human rights in a region with a long history of violations. ASEAN includes Myanmar, also known as Burma, which has been condemned for its dismal rights record, but has embarked on democratic reforms in recent months.

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese state-run radio says the government plans to allow tourists to visit the Paracel islands, in a move likely to raise tensions with Vietnam which also claims the territory. China National Radio quoted military expert Yin Zhuo as saying tourism can help China strengthen its claim of sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea. The radio network said tourists may be able to visit by the end of this year. China has occupied the Paracels since 1974, but Vietnam insists they are part of its territory. The islands, named Xisha in Chinese, are south of China’s Hainan province and east of mainland Vietnam. Vietnam recently accused China of violating its sovereignty by preparing for oil exploration and conducting live firing exercises near the Paracels.

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — The president of Myanmar, also known as Burma, has met with leaders of the Karen rebel movement in the latest sign of the government’s determination to end one of the world’s longest-running insurgencies. The meeting between Thein Sein and leaders of the Karen National Union came a day after a government delegation agreed to firm up an earlier ceasefire while negotiating a more comprehensive plan. A senior official said Karen leaders were flown to the capital of Naypyitaw for the meeting, described as informal and friendly. The official gave no other details and spoke on condition of anonymity. Thein Sein is seeking ceasefires with ethnic rebel groups as part of political reforms started last year after decades of repression under military rule.

TOKYO (AP) — The operator of Japan’s tsunami-hit nuclear plant has said that tons of highly radioactive water appear to have leaked into the ocean from a purification unit. The leak comes as Tokyo Electric Power Co. struggles to keep the melted reactors cool and contain radiation and raises concerns about its ability to keep the plant stable. Similar leaks have occurred several times since last year. Officials say they do not pose an immediate health threat. Workers spotted the leak coming from a section of hose on a device used to decontaminate cooling water from reactors. The company said it appears to have stopped the leak. The government declared in December the plant had achieved stability and radiation leaks have significantly decreased.