abc.net.au Singapore Airlines has told hundreds of passengers in Melbourne, Sydney and London to disembark from their planes because engineers found problems with engines on three A380 planes bound for Singapore.

ttglive.com In a heated session at WTM, TripAdvisor's head of sales for Europe, Martin Verdon-Roe, faced questions from hoteliers concerned about old and "fake" reviews. Jes Paine, managing director of Hospitality Travel and Leisure Management, asked Verdon-Roe to justify why hotel reviews that were eight to 10-years-old were allowed to remain on the site. After the session, Paine said: ''Reviews that are years old are a nonsense.''


A daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media.

bangkokpost.com The National Anti-Corruption Commission launches its first anti-corruption exposition today with the lofty goal of making Thailand corruption-free. Wilas Chanpitak, chairman of the anti-corruption committee, said: "Everywhere you look, you will find it. It's in the mindset. It has become part of the culture. It's difficult to fight greed.
"How can we teach children to fight against corruption when they see for themselves at an early age that parents must pay tea money for them to get a seat in school?"

transparency.org A key objective of the 14th International Anti-Corruption Conference beginning in Bangkok today is to bring practitioners and decision makers together to create change and confront the view that corruption cannot be beaten.

14iacc.com Public transport in Thailand is plentiful and inexpensive, making life for the visitor convenient and enjoyable. [This inaccuracy for Phuket has been pointed out, but ignored.]

thepeninsulaqatar.com Britain's embassy in Manila appealed to help find a businesswoman who disappeared during a business trip. Carole Day, a strawberry-blonde 56-year-old and a frequent visitor to the Philippines, was last seen on September 12 when she was to have flown from Cebu to Phuket. The Hong Kong-based woman's family is offering a reward.

bloomberg.com Burma's military has claimed victory in the country's widely criticised first election in 20 years. ''We have won about 80 percent of the seats. We are glad,'' said a member of the Union Solidarity and Development Party, the junta's political arm, who did not want to be named.

bbc.co.uk A Burmese exile publication replies that it is a "fantasy" to think that change is just around the corner.

heraldsun.com Five days after a near-new Rolls-Royce engine blew itself apart over Indonesia, evidence is emerging that the Qanras flagship jet incurred far greater damage than initial checks had shown. Qantas sources confirmed the explosion that sent pieces of hot metal through the left wing started a fuel leak and damaged vital flight systems needed to slow the big jet when it landed.

telegraph.co.uk British policeman Ian Shuttleworth, 50, arrested on a charge of trafficking, was acquitted in Bangkok after a Thai woman ''rescued'' from a brothel in Britain admitted that she had just told police what they wanted to hear.

cnn.com US President Barack Obama is officially shortening his visit to Indonesia because of fears that volcanic ash spewing from Mount Merapi could have grounded Air Force One, according to administration officials. A White House spokesman earlier told reporters aboard Air Force One that forecasts show air traffic might again be disrupted.

usatoday.com More than 150 people have died since Mount Merapi started spewing hot ash two weeks ago, and hotel guests in the nearby tourist city of Yogyakarta have largely been limited to stranded airline passengers.

discovery.com Rather than simply diminishing rainfall, experts recently found that volcanic eruptions rearrange the rainfall patterns over the Asian monsoon region. Contrary to model predictions, the eruptions bring more rain to southeast Asia - Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Burma.

Associated Press The lawyer for a Chinese asylum seeker who boarded a flight from Hong Kong to Canada disguised as an elderly white man requested that the media be banned from covering his client's immigration hearings to protect his identity.

smh.com.au This marks the second time this year that SPFX masks have been used in illegal circumstances. In April, a white man is accused of having committed six bank robberies in Ohio disguised as a black man.

guardian.co.uk Sometimes the Singapore government cannot help itself. The conviction of Alan Shadrake, an outspoken but hitherto unknown British author, for contempt of court is not merely unjust; it reminds outsiders of the authoritarian and sinister side of a city state that most people associate only with shopping. Sentencing has now been deferred for a week.

afp The global police organisation Interpol approved at its general assembly in Qatar the creation of a new Singapore-based anti-crime centre. The so-called Global Complex reflects "the continuation of our culture of innovation and is the next step in the organisation's evolution," said secretary general Ronald Noble.

dailytimes.com.pk Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that the government is mulling over a plan to introduce Singapore-like anti-corruption model in Pakistan to eradicate corruption, a private TV channel reported.

i-newswire.com Superyachts will be streaming into Phuket, Thailand from the Mediterranean and other international seas to enjoy the prestigious & fun 2010 Asia Superyacht Rendezvous December 16-18, the largest gathering of Power & Sail superyachts in Asia.

smh.com.au Sikh Americans protested what they said was a new policy at US airports to screen their turbans systematically, voicing fear the move would further stigmatise their faith. US officials did not confirm a change in policy and insisted they respected religious beliefs.

smh.com.au The European Commission revealed almost 800 million euros in penalties against 11 airlines, including British Airways, Air France-KLM, Singapore Airlines and Qantas. Air France-KLM received the biggest fine of 310 million euros, while BA's was 104 million euros, Singapore Airlines (74.8 million euros) and Cathay Pacific (57 million euros).

reuters.com Union-represented housekeepers filed injury complaints against Hyatt Hotels Corp properties in eight US cities, but the company said the filing was a union ploy to gain leverage and members.

eyeofdubai.com Dusit Thani Laguna on Phuket is partnering with 100.9 Al Khaleejiya radio station, Dubai, and Qatar Airways, offering competition winners throughout November the opportunity to visit the resort in the coming months, and recently welcomed well known Middle Eastern TV Chef, Chef Osama, to the hotel to film some of his shows on Thai cuisine.

Associated Press The Web has changed a lot since Marc Andreessen revolutionised it with the introduction of his Netscape browser in the mid-1990s. That is why he is betting people are ready to try a different surfing technique on a new browser called RockMelt.



PHUKET is importing top international DJs for the first five-day Festival on the Sand as part of the Patong Carnival from December 15-20. Up to 10,000 party goers are expected on the beach.

November 12 IBAP meets at Thai Naan restaurant to hear Woody Leonard on what's best for Internet access on Phuket.
November 12-14 Krabi-Andaman Festival plus Krabi Food Festival, Krabi Town. Details: 075-623-966, 081-7874074.
November 13 Phuket International Women's Club ball, Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort, Karon
November 19 AustCham at the new Westin Hotel at Koh Sireh from 3pm. E: harry@ladypie.com Tel: 081 2731740
November 21 Loy Kratong Festival
November 26-28 Phuket Honda Racing Fest at Saphan Hin, Phuket City
November 28 Laguna Phuket triathlon
December 4-11 Phuket King's Cup Regatta
December 5 Laguna Ironman title
December 3-5 North Phuket Culinary Arts Festival, Mai Khao resorts
December 15-20 Patong Carnival
December 16-18 2010 Asia Superyacht Rendezvous
December 17 US Consular outreach service on Phuket
December 30-January 9 Phuket Red Cross fair, Saphan Hin park, Phuket City
2011
January 6-9 PIMEX boat show, Royal Phuket Marina
January 22 QSI International fun run day at Bang Wad Dam, Kathu
January 23 The Great Phuket Rubber Duck Race Day, Laguna Phuket
February 9-13 The Bay Regatta - Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi