A Toronto man who found out nearly eight years ago that his Thai stripper wife had infected him with HIV has no one to blame but himself, the Ontario Superior Court heard. The man had been suing for $30 million, claiming negligence.


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

psfk.com Thailand has become the first government to publicly endorse Twitter's controversial decision to censor messages in certain countries. Twitter announced last week it would permit country-specific censorship of content that could violate local laws, prompting debate worldwide over freedom of speech.

foxnews.com Unfortunately, this new supposedly forward-looking censorship Twitter feature is actually extremely myopic. It forces the company to become global digital police force, making decisions about religious views, culture, morality, and politics.

balidiscovery.com In the face of escalating crime and violent attacks on both locals and island visitors in the nightlife and entertainment area of Kuta, local citizen groups in Bali, gathered from surrounding banjars in Kuta, have begun patrolling the area, effective January 16. The group is also actively urging nightspots in Kuta to cease operations at 2am ending the practice of some bars and nightspots operating until sunrise.

andrew-drummond.com Murders and attacks on foreigners are far from rare in Hua Hin, particularly when business is involved. Today Paul Ayling, 48, is in a coma from which he may never recover after being bashed from his motorcycle by two men.

nationmultimedia.com The Anti-Corruption Network, a watchdog formed by the private sector, has urged Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to respond to its demand for an end to graft after it submitted an outline for solving the problem more than a month ago.

nationmultimedia.com The Hilton Pattaya introduces the "Hilton Huanying" program to ensure that Chinese travellers find familiar comforts upon arrival, both in their guest rooms and at breakfast. The program includes a greeting upon arrival at the hotel by a front desk team member fluent in Mandarin.

voanews.com Burmese President Thein Sein says his government is committed to moving the country towards a healthy democracy after decades of military rule. Thein Sein commented during a formal state dinner in Singapore, and again in a newspaper interview in the city-state's Straits Times newspaper.

telegraph.co.uk Adrian Sutil's Formula One career may well be over after the German was handed an 18-month suspended jail sentence for grievous bodily harm relating to a nightclub altercation. He was found guilty of assaulting Lotus team co-owner Eric Lux while celebrating with Lewis Hamilton in Shanghai's M1NT nightclub following the McLaren driver's victory in the 2011 Chinese Grand Prix.

reuters Britain stripped the former head of Royal Bank of Scotland of his knighthood, putting a banker reviled by tabloids as "Fred the Shred" alongside Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe and Romania's Nicolae Ceausescu as those who lost the high honor.

thejakartapost.com Indonesia's Badung administration will draft a regent's decree regulating tattoo parlors and artists following a report about a man allegedly contracting HIV from a parlor. The claim made by a state health authority in Australia was that an Australian contracted HIV after getting a tattoo during a vacation in Bali.

itproportal.com In what could be termed as a rather bizarre and shocking use of social media sites, it was found that as many as 350 violent criminals serving their terms in British jails used Facebook to taunt victims and their family. The disclosure was made by the Ministry of Justice.

telegraph.co.uk Bill Gates: "Capitalism has worked phenomenally. Look at North Korea versus South Korea, or China before and after 1979. Capitalism has shortfalls. It doesn't necessarily take care of the poor, and it underfunds innovation, so we have to offset that.''

smh.com.au An eight-country investigation of the fishing industry in the southern Pacific by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists shows how the fate of the jack mackerel may foretell the progressive collapse of fish stocks in all oceans.

bangkokpost.com RAK Airways is set to launch flights from its home base in the UAE to Bangkok in June, joining the fray already dominated by two larger carriers from the oil-rich emirates. With the airline positioning itself between full-service and budget carriers, chief executive Omar Jahameh said in a release that its offering now markedly differs from other carriers in the region.

Phuket Update Bolstering the image of what is being talked of now as "Brand Phuket" is the digital news site thephuketinsider.com which has brought a booming tourism industry within striking distance of a global audience through its commentary, unique research and the "X-Factor" that continues to drive the destination forward.



Agencies Manchester United cruised to a comfortable 2-0 victory against Stoke City at Old Trafford to go level at the top with Manchester City, who lost 0-1 at Everton.

guardian.co.uk This is a side that has had too many setbacks not to relish the encouraging form that they now appear to have discovered. Wolverhampton 0-3 Liverpool.

telegraph.co.uk Chelsea might have snatched a fortuitous deflected equaliser but the dominant theme of another hugely impressive evening at the Liberty Stadium was Swansea's expansive passing play. Swansea 1-1 Chelsea.

nationmultimedia.com The list of Thai sponsors for English Premier League clubs has lengthened after 3K Battery signed a three-year contract with Liverpool. The country's leading maker of car batteries has promised to launch a variety of activities created specifically for Reds fans. 3K Battery believes the Anfield deal, reportedly worth more than 300 million baht, will be a boost for the company's international image.

bymnews.com The Bay Regatta : The party that sails around. That's how long-time Phuket sailor Barry Kennaugh describes the The Bay Regatta and it's an appropriate moniker. This year's event, held from February 1-5, will see dozens of colorful spinnakers sail through some of the world's most famous cruising grounds, enjoying spectacular scenery and partying well into the night at some of the region's most beautiful resorts.



nationmultimedia.com Laguna Phuket will host Phuket International Blues Rock Festival on February 24 and 25. This charity music event features Chris Thomas King, Grainne Duffy, John Meyer's Blues Express and local blues musicians.

February 24-25 Phuket Blues Festival, Laguna Phuket

March 29-April 1 Phuket International Boat Show, Royal Phuket Marina

April Opening of Gardens by the Bay, Singapore, three waterfront gardens that will dwarf Kew in London and provide ''green lungs'' for the city.

May 5 Krabi celebrates the province's 140th anniversary

May 26-June 5 National Youth Games, Phuket



November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket