A daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. PLUS World Cup Watch, every day.

World Cup Scores:SVK 3:2 ITA PAR 0:0 NZL DEN 1:3 JPN CMR 1:2 NED
Screening Tonight: 9pm Portugal v Brazil Korea DPR v Cote d'Ivoire 1.30am Chile v Spain Switzerland v Honduras

bangkokpost.com The Tourism Authority of Thailand will spend 10 million baht to enlist the American household diva Martha Stewart to film her TV programs in Thailand in September to promote the country to international visitors. The agency also plans a series of domestic travel promotions, including its first programs specifically for women, in an attempt to revive an industry hard-hit by political unrest in April and May.The TAT launched the Lady Journey campaign in collaboration with United Overseas Bank, which aims to encourage more travel by working women aged 25-45. The TAT and 20 boutique hotels are also staging a ''One Price All Destinations'' promotion offering rooms at 2000 baht a night including breakfast, until September 30.

afp Thailand is set to lift emergency rule, imposed during mass opposition protests in the capital, in many provinces next month, but extend the strict laws in Bangkok, officials said. The emergency decree, in place across about a third of the country, is due to expire on July 7. The cabinet will decide whether to extend it based on the advice of security officials.

independent.co.uk To make room in his schedule, French President Nicolas Sarkozy had blown out a meeting with French voluntary relief organisations about the fate of 3,000,000,000 poor people in the developing world. Across town, a hundred thousand people were marching to protest against the president's plan to raise the pension age. Neither of these issues was as important to the ''future of France'' as the evidence presented by his VIP visitor. Thierry Henry, aged 32, Barcelona and former Arsenal striker was an eye-witness to the calamitous events in South Africa which have made the French national football team the laughing-stock of the world.

bbc.co.uk An inquest has been opened into the death of a 21-year-old woman who drowned while on holiday in Thailand. Rebecca Callaghan, from Evesham. in Worcestershire, drowned swimming off Karon Beach in the Phuket area on June 12, during a three-month trip. The inquest, at Worcestershire Coroners' Court, was adjourned while further reports are carried out.

independent.co.uk When Julia Gillard's family emigrated to Australia from South Wales in 1966, little did they dream that their daughter would make history as the country's first female prime minister. After her predecessor, Kevin Rudd, was unceremoniously dumped by his own party, Ms Gillard was sworn in - appropriately enough by the nation's first female Governor-General, Quentin Bryce.

asiaone.com Thailand police have arrested a former nurse whom they believed was involved in selling foetuses, which can be turned into Luk Krok (child ghosts). a hunter accidentally found 14 bottles of preserved foetuses in an abandoned house in Ubon Ratchathani, a north-eastern province of the country. According to Thai superstition, Luk Krok can bring wealth to its owner especially in winning lotteries.

Associated Press A 43-year-old Malaysian woman was charged with smuggling heroin in her bra. Harini Che Soh, arrested last week at a bus terminal, was investrigated after police became suspicious of her ''abnormal bust size.'' Drug trafficking carries the mandatory death penalty upon conviction.

afp Drug seizures and cultivation have surged in Burma, a UN expert said, particularly in areas where ethnic rebels are coming under increased pressure from the junta ahead of rare elections. Across Burma, Thailand and China, total seizures of methamphetamine have trebled from 30 million tablets in 2008 to 90 million last year.

todayonline.com Singapore's SkyPark was officially opened and because the crowds kept streaming in, the management of Marina Bay Sands put another 1000 tickets on sale. Before this, 500 tickets had been snapped up, with another 500 sold in advance online. Overall, visitors were pleased with their $20 experience although some areas like the 150-metre infinity pool - the world's largest outdoor pool at 200 metres high - were not open.The Public Observation Deck is open daily from 10am to 10pm.

afp The buzz is back in Singapore's convention and exhibition industry as Asia-Pacific economies rebound and new casinos attract more visitors to one of the region's favourite meeting destinations. From telecom and hotel trade shows to Christian prayer meetings and home-decor fairs, conference centres are enjoying robust demand from event organisers along with rising attendance numbers.

cnn.com American Ron Wayne, 76, who is living off Social Security and does a modest trade in collectors' stamps and coins, is one of the three founders of Apple computer, and once held 10 percent. Today, that stock would be worth $22 billion.

yahoo.com Wimbledon returned to something resembling normality at 4.48pm on Thursday when American John Isner punched away a backhand winner past Nicolas Mahut to win a match that had left the tournament in suspended animation. Not even Queen Elizabeth's first visit to the All England Club since 1977 could overshadow a record-shredding contest that ended 70-68 in Isner's favor in the deciding set after 11 hours and five minutes of hypnotic action on Court 18 that spanned three days.

aliran.com Letter; According to the June 2005 newsletter of the Malaysian Swiftlet Farmers Association, over 400 houses in George Town have been converted into swiftlet farms. The latest casual count estimates that these numbers could be closer to twice that. The damage urban swiftlet farming in George Town is doing to our ''intangible heritage,'' by moving people out of buildings in order to open swiftlet farms, and to our ''tangible heritage'' is too great to be ignored.



telegraph.co.uk Italy managed to accumulate just two points from their three group games after recording successive draws against Paraguay and New Zealand before crashing out of the tournament thanks to a 3-2 defeat to World Cup debutants Slovakia.

smh.com.au The Netherlands reaffirmed their status as one of the favorites by beating Cameroon 2-1 to set up a knockout round clash with Slovakia, joining Argentina as the only teams with a 100 per cent record so far.

skysports.com Germany assistant manager Hansi Flick has claimed that his side will be the underdogs against England on Sunday. ''They have so many stars in their team and in our match they are the favorites,'' said Flick. ''They play modern football, have gained a lot in tactical matters under Fabio Capello and can beat any team. This match will be an absolute classic.''

goal.com Japan coach Takeshi Okada has praised the united effort of his team as they qualified for the knock-out phase with a convincing 3-1 win over Denmark. Japan plays Paraguay on Tuesday.



June 25-26 Phuket Music Festival, Full Moon Version, at Karon beach. [Last year it was called the RoyFest. It's no longer the RoyFest.]
June 25 to 27 Second Kathu Culture Road Fair, recalling the region's history
July 4 US Phuket Navy League Independence Day free family picnic at the Headstart International Learning Center directly across from Makro (near Central Festival) in Phuket City from 10am-7pm.
July 9-18 Phuket Flower Festival and Pineapple Show, Saphan Hin park, Phuket City
July 21-25 Phuket Six Senses Race Week, Evason, Rawai
July 24 Third Worldwide Photo Walk, with at least one walk for photographers on Phuket
October 1-3 Asian Hospitality and Travel Show, Central Festival Phuket Convention and Exhibition Center, Phuket City
December 4-11 Phuket King's Cup Regatta
2011
January 6-9 PIMEX boat show, Royal Phuket Marina
February 9-13 The Bay Regatta - Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi