Phuketwan MediaWATCH
A daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media.
cnn.com Five British nationals who were the crew of a racing yacht were detained by the Iranian Navy on November 25 and remain held in Iran, the British Foreign Office said. The yacht, owned by Sail Bahrain, was on its way from Bahrain to Dubai when it was stopped by Iranian navy ships. The yacht is called the Kingdom of Bahrain, according to a diplomatic source and Sail Bahrain's Web site.
Phuketwan Update A new Tesco-Lotus store is to open in Kathu, central Phuket, near the well-known Praphuketkeaw Road- Seekor Road intersection. About 40 staff are being sought for the store, which is scheduled to open on December 29. Tesco-Lotus, which followed Robinson Tops on the island, has since opened smaller mall supermarkets to complement its first large store. Rival Carrefour, which has one supermarket in Patong, is looking for a new site on the other side of the hill, in Phuket City.
thestreet.com Las Vegas Sands is eyeing further expansion into the Asian region, with growth opportunities in Japan, Thailand and India. Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson told Reuters that the company could expand into these other areas as early as next year through a joint venture between Las Vegas Sands and Sands China. Las Vegas Sands is in the process of building its $5.5 billion Singapore casino, to open in March.
nationmultimedia.com Well-known businesswoman Sunattee Nerngchamnong was facing more than 30 lawsuits, which could have been the motive behind her murder. Investigators said they would have liked more information from Sunattee's lawyer, who remains unidentified, because she told him ''almost everything about her real-estate business''. However, the lawyer ''seemed to be holding something back,'' they said.
moodiereport.com Airports of Thailand posted a sharp drop in revenue and operating profits for the year ended September 200930. AoT recorded total operational revenues of 21,502.39 million baht, down 19.59 percent year-on-year. Operating income reached 2959.14 million baht, a fall of 63.01 percent. AoT blamed a combination of negative factors.
nytimes.com Tiger Woods announced his withdrawal from this week's Chevron World Challenge, the tournament he has hosted since its move to the Sherwood Country Club in 2000. In a statement on his Web site, Woods, 33, did not cite his injuries from Friday's one-car accident as the cause for the withdrawal. ''I'm very sorry that I can't be there,'' he said.
bloomberg Tiger has spent a career hearing the roar of his gallery. Now it's time for the gallery to hear from him.
washingtonpost.com Serena Williams, who reclaimed the No. 1 ranking in women's tennis this season, was fined a record $82,500 for her profanity-laced outburst during the US Open in September and could be suspended from the event if she commits another major infraction in the next two years. The ugly tirade was captured on television and replayed countless times on sports highlight shows and YouTube.
wsj.com Market panic from Dubai World's suspension of its debt payments may have eased but caution will remain, with only a handful of Asian deals expected to hit the offshore bond market before the end of the year. Even before last week's Dubai news, market players were concerned about new-issue fatigue given the amount of debt issued in October.
antara.com The Indonesian government said the number of HIV/AIDS cases in the country is continuing to increase from year to year. ''About 298,000 people in Indonesia are now suffering from HIV/AIDS,'' Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare Agung Laksono said. Agung, also chairman of the National AIDS Commission, made the remarks when he opened a National Condom Week at the University of Indonesia.
monstersandcritics.com The Malaysian government has announced it will revamp the syllabus for a patriotism course following charges by the opposition that it incited racial discord between the majority ethnic Malays and minority ethnic Chinese and Indians. Nazri Aziz, minister in the Prime Minister's office, said the National Civics Bureau course would be amended as its current content was not in line with PM Najib Razak's racial unity policies.
ethicaltraveler.org Wild Asia, a social enterprise that promotes sustainable travel, community-based development and conservation of natural areas, recently announced the 2009 winners of its Responsible Tourism Awards. Best Large to Mid-size Accommodation Operator went to ITC Mughal, a five-star hotel chain in India; Mid-size to Small Accommodation Operators category went to El Nido Resorts in the northwest Palawan region of the Philippines; Community-Based to Homestay Operators category went to Sunderbans Jungle Camp in India.
smh.com.au Stephanie Gilmore, 21, has won a third consecutive world title, with former champ Layne Beachley saying there is no animosity between the champion Australian surfers. Gilmore raised eyebrows ahead of her debut season when she predicted she could win 10 world titles. Beachley said from Phuket: ''It was a fairly auspicious thing for her to say, but why not?''
