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

mcot.net Thailand's airline business and travel industry in the last quarter is expected to show signs of positive growth, budget airline Thai AirAsia chief executive officer Tassapon Bijleveld said. In mid-November, Thai AirAsia will launch Bangkok-New Delhi and Phuket-Bali routes.

nationmultimedia.com British Ambassador Quinton Quayle will leave Thailand at the beginning of November after serving more than three years as chief of mission. In a statement, the British Embassy said an announcement on his successor would be made in due course. [Ambassador Quayle recently hosted a gala Queen's Birthday event on Phuket.]

southalltravel.co.uk Leicester City football club have landed in Bangkok ahead of their friendly match today against Thailand's national team. Manager Sven-Goran Eriksson believes the fixture will help improve the term's performance back home.

guardian.co.uk A US terrorism alert issued this week about al-Qaeda plots to attack targets in Western Europe was politically motivated and not based on credible new information, senior Pakistani diplomats and European intelligence officials say. [Ed: Another reason why the world needs a reliable global travel alert system.]

asiaone.com Singapore has emerged as the fourth richest nation in the world, according to statistics provided in the latest Credit Suisse wealth report. With an average personal wealth per adult of US$255,488, Singapore took fourth position in global standings, behind Switzerland, Norway and Australia.

Phuketwan Update A 20-year-old man was electrocuted when a power line dropped into a pool of water after heavy rain on Phuket this week. The man, Boonmee Santhima, was working on a construction team at a house being built for an expat in Patong.

bangkokpost.com SET-listed Dusit Thani Plc will set up a property fund with a total size of four billion baht with three Dusit hotels including the Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket as the underlying assets, according to chief executive Chanin Donavanik. Shareholders approved a proposal to acquire the Dusit Laguna Phuket from Laguna Resorts and Hotels for 2.72 billion baht.

mcot.net Thailand's Cabinet will consider measures on Tuesday to help cushion business operators hardest hit by by the baht appreciation, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said. Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij will also propose to the Cabinet measures to help operators, particularly the small and medium enterprises and those who have no hedge against currency risks, Mr Abhisit said.

independent.co.uk Thomas Cook and the Co-operative Group have agreed to merge their high street travel agent and foreign exchange businesses in a deal that is set to lead to ''hundreds'' of job losses as the combined group seeks to achieve cost savings of 35 million pounds a year. The move will create Britain's biggest high street travel network with more than 1200 shops

smh.com.au The website, www.usaestaapply.org, looks legitimate and claims it will get travellers an electronic system for travel authorisation, which is now needed to enter the US. Similar websites, also operating from Korea, have previously claimed to do the same thing but have proved to be scams.

UKPA An overloaded ferry carrying schoolchildren to a football game has capsized in Burma's Ayeyarwaddy Delta, killing at least 19 people. Authorities are still searching for three people missing after the incident near Labutta township's Hsalu village, 105 miles south west of Rangoon.

theage.com.au To be honest, I've avoided Bali in the past because I'm a little scared of Aussies behaving badly on holiday. Waiting on the tarmac in Melbourne, a lady stood in her seat and informed the entire back section of the plane that it was Suzanne's 50th birthday and they were going to Bali.

reuters The Philippine airline whose flight attendants danced a safety demonstration to Lady Gaga said they were "surprised" after a video of the routine became an online sensation, while the country's flight attendant association labelled the Cebu Pacific Airlines dance "demeaning".

paramattasun.com.au Most of the major Australian, Asian and Middle East airlines are now selling advance-purchase fares for travel to Europe next year in the $A1700-$1900 range, depending on the destination, and with the proviso that these rates might not be available in the busiest European summer months from June to August.

myjoyonline.com Some Ghanaians and other West African nationals languishing in jail in Thailand face execution anytime soon by the Thai prison authorities. The Ghanaians, numbering four, were thrown into jail in 2008 for illicit drugs-related offences, but they are claiming that they were framed by the Thai authorities.

nationmultimedia.com The National Press Council of Thailand issued a statement cautioning fellow media members over the extensive, sensational coverage of the unsettled fatherhood of the baby born to actress Annie Brooks. The statement said some practices had violated both her and the baby's rights, along with that of Rattaphum 'Film' Tokongsab, who she said fathered the child.

scmp.com A group of international martial arts fighters have been left stranded in Hong Kong and Macau after the cancellation of a multimillion-dollar cage-fighting event and the apparent disappearance of the promoter who brought them

smh.com.au Ringing endorsement: Elizabeth Bolton writes: On a Thai Airways flight from Sydney to Bangkok in August my friend dropped an earring between our seats. Every effort made by us and the crew failed to locate it. The cabin supervisor advised the captain and he radioed ahead to Bangkok requesting technical staff to help when we landed. Four men arrived before most of the passengers had disembarked and set about dismantling seat 12E to search for the earring. After 25 minutes it was located and there were delighted smiles and warm thanks all round. It was exceptional service.



Until October 16 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
October 12 Qatar begins daily flights to Phuket
November 2-7 Phuket womens' beach volleyball, Karon beach
November 5 Phuket Charity Pro Am Golf, Blue Canyon
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 28 Laguna Phuket triathlon
December 4-11 Phuket King's Cup Regatta
December 5 Laguna Ironman title
2011
January 6-9 PIMEX boat show, Royal Phuket Marina
February 9-13 The Bay Regatta - Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi