stuff.co.nz Three teenage boys have been rescued after drifting in the Pacific Ocean for 50 days in a small boat. On their home island of Atafu, 500 people had already held memorial services.


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

bangkokpost.com Figures compiled by Airports of Thailand showed low-cost carriers passing through airports including Suvarnabhumi and Phuket surged in the first nine months by 38.49 percent year-on-year to 13.99 million, while total low-cost flight movements grew 25 percent to 108,123.

smh.com.au Airfares and hotel prices could rise by as much as 10 per cent next year, according to annual forecast figures compiled by American Express Business Travel. And the Asia Pacific region is expected to lead the way, thanks to "dramatic" economic growth.

nationmultimedia.com Bangkok-based Business Air is planning to add flights between Thailand and South Korea this high season before entering the China and Japan markets, aiming to approach only group travellers. It is operating four flights a week between Bangkok and Incheon and four a week on the Phuket-Incheon route but will increase Bangkok-Incheon flights to seven a week and to five for Phuket-Incheon.

theage.com.au The US President, Barack Obama, and the South Korean President, Lee Myung-bak, have agreed to hold joint military exercises this weekend as a first response to North Korea's deadly shelling of a military installation in the South. The US and South Korea are both struggling for the second time this year to keep a North Korean provocation from escalating into war.

cnn.com The swaying of a suspension bridge led to fears it would collapse and resulted in a stampede that killed 456 people at a Cambodian festival, according to government investigators. Police fired water cannons to get people to continue moving across the footbridge, which leads to an island in the center of a river.

todayonline.com Hundreds gathered for a second day outside Thailand's Parliament to protest against any attempts by legislators to amend the country's Constitution. The People's Alliance for Democracy, also known as yellow shirts, are against proposed amendments that could benefit smaller parties in elections.

channelnewsasia.com Singapore's Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts said the water polo team did not seek its advice when they sported swimming trunks bearing elements of the Singapore flag. It said their design is inappropriate, as elements of the flag must be treated with dignity. The water polo team was wearing trunks which feature the crescent moon and stars from the Singapore flag at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

straitstimes.com Singapore's water polo boys have drawn diverse reactions, looking at posts from the Straits Times Online discussion board. At issue is the suggestive positioning of the crescent moon over the crotch. Poster Thegreyguy said the design was ''a very in-the-face-way of telling Singaporeans to have more children''.

theage.com.au Two passenger planes with 443 people on board were involved in a near miss over an Australian town last year after an air traffic controller failed to notice they were on a collision course. An aerospace engineer who spoke to The Age calculated that the planes were about 40 seconds from hitting had evasive action not been taken.

dailymail.co.uk Qantas gave Rolls-Royce a lift by announcing plans to resume flying some Airbus A380 services this week, three weeks after an engine blew up on a superjumbo flight from Singapore.

bloomberg Police in Massachusetts say a teenage boy found dead on the street in a Boston suburb may have dropped from a plane's wheel well. Severe trauma to the body and the town of Milton's location under a flight path to Boston's Logan Airport made a fall from an aircraft a distinct possibility, the official said.

Associated Press An Indonesian Muslim cleric who sparked a national outcry by marrying a 12-year-old girl was sentenced to four years in prison. He claimed at the time he hadn't done anything wrong because he had no plans to consummate the marriage until the girl reached puberty.

etravelblackboard.com From January to September 2010, Thailand welcomed more than 500,000 Australian visitors, up by 10.5 percent over 2009. But now Bangkok and Phuket are being challenged by Chiang Mai and Koh Samui, with an increasing number of Australians interested in these alternative destinations.
"We are positioning Phuket clients ... to explore other parts of Thailand. Phuket is a complete destination in itself but don't let the fun stop there. There is no reason to end your holiday on the island when all it takes is just another short flight of no more than one hour to Koh Samui, Chiang Mai, or Bangkok, or rent a car to visit the beautiful beaches of Krabi and Trang nearby,'' said Suraphon Svetasreni, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

contactmusic.com Angelina Jolie has been handed a major unofficial honor in her adopted son Maddox's native Cambodia - a famous Hindu temple has been named after her. Rajan Zed, the president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, said: "It's a 12th century site called Ta Prohm; now it's popularly called the Angelina Jolie Temple.''

thejakartaglobe.com The government has given flag carrier Garuda Indonesia until Friday to turn in its report on recent flight disruptions. As many as 737 passengers from six canceled flights on Sunday had to spend the night in hotels, costing $27,000.

ukpa The number of people killed in recent eruptions of Indonesia's most volatile volcano has risen to 324, officials said. Syamsul Maarif of the National Disaster Management Agency said the death toll from Mount Merapi's eruptions rose after some victims succumbed to severe burns and more bodies were found on its slopes.



November 26-28 Phuket Honda Racing Fest at Saphan Hin, Phuket City
November 28 Laguna Phuket triathlon
December 1 World Aids Day
December 4-11 Phuket King's Cup Regatta
December 5 Laguna Ironman 70.3 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