au.ibtimes.com Group buying site Scoopon has refunded about $1 million to Air Australia passengers, many of whom were stranded on Phuket when the carrier collapsed. Executive general manager Jared Baker called on travel companies to put customers ahead of profits in such situations.

smh.com.au It is bitterly ironic that the Australian government, which regards travellers as cash cows and slugs them with the biggest departure tax outside Europe, had not contemplated even the most basic consumer protection against an airline collapse.

Associated Press Three people died after an avalanche near a Cascade ski resort in Washington state, authorities said. Eight people who were missing have been found.

latimes.com Nomophobia - the fear of being without your mobile phone - is on the rise, according to a new report sponsored by SecurEnvoy, a company that specialises in digital passwords.


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

telegraph.co.uk Hotels in the notorious beach resort city of Pattaya, where three of the Iranian bombers spent five days cavorting with prostitutes, are to be forced to adhere to rules informing police of the identities of guests within 24 hours of arrival.

smh.com.au Employees of failed budget airline Air Australia say they are "truly disgusted" after becoming jobless as well as stranded, along with thousands of passengers, in airports in Bali, Phuket and Hawaii.

nationmultimedia.com Letter: On Saturday I arrived for my 28th year of long-term visits to Phuket. Unfortunately I witnessed one of the most disgraceful incidents I have ever seen from a government official. Phuket's reputation is now second only to Bangkok as the worst place in Thailand to visit in terms of rip-offs and scams. If I didn't have long-term friends and extended family here I would never come back either. Disgusted Farang, Phuket.

nytimes.com Hundreds of anti-government protesters braved gunfire from Syrian soldiers and a snowstorm to march through a middle-class neighborhood in Damascus in the biggest demonstration seen close to the heart of the capital since the uprising began 11 months ago.

cnn.com A 40-year-old mother of two was burned alive in central Nepal after she was accused of being a witch, police said. Dhegani Mahato was attacked and set on fire by family members and others after a shaman allegedly accused her of casting a spell to make a relative sick.

bangkokpost.com DNA testing could prove to be one of the most effective ways to combat transnational wildlife trafficking crimes, police say. Thailand has become widely known as a source of wildlife meat being smuggled to other countries, assistant national police chief Chalermkiat Sirworakan said.

dailymail.co.uk Her mother's funeral had just been hours before, and Whitney Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown was allegedly found doing drugs. The 18-year-old apparently slipped away from friends and family after the emotional four-hour service in New Jersey.

pattayadailynews.com A Lao woman was allegedly swindled out of 21 million baht. The African-Russian gang sent her an e-mail, claiming that two million dollars belonging to a retiring US navy admiral who wanted to marry her was waiting. But the money was locked in an account and her helped was needed. The gang was later arrested in a Pattaya seaside condominium.

bangkokpost.com Almost unknown in Asia eight years ago, the air low-cost carrier business is gathering strength with annual double-digit growth that will triple its passenger volume by 2020.

Associated Press Jemaah Islamiyah is past its prime but it is not vanquished, said Sidney Jones, a noted terrorism analyst from the International Crisis Group: ''Islamist radical groups in Southeast Asia, particularly those in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia have been damaged but they are still dangerous.''

nationmultimedia.com The Pheu Thai Party will rush through two laws to boost efficiency in fighting money-laundering after Thailand was blacklisted by an intergovernmental organisation.

etravelblackboard.com Government spokesperson, Phrompong Nopparit, proposed covering Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga with 500,000 security cameras as a means of ensuring the safety of tourists. ''We have to admit that there are threats all over the world, and our country is a weak link,'' National Security Council chief Wichean Potephosree said.

bangkokpost.com Hilton Worldwide has signed a contract to open its first DoubleTree property in Bangkok and is now working to expand the mid-range brand further in the country.

scmp.com For the second time in three years, more people left Hong Kong last year than settled in the city, prompting warnings of a new brain drain.

jakartaglobe.com Bali Police are investigating a report about the mysterious disappearance of an entire family of six. Police suspect the family, from South Kuta, was the victim of violence after finding traces of blood inside the house as well as a blood-stained T-shirt and the family's dog buried outside.

telegraph.co.uk At least 44 inmates have been killed in a riot at a prison near the northern Mexican city of Monterrey.Gangs and drug cartels periodically stage jail breaks and battle for control.

wsj.com Tony Fernandes of AirAsia, QPR and F1 team Caterham: "The very last thing, which I think is the most important, is: people have simply got to enjoy coming into work."



guardian.co.uk History was created at Anfield as Brighton & Hove Albion became the first club to concede three own-goals in an FA Cup tie and were duly demolished 6-1 by Liverpool.

afp Heavyweight boxer Dereck Chisora was released without charge after a media conference brawl in which he threatened to shoot British rival David Haye. Chisora had been detained by police at Munich airport as he was preparing to board a plane home.

reuters New opening batsman Richard Levi blasted a world record 13 sixes in making the fastest ever century off just 45 balls to guide South Africa to an eight wicket win over New Zealand to level their Twenty20 series in Hamilton.

afp Premier League high-flyers Tottenham Hotspur were held to a shock goalless draw away to third tier Stevenage in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday and face a replay to reach the quarter-finals.

smh.com.au Veteran batsman Ricky Ponting has gone five innings without scoring double figures for the first time in his 375-game ODI career and appears set to be axed, even though Australia defeated India again.

afp Real Madrid's Germany midfielder Sami Khedira has spoken out against the arrests of three Tunisian journalists who republished pictures of the footballer and his girlfriend in semi-naked poses.

Associated Press Top-ranked Yani Tseng successfully defended her LPGA Thailand title for her 13th LPGA Tour victory, birdieing the final two holes to hold off playing partner Ai Miyazato by a stroke.



February 23-26 10th Thai International Travel Fair, Bangkok

February 24-25 Phuket Blues Festival, Laguna Phuket

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

April 23-28 Phuket Pride Festival

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