bbc.co.uk Radioactivity in water at reactor 2 at the quake-damaged Fukushima nuclear plant has reached 10 million times the usual level, company officials say. Workers trying to cool the reactor core to avoid a meltdown have been evacuated.

voanews.com Authorities later said those radiation readings were not accurate and that new tests had been ordered.

bloomberg Shoppers in Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney are shunning Japanese food products in supermarkets amid concern about radiation.


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

RAIN on Phuket, Krabi, Ranong and Phang Nga is expected to continue to fall until Tuesday. Small boats are advised not to put to sea. Landslips on steep slopes are also a danger.

bangkokpost.com Heavy downpours in the south have caused flooding and wreaked havoc in many areas. Flash floods have already hit Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Surat Thani, Trang and Chumphon.

bangkokpost.com A Thai airline is under fire after it failed to send anyone to represent it at a British inquest into the One-Two-Go airlines crash in Phuket in 2007, which killed 90 people. The coroner, sitting in Lincoln, Wales, last week criticised the firm One-Two-Go, and its parent company Orient Thai Airlines, which is based at Suvarnabhumi airport.

smh.com.au New signs have emerged that parts of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are so damaged and contaminated that it will be even harder to bring the plant under control soon. At the same time, Japanese officials began encouraging people to evacuate a larger band of territory around the complex.

cnn.com Levels of radioactive iodine in seawater just offshore of the embattled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant spiked to more than 1250 times higher than normal, Japan's nuclear and industrial safety agency said.

afp Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi are retreating after rebels recaptured the key eastern towns of Ajdabiya and Brega in their first significant victory since Western-led air strikes began a week ago.

Associated Press Syrian President Bashar Assad pulled back police and soldiers from a restive southern city and released dozens of political prisoners in an attempt to appease demonstrators furious about a violent government crackdown on dissent that has left dozens dead.

bbc.co.uk Protesters and police have clashed in Trafalgar Square at the end of a day of marches in London against government cuts. More than 250,000 people attended a march and rally in central London.

bigpondnews.com Lights went off around the world as landmark buildings and ordinary homes flipped their switches while the annual Earth Hour circled the planet in what was dubbed the world's largest voluntary action for the environment.

xinhua Beijing's Great Wall, "Bird Nest" Stadium and Shanghai's Oriental Pearl TV Tower are among the buildings in China's 86 cities that went dark as hundreds of millions of people around the world turned off their lights during Earth Hour.

smh.com.au Australian travellers will be granted an added degree of modesty when full-body scanners are introduced at airports this year. Unlike the ''nude'' images transmitted by the controversial scanners used in the US, those that will be introduced in Australia, including Sydney Airport, will not reveal details of body contours or private areas.

nst.com.my Thailand remains locked in conflict and polarisation between an entrenched regime propping up Abhisit and burgeoning new voices clamoring for enfranchisement. Any peaceful outcome to this conflict will require far-sighted concessions and compromises.

independent.co.uk The Cambodian government has started inspecting more than 250 orphanages after it was revealed that most of the country's 12,000 orphans have at least one living parent. The government said that until the assessment is completed, it had no idea whether the children were being cared for properly.

wired.com Like so many environmental problems, ocean plastic seems overwhelming. But countries like China, South Africa and Thailand are already taxing or banning single-use plastic bags, which pose the greatest threat to turtles.

bangkokpost.com The hotel-branded holiday home has become an emerging trend over the past five years. Phuket was one of the pioneer destinations with the famed hotelier Adrian Zecha's Amanpuri, followed by the luxury boutique brand Banyan Tree, offering ownership of property within an upper-tier hotel.

cnn.com "FYI" (for your information), "LOL" (laughing out loud) and "OMG" (oh my god) are all now formally recognized by the Oxford English Dictionary, one of the world's principal English-language dictionaries.



TATA YOUNG occupies virtually the entire front page of this week's Phuket News because she's performing for Japan Aid on Phuket on April 2. She's on the front of the Phuket Gazette too, but ranked as the week's third most important story. The Gazette has six pages of 'Phuket News' in a 48 page issue for 25 baht; the News has four pages of 'Island News' in a 40 page issue for 20 baht. One has an editorial but no editorial cartoon; the other has a cartoon but no editorial. Online, the Gazette's 'Phuket Lifestyle' section with its shiny red ''new'' sticker hasn't updated since March 6. Expect more fads as competition intensifies.

adelaidenow.com.au The tranquility on offer at Peace Laguna Resort in Krabi is hard to beat. Certainly, as the name of the resort suggests, it would be difficult to find a more peaceful stay so close to the usual Thai trimmings. For many, Thai holidays can follow a predictable Bangkok-Phuket route.

independent.co.uk While Macau remains by far the region's largest casino market, governments from Sri Lanka to Fiji are also eyeing gambling parlors as a way to help attract more tourist dollars. Casinos in Macau earned a record $23.5 billion last year, up about 58 percent from 2009.

Assoicated Press Indonesian airport authorities say they have detained two men who attempted to carry 40 pythons on board a flight to Dubai. Jakarta airport official Salahudin Rafi says the two Kuwaitis were about to enter the departure area when X-rays showed their bags were filled with sedated snakes.



IBAP with Indochine's Michael Ma as the guest speaker is at Indochine on April 8.

PHUKET Navy League is planning a free Independence Day event on Sunday, July 3 from 10am to 7pm at Headstart International School, across the street from Makro, near Central Festival in Phuket City.

March 27Wake for Phuket expat Lionel Cleary at Nikita's, Rawai, from 3pm.
March 27 FC Phuket plays tonight 6pm at Surakul Stadium, Phuket City. Adults 50 baht, children 20 baht.
March 28-31 Four days of traditional longboat races, Koh Panyee, Phang Nga
April 1 Turtle release, Banyan Tree seafront, Laguna Phuket
April 2 'To Japan from Phuket With Love' charity concert, Karon Beach
April 8-10 Phuket Bike Week, Patong
April 12-17 Phuket International Cricket Sixes
April 13-15 Songkran Festival
May New PPAO Hospital to open, Phuket City
June 12 Laguna Phuket International Marathon
June 23-26 Phuket Fun Fly paragliding, Nai Harn
July 20-24 Six Senses Phuket Raceweek
October Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
November 27 Laguna Phuket Triathlon
December 4 Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship, Laguna


March 18-28 National Youth Games, Phuket

Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket