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

Phuket Update A severe weather warning has been issued for Phuket and Phang Nga on Tuesday, with waves of up to three metres expected. Small boats are advised not to take to sea and swimmers are warned that this morning's tranquil conditions are expected to give way to a red flag no-swimming day on Phuket beaches.

Phuket Update Large resorts on Patong's beachfront needed to become more concerned about the environment because polluted water flooded from some of them straight into the sea after heavy rain, Patong council heard. Councillor Sahut Jarungklin said: ''We've had this problem for a long time. The big hotels are the ones that need to be controlled first.''

bangkokpost.com Advance Aviation, the largest civilian helicopter operator in Thailand, is raising its profile to include private jet charter services later this year to serve high-flying clientele. The privately owned Thai firm is scheduled to launch the new service in November after taking delivery of a six-year-old Gulfstream G200 jet bought from the Peninsula Hong Kong Hotel for about 300 million baht. [AA operates on Phuket.]

nationmultimedia.com A new political chapter has begun following inauguration of the 24th House of Representatives and today will see legislators vote to elect Somsak Kiatsuranont as the new Speaker. By next week, Yingluck Shinawatra will have formally taken office as prime minister.

ft.com Thailand's Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn has formally opened the new session of Parliament but the incoming government faces significant challenges and analysts are already questioning if her administration will last its full term.

bloomberg.com The Election Commission has certified all but four of 500 winning candidates in the July 3 vote, discarding complaints aiming to thwart the sister of exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra from taking power. Court rulings and a coup have overturned three previous Thaksin election wins since 2005.

nationmultimedia.com Leading recruiters in Thailand are questioning the new government's policy to raise the daily minimum wage to 300 baht, saying it could cause higher unemployment. Satinee Mokaves, managing director of JobsDB Recruitment (Thailand), said the policy might push the labour market into a ''hire less pay more'' situation, since employers would try to manage manpower costs by using automated systems, rather than recruiting new staff.

Phuket Update Patong's council meeting heard that a bus involved in a crash on Patong Hill now presents an eyesore for tourists as it is being kept on a road behind Jungceylon, and so do crashed vehicles that remain parked at the local police station. Councillor Weerapot Eamsub suggested that the wrecked vehicles be dumped to form an artificial reef off Patong.

incentivetravel.co.uk The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau announced Hua Hin as one of the five carefully selected luxurious destinations in its latest MICE marketing initiative, especially designed for untapped niche markets. Other selected cities including Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Samui. [Phuket, it seems, is now one big city.]

nationmultimedia.com Altogether 62 securities firms from Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam joined the Asean Broker Networking event in Phuket last Thursday and Friday. The meeting provided an opportunity for brokerages from the region to forge partnerships ahead of the implementation of the Asean Link next year.

reuters The US House of Representatives has approved legislation to avert a disastrous debt default and cut trillions in government spending, setting the stage for the measure to face a Senate vote.

independent.co.uk Addressing Olso's Storting parliament Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg insisted that Norway should not respond to the attacks with a "witch hunt against freedom of opinion". But he also called on opinion makers to be more careful about what they said in public.

nationmultimedia.com More Thais are expected to travel overseas in the remaining months of this year to take advantage of the stronger baht. Thai baht is now about 29.70 per US dollar.

bangkokpost.com Islamic organisations and travel industry associations are beginning to monitor discrimination more closely in preparation to take name-and-shame actions, both legally and via the media, against countries and companies that ignore Islamophobia in the travel sector, workplaces, schools, etc. The 22/7 attack was a stark wake-up call to the entire travel industry because the terrorist, a blond-haired blue-eyed xenophobe, railed against multi-culturalism, which lies at the very heart of tourism.

scotsman.com Malaysia has begun registering up to two million illegal-immigrant workers in an amnesty program aimed at managing waves of foreigners looking for menial jobs unwanted by Malaysians. Malaysia has some four million foreign workers, only half of whom are in the country legally.

ftnnews.com The Tourism Authority of Thailand is to organise the Phuket Seafood Fiesta 2011 during August to attract visitors to one of the kingdom's most popular beach resorts during the ''Green Season'' months.

smh.com.au Australia plans to cut Customs and Immigration staff, with an immediate effect on processing times at airports.



dailymail.co.uk The manner in which India collapsed to lose the Second Test to England inside 48 overs on the same pitch that had just presented England with 544 raised the genuine prospect of a 4-0 whitewash.



August 3 British Business Association of Phuket Dinner, Centara Grand

August 12 HM The Queen's Birthday public holiday

August 12-13 Phuket's Seafood Festa, Rawai

August 16-25 Phuket Flower and Vegetable Festival, Saphan Hin, Phuket City

August17-28 MV Logos book fair at Phuket deep sea port

August 26-27 Phuket's Seafood Festa, Phuket City

September 21-24 Quiksilver Thailand Surf Competition 2011, Patong

September 27-October 5 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket

November 1-6 Women's Beach Volleyball Series at Karon on Phuket

November 26-27 9th Phuket International Soccer 7s

November 27 Laguna Phuket Triathlon

December 3-4 6th Andaman International Soccer 7s

December 4 Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship, Laguna



March 18-28 National Youth Games, Phuket

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



November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket