FORMER Australian captain Ricky Ponting was out for 8 in his last Test innings as South Africa took an unassailable grip on their title as world's top cricketing nation.


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

asiasociety.org In Conversation with Thaksin Shinawatra. President's Circle Luncheon with the Former Prime Minister of Thailand. Thaksin Shinawatra is one of the most influential - and polarising - characters in Thai politics. December 11 2012 12.30pm-2pm Asia Society Hong Kong Center, 9 Justice Drive, Admiralty.

bangkokpost.com Phuket police said they were looking for Moshe David, a Hungarian citizen who also holds an Israeli passport with the name (phonetically) Andras Ngmgth Gabor, Phuket provincial police Chote Chavarnwiwat said. The stabbed and battered body of Peter Reisz was found in a black plastic bag at a rubber plantation in Phuket's Kathu district on Friday.

telegraph.co.uk A British kickboxer has become the first criminal suspect to be extradited from the UK to Thailand and will go on trial on Phuket for murder on Monday. Britain and Thailand have had an extradition treaty since 1911, but previously no British national has ever been sent to the country to face trial. if found guilty, the Thai authorities have said Lee Aldhouse will not face death by lethal injection.

guardian.co.uk Police said Aldhouse allegedly killed Dashawn Longfellow, then 23, on August 14 2010, after being beaten up by the ex-marine during an earlier brawl at a Phuket bar.

huffingtonpost.com Aldhouse was a semi-professional kickboxer who had been living on Phuket, while Longfellow was also studying the sport on Phuket. Colonel Sinard Ajhanwong, commander of Thai Interpol Region 3, said Aldhouse appeared very nervous about his rights being honored under the Thai legal system, ''but our prosecutors assured him that he will treated according to international standards of justice.''

dailystar.co.uk CCTV footage is said to show Aldhouse stealing knives from a Phuket shop after he left the bar. His mother Tammy welcomed the news that Aldhouse would face trial. ''I am sorry but I want him dead. I know in my heart that's bad but it's how I feel. I miss my son every day.''

nationmultimedia.com After the alleged killing, Thai police said Aldhouse escaped from Phuket with his girlfriend to Cambodia then to Singapore before taking a flight to London. However, he was arrested at Heathrow Airport following cooperation between the Thai and UK police. The Thai extradition request was approved by the UK High Court after two years.

bangkokpost.com Natural disaster warnings have been issued for residents in Phatthalung, Satun and Songkhla provinces as several days of continued heavy rain sparked fears of flooding and landslides.

smh.com.au The world is on track to see ''an unrecognisable planet'' that is between four and six degrees hotter by the end of this century, according to new data on greenhouse gas emissions.

bangkokpost.com Unless you've been in hibernation, you will be aware that Thailand has been graced by the presence of Korea's Psy, whose Gangnam Style song and dance routine is the most-watched video in YouTube history. It's hard to pinpoint the reasons for Gangnam Style's success, apart from the appreciation of the totally absurd which lurks within most of us. It simply makes people laugh.

nytimes.com At least seven people were feared dead after a highway tunnel collapsed in eastern Japan, trapping them in their vehicles and starting a fire that filled the passage with thick, black smoke.

newstrackindia.com For a peek into some hedonistic pleasures - of a ladyboy sitting on your lap and cooing love words, a transvestite cabaret dancer performing sensual moves to a Bollywood number or a willowy Thai girl beckoning - a visit to this Southeast Asian nation is a must. For most tourists, it is the sex tourism tag that makes the country a favoured destination, but Thailand has much more to offer.

thephuketinsider.com Patong's Phuket Graceland Resort has opened its new Sunset Wing extension with 140 new guest rooms.

abc.net.au Burma's President Thein Sein has asked the Opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to lead a probe into a crackdown on a protest against a Chinese-backed copper mine. The investigation will also assess the future of the contested Monywa project in northern Burma.

bloomberg Singapore's first labor protest since the 1980s led to the deportation of 29 Chinese bus drivers and the prosecution of five others, highlighting the difficulty balancing a work force reliant on foreign employees.

bangkokpost.com Thai AirAsia plans to ramp up frequencies on its Chiang Mai-Had Yai route next year with Nok Air is expected to launch daily service on the route January 1. AirAsia also flies Chiang Mai-Phuket twice daily.

gulfnews.com Emirates' A380 destination list has grown past 20, with Singapore and Moscow joining the airline's double-decker network. Emirates now operates to 21 A380 destinations with new cities to be announced in the coming months.

nationmultimedia.com The new year will mark a new era for Sansiri as it moves to cover all segments of the residential market, company president Srettha Thavisin said: ''We did develop homes costing more than 20 million baht seven years ago, but we will return to this market again for both low-rise and high-rise residences.''

nst.com.my The visit to Phuket was an exciting experience for the Perodua media group, especially for first-time visitors. It was holiday season and Patong beach and other tourist attractions on the island were packed with visitors.

scmp.com A group representing pilots around the world is backing plans for a third runway at Hong Kong International Airport.



smh.com.au South Africa set Australia a monumental 632 runs for victory, more than 200 in excess of the highest successful Test run chase and a figure not compiled by any team, anywhere in a fourth innings since England ground to 5-654 in the last timeless Test in 1939.



Until December 8 King's Cup Regatta

December 5 HM The King's Birthday

December 10 Constitution Day

December 15-20 Patong Carnival

December 16-18 Asia Superyacht Rendezvous, Bang Tao beach

December 25 Christmas Day



October 5-13 Phuket Vegetarian Festival



November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket