guardian.co.uk The US may be about to press charges against Julian Assange, the editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, one of his lawyers said. Jennifer Robinson said an indictment of her client under the US's Espionage Act was imminent.


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

bangkokpost.com AirAsia is jumping into the telecom business in Thailand with the aim of revolutionising the industry under the tagline "Now Everyone Can Talk". Asia's largest low-cost airline signed a 49:51 joint-venture deal last week with a group of Thai investors to establish Tune Talk Thailand Co. The company, with 100 million baht in registered capital, will provide 3G wireless broadband services on behalf of TOT Plc, with the planned debut of its Tune brand on January 13.

Phuket Update A Phuket tourist was found dead yesterday in bed at Chalong Beach Resort and Spa, Rawai. He was named as German Chuprakov, 46, a Russian, who was on holiday with his wife, Tatiana, 41. His body is now at Vachira Hospital in Phuket City.

afp Sweden says it's investigating two bomb blasts that killed a person in central Stockholm as a "terrorist crime," as an al-Qaeda-linked website claims one of its men carried out the attack. The blasts targeted Christmas shoppers in a busy pedestrian quarter of the Swedish capital.

telegraph.co.uk An Islamic suicide bomber who attacked Christmas shoppers in Sweden at the weekend is a British university graduate and was living in Britain until two weeks ago.

guardian.co.uk The American preacher who planned a mass burning of the Qur'an on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks could be banned from entering Britain under incitement and national security laws.

cnn.com Hillary Clinton: ''Give women equal rights and entire nations are more stable and secure. Deny women equal rights and the instability of nations is almost certain."

smh.com.au The London scandal sheet, the News of the World, offered its readers a five page ''Spincredible but true'' spread with secret photographs and panting commentary on an affair they allege cricketer Shane Warne is having with the actress Liz Hurley, who is married to Arun Nayar, an Indian businessman.

afp A 14-year-old Malaysian Muslim schoolgirl has defended her controversial marriage to a 23-year-old teacher after an uproar from rights groups. Siti Maryam Mahmod wed Abdul Manan Othman last weekend in a mass wedding at a mosque in Kuala Lumpur, after being given permission in an Islamic court.

WENN Michael Jackson fans have launched a petition in a bid to stop the broadcast of a TV show featuring a re-enactment of the late star's autopsy. The Discovery Channel's controversial program 'Michael Jackson's Autopsy' is said to be based on the official coroner's report and court documents taken after the star's death back in 2009.

nationmultimedia.com The US Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe has postponed a hearing on Thailand's human rights compliance to next year, the legal adviser of fugitive ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra said.

telegraph.co.uk A spokeswoman at the US embassy in Bangkok has brushed aside scepticism over whether distribution of ''wanted'' beer coolers in girlie bars would bring results in tracking the region's most evil men, saying DEA-REWARDS.com had already garnered promising leads in Thailand and neighboring countries. [Distribution on Phuket has been postponed until January.]

bangkokpost.com Heading: Can't talk now darling, I'm hunting drug barons

bbc.co.uk A group of pro-Wikileaks activists who coordinated a series of web attacks have explained their actions. The Anonymous group said they were not hackers but "average internet citizens" who felt motivated to act because of perceived injustices against Wikileaks.

todayonline.com Former Malaysian Deputy PM Anwar Ibrahim used Twitter to dismiss a revelation by WikiLeaks that Australian intelligence believes he engaged in sodomy, claiming the source was Malaysia's Special Branch police.

jakartaglobe.com Indonesia's government expects total foreign tourist arrivals to reach seven million this year, in line with its original target despite natural disasters, a government official said. The government also expects to generate $7 billion in foreign exchange revenue.

afp Indonesian police arrested four men on suspicion of trying to smuggle 77 illegal immigrants from Iran, Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan to Australia by boat, Indonesia's news agency said. The four will be charged with breaking immigration regulations as Indonesia has no law against people-smuggling.

canberratimes.com.au This time last week Michelle Wu's legs felt like jelly. Soft, spongy and weary from a tortuous four-hours plus of swimming, cycling and running in sultry Phuket. Yesterday she somehow summoned the strength to push herself to the limit yet again in winning her hometown event, the Canberra City Half Ironman.



December 14 Night tsunami drill, Kamala
December 15-20 Patong Carnival
December 16-18 2010 Asia Superyacht Rendezvous
December 17-19 Phuket Street Show Festival, Old Phuket Town
December 17 US Consular outreach service on Phuket
December 22-24 Disaster warning drills
December 26 Tsunami sixth anniversary
December 30-January 9 Phuket Red Cross Fair, Saphan Hin park, Phuket City


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